WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The I-Team has been covering Florida’s broken professional guardianship system for more than a decade, uncovering instances of isolation, exploitation and abuse of Florida’s most vulnerable seniors by court-appointed guardians in our ongoing series “The Price of Protection."
Now a Polk County woman is speaking out about how her longtime partner’s estate plan was overturned, taking away her right to care for him and even see him in his final days.
She is now supporting proposed changes to Florida’s guardianship law intended to protect other families.
Pete’s empire
Donald “Pete” Beaty was a simple man who lived an extraordinary life.
“He was such a millionaire and so successful,” Doris Beaty said.
Pete’s empire included a rock quarry, a cattle ranch and an orange grove.
He bought and sold thousands of acres, making millions and inspiring his stepson Rey Contreras along the way.
“Pete taught me that a man with a third-grade education can accomplish anything in this country,” Contreras said.
Pete also won $17.5 in the Florida Lottery in 1990.
But three years later, his first marriage ended, and his winnings went to his wife and children in the divorce settlement.
In 2002, Pete married his second wife, longtime business manager Doris, who immigrated to the US from Cuba in the 1980s.
Her son Contreras was from a previous marriage.
“My life was dedicated to Pete. 24/7 was Pete and the businesses,” Doris said.
But Doris and Pete divorced in 2007.
Doris kept the couple’s lakefront home, but Pete moved back months later.
He lived with Doris there for the next 12 years, even though they never remarried.
Doris named in estate planning documents
In 2016, Pete signed legal documents appointing Doris to manage his affairs and make medical decisions for him if he was no longer able to.
“I was to be trustee, guardian and health care surrogate,” Doris said.
“He hired a lawyer, he had notaries, he had witnesses. He did everything years ago,” Contreras said.
Pete gave $100,000 a year to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and donated money to build a surgical wing at a Plant City hospital.
In his trust agreement, he planned to share his wealth.
“If a man wants to leave 40% of his trust like Pete did to give away to people, that’s his right. My mom was gonna help spread that 40% amongst various causes,” Contreras said.
Pete’s trust agreement said his sons “shall not receive any property” or serve as trustees “for any reason or under any circumstance.”
Pete’s arrest triggers guardianship process
In 2019, Pete showed signs of dementia.
When she tried to stop him from driving, a confused Pete pulled a gun on her.
She called the police.
“Pete was arrested, and I got him out of jail, and then I hired sitters to help me take care of Pete,” Doris said.
Doris petitioned to be his guardian, but his sons filed a counter-petition seeking guardianship.
They described themselves as sons, while Doris was referred to as Pete’s describing “ex-spouse."
A judge removed all of Pete's rights and appointed a professional guardian to oversee his vast estate.
“Pete was removed from the home, isolated, neglected, abandoned,” Doris said.
The guardian restricted Doris’ visitation and bought another house with Pete’s money, hiring round-the-clock caregivers.
She was paid more than $100,000 from his funds in just five months.
“He cried like a baby every time he talked to me because he couldn’t take it,” Doris said.
Trust agreement challenged
The guardian’s attorney and Pete's sons alleged Pete's trust agreement was not valid, saying he was incapacitated when he signed it.
“It was decided that we would have mediation to see if we could reach an agreement,” Doris said.
Doris eventually signed a new agreement giving up most of her financial interests in exchange for more visitation.
“They’re using the visitation as a way of coercing you to sign away everything,” Rey said.
“I signed it, and they put a restraining order on me a few months later, and I couldn’t see Pete anymore,” Doris said.
The restraining order was issued after the guardian and caregivers said Doris had a “toxic effect” on Pete and described her as “toxic” and “threatening.”
Doris said the guardian took away Pete’s cell phone, but somehow, he managed to call her one last time and leave a voicemail message.
She said at the time Pete thought she had abandoned him.
“Doris, it wouldn’t hurt you to give me a call, you know. I'm here by myself, and it’s lonesome,” Pete said on the recording.
“I complained to the DCF. I complained to the FBI. I complained to the sheriff, to the local police. Nothing happened,” Doris said.
Pete died about a year into guardianship.
“I couldn’t even go to his funeral. They didn’t allow me to go to his funeral,” Doris said.
“We need to start doing something”
“Hearing what some people have gone through, it really opened my eyes that we need to start somewhere. We need to start doing something,” said Rep. Rita Harris (D-Orlando).
Harris is sponsoring House Bill 887 this legislative session, which would prevent guardians from denying visitation to families unless they can show “clear and convincing evidence” that contact is not in wards’ best interest.
It would also allow juries to be used in guardianship cases for the first time to determine the validity of legal agreements.
“They’re an objective body of six. They’ve got no skin in the game,” Contreras said.
“I saw these people doing things that nobody can imagine they could be able to do. And nothing happened. The judge was right there watching everything,” Doris said.
Doris and Rey plan to travel to Tallahassee to support the bill.
The bill has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate and has been endorsed by Pinellas County Clerk Ken Burke, who last year led the statewide Guardianship Improvement Task Force.
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