The Office of Public Guardian, Inc., (OPG) serves adults with mental and/or physical disabilities as their court-appointed legal guardian when they are incapable of managing some or all of their affairs.

The Office of Public Guardian, Inc., was established to act as a substitute decision-maker for those persons in the Big Bend Area who are functionally impaired to the extent that they require the protection of court intervention. The OPG provides quality public assistance in the form of guardianship services to vulnerable adults adjudicated incapacitated who have no family, friends, or resources to obtain a private guardian.

Through the provision of public guardianship services and under the direction of the court, the OPG strives to:

• enhance quality of life,
  
• employ “substituted judgment,” acting as the person would have when making decisions in their best interests,
  
• protect against abuse, neglect and exploitation, and
  
• safeguard and exercise the fundamental civil rights of the people we serve

Guardianship is a serious step! Just because the person has a disability does not mean he or she needs a guardian. Guardianship is inappropriate if there are other alternatives such as a durable power of attorney, medical proxy, public benefits’ representative, etc.

You may contact our OPG Staff for more information regarding making a referral or possible alternatives.

OPG will begin working with the Tallahassee Bar Association in 2010 to provide pro bono guardianship legal services to low and middle-income families in the Big Bend area.