Florida guardianship case illustrates lack of safeguards as number of cases rise - The Washington Post

So judges now often assign professional guardians, a person paid to care for someone they don't know. Carlson told the court she was already caring for 18 others when she was assigned to Hulse. Carlson charged him $65 an hour, according to her bills filed in court. When a judge signed off, she paid herself from Hulse's bank account. 

In some states, the only requirement to be a guardian is to be 18 years old. Florida has more requirements including a background and credit check. But still, compare the 40-hour training course with, for instance, the 900 educational hours required to become a licensed barber. 

Yet these caretakers control people's lives and money. In just one Florida county, Palm Beach, guardians control about $1 billion, according to Anthony Palmieri, deputy inspector general for the Palm Beach Circuit Court. 

"You have your nail techs and tennis pros — their business is not so good and they want something more lucrative and they're jumping into guardianship," Palmieri said...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/11/04/florida-guardianship-investigation-safeguards/