Durable Power of Attorney in Florida: Who Can Make Legal or Financial Decisions for You if You Can’t?

RTRLAW can assist our clients in Florida with planning for their incapacity by preparing a Durable Power of Attorney, a legal document that provides legal authority for the person that you designate to act on your behalf if you are physically and/or mentally unable to act on your own.

In most cases, a Durable Power of Attorney is used with clients who are elderly or for people who have disabilities. “Durable” means that the power of attorney will remain valid and in effect if you become incapacitated and can’t make decisions for yourself.

In Florida, a Durable Power of Attorney allows someone you trust to make business decisions, financial decisions or legal decisions on your behalf. If something happens to you unexpectedly, such as a severe illness or injury, setting up a Durable Power of Attorney can protect you and your finances. Your designee can handle banking or investment transactions for you, pay bills, pay taxes, manage real estate, collect benefits that you are owed, operate your business and hire a lawyer to represent you to take care of legal matters.

Without this important legal document, your loved ones would have to go to court to get approval to make these decisions for you, or worse, the state might need to make the decisions for you if no one is named as a power of attorney.

Similarly, a medical power of attorney (in Florida, known as a Designation of Healthcare Surrogate or elsewhere, a medical proxy) is a legal document that names someone you trust who can communicate your healthcare and end-of-life treatment instructions to your doctor or medical facility and make life or death decisions for you.

For more information about setting up a Durable Power of Attorney or Medical Power of Attorney in Florida, call RTRLAW today at 1-833-HIRE-RTR (1-833-447-3787).

RTRLAW’s experienced and qualified estate planning lawyers can meet with you at one of our six office locations in Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Lake Worth, or by appointment in Miami or Jacksonville.

Our attorneys can explain the benefits of having a power of attorney in place and work with you and your family to make sure you are protected.

For more information, contact us, email  [email protected] or call or text us toll free at 1-833-HIRE-RTR (1-833-447-3787) today.