Letters to Editor-- "Another No Can Do Letter" !

-----Original Message-----From: Debbie Howells [mailto:howellsd@flcourts.org] On Behalf Of osca Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 12:13 PM To: David MacCaslin Subject: RE: The Baker Act, Besides Mental Illness, a Tool for the Exploitation of Revelle Rose Markert

Dear Mr. MacCaslin:

We have reviewed your recent correspondence about your Grandmother and the Baker Act proceeding that she was involved in. We regret that your family’s experience with the legal system has been a difficult one.

The Office of the State Courts Administrator is prohibited from becoming involved in individual cases. If you believe a crime has been committed, you should report that to the Sheriff or State Attorney. It sounds as if you have reported your concerns about possible exploitation of your Grandmother to the appropriate authorities.

While this office cannot be of any assistance to your family, we hope the situation is resolved in your Grandmother’s best interests.

Debbie Howells
Executive Assistant
Office of the State Courts Administrator
500 S. Duval Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1900

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Ray of ElderAbuseHelp.Org writes;

"Dear Debbie Howells;

We regret that your office is prohibited in helping victims of elder financial abuse."

ENDANGERED SENIORS - Elder financial abuse has become a hidden national epidemic...

So far 'hoping" that elder abuse situations are resolved satisfactorily have done nothing to alleviate the current "epidemic" we need a little more in the way of help from current authorities than just "hoping."

Maybe if your office and others entrusted with public service took a more proactive role in the protection of our elders, they would not be endangered species today.

Yours truly; Ray Fernandez
Editor for ElderAbuseHelp.Org

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Debbie Howells writes ...

Dear Mr. Fernandez:

While it would be inappropriate for this office to become involved in individual cases or provide assistance to individual victims, we are nonetheless sensitive to elder abuse and exploitation issues. For example, please see the reports by the Supreme Court Commission on Fairness that address the Baker Act and elders as well as guardianship monitoring (available online at http://www.flcourts.org/gen_public/family/diversity/index.shtml). I was the lead staff on both of those projects.

Again, this office is prohibited from becoming involved in individual cases such as the one Mr. MacCaslin wrote to us about, but we will continue to strive to improve the judicial administration of cases involving elders.

Thank you for your interest.

Debbie Howells
Executive Assistant
Office of the State Courts Administrator
500 S. Duval Street

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"Dear Debbie Howells;

Thank you very much for your prompt reply, and the links supplied, they will no doubt be very valuable to our readers, including myself , I posted the links for all to see and we are very pleased that you are very much involved in looking for solutions to this problem as well.

It is not uncommon to get letters such as this every time we as victims or victim's families turn to the authorities for help, I was not singling your office out individually, just collectively as it seems that no one is able to assume responsibility.

Everybody passes the buck, one letters says: "Go to the Sheriff", the Sheriff says; "It's a "Civil Matter", go to the DCF", the DCF says; "But we don't have any Police Powers,..wish there was something we could do."
We go to the courts and there it languishes for years, from hearing to hearing, until the Elder's funds are depleted and the Elder becomes a "Ward of the State," dependent on the generosity of strangers."

Ray Fernandez
Editor E.A.