By LOIS KINDLE
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into law aimed at protecting seniors from becoming the victims of criminals exploiting them for financial gain.
Senate Bill 556: Protection of Specified Adults allows banks to protect seniors 65 and older and vulnerable adults from being scammed. Now, when front-line bank employees, who must be trained to recognize fraudulent schemes, suspect a senior is being exploited, the bank can pause a transaction for 15 business days. The delay expires but can be extended, if need be.
HCSO Master Deputy Jeff Merry, community resource deputy for Sun City Center, is seen here testifying before the Florida State Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, providing the soaring statistics on how seniors are exploited by criminals in financial scams.
“The delay must be reported to the Elder Abuse Line with the Florida Department of Children & Families,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Jeff Merry. “If needed, DCF will contact law enforcement.”
The bill also gives banks who take such action legal immunity if they delay a payment in good faith.
Merry knows firsthand the heartbreak scams cause the elderly. He works on a daily basis with seniors in Sun City Center and directly sees the emotional and financial toll such exploitation takes. Last year alone, Sun City Center residents lost an estimated $20 million to financial exploitation, he said.
“There’s nothing that can’t wait 15 days,” he said. “The protection the bill provides should significantly lower the loss amounts our victims ultimately incur.”
Merry had been trying for years to get the attention of Florida lawmakers about the need for this type of protective legislation. Finally invited to speak at this year’s legislative session, he enlisted the help of Sun City Center resident Kim Droege, a political activist and host of the “Connecting with Kim” show on TBAE. Thanks to her political connections on both sides of the aisle, she was able to get Sen. Darryl Rouson (D) to champion the bill and Sen. Jim Boyd (R) and House Rep. David Silvers to help support it.
Rouson met with Droege to discuss what should be included in the bill. She, Merry and Rouson crafted the legislation together, and then Droege worked her magic to push it through the political process. The bill went through several iterations before reaching its final form.
COUTESY PHOTOS
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Master Deputy Jeff Merry, Florida Sen. Darryl Rouson and Sun City Center resident/community activist Kim Droege worked together on Senate Bill 556, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law. The bill is aimed at protecting seniors and vulnerable adults from becoming the victims of criminals exploiting them for financial gain.
Merry credits Droege for getting SB 556 passed and applauds Sen. Rouson for championing the bill.
Droege thanks Rouson, Boyd and Silvers for bringing it to this past session.
“Jeff and I worked together testifying before the Senate committees,” Droege said. “We were an excellent tag team. I set the stage as to why the bill was needed and for whom, and he provided the actual statistics.
“The bill is a win for everyone involved – the tellers and bank managers are protected, the customers are protected, and the financial institutions are protected,” she said.
SB 556 goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.