Office of Public & Professional Guardians (OPPG)

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The Office of Public & Professional Guardians (OPPG), housed within the Department of Elder Affairs, appoints local public guardians to provide guardianship services to persons who do not have adequate income or assets to afford a private guardian and there are no willing family or friends to serve. The OPPG, which contracts with 15 local Offices of Public Guardianship throughout Florida, is also responsible for the registration and education of professional guardians. Since 2016, the OPPG has expanded its responsibilities to include oversight and regulation of approximately 550 or more professional guardians statewide, which includes investigating, and if appropriate, disciplining the guardians in violation of law.

The OPPG can be reached by calling (850) 414-2381 or by email at OPPGinfo@elderaffairs.org.

Programs/Services:

  • Professional Guardians must meet certain requirements to register with the state of Florida. For more information and a complete guide to the Professional Guardian Registration, please click here.
  • The OPPG established a statewide toll-free hotline to receive complaints made against registered professional guardians. The hotline number is: 1-855-305-3030. In addition, complaints can be submitted via email or mail.
  • The Department contracts with 16 public guardianship offices statewide, providing public guardianship services to vulnerable adults that meet the following criteria:
    • The person (referred to as a “ward”) must be indigent;
    • The ward may not have any friends or family that are willing or able to serve; and
    • The person must be adjudicated incapacitated under Chapter 744, Florida Statutes, or eligible for a Guardian Advocate under s. 393.12, Florida Statutes.
    • For more details on the 16 public guardians, please go to: Florida Public Guardian Programs
  • Direct Support Organization: Foundation for Indigent Guardianship (FIG); FIG supports the OPPG via a pooled special needs trust to supplement state funding for Florida’s public guardianship programs. FIG Annual Report FY 23-24 You can also find the previous report at FIG Annual Report FY 22-23.

Other Resources:

Florida Law Related to Guardianship

Florida Resources