Florida bill would require contract signings with older adults to be videotaped. Can it help against financial abuse?

Florida bill would require contract signings with older adults to be videotaped. Can it help against financial abuse?

Emma Caplan-Fisher

Sun, January 18, 2026 at 8:00 AM EST

4 min read

It’s a story that’s all too common these days: an elderly person gets roped into a sales contract they don’t fully understand and ends up paying far more than they thought they would.

Now, a Florida senator has proposed a bill designed to protect the state’s most vulnerable residents from the same thing happening to them.

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Sen. Ileana Garcia’s “Elderly and Disabled Adult Contract Protection Act” was introduced on Jan. 13. It would require contracting parties to record a video that depicts them conducting a “comprehensive review” of contract terms with the elderly or disabled adult, as well as the signing of the contract — and store that recording for at least five years. The bill defines “elderly” as someone aged 60 and older.

The goal is to ensure older Americans fully understand what they’re agreeing to when purchasing a product or service, thereby reducing cases of financial exploitation, misleading sales tactics and pressured consent.

How helpful would it be?

The proposed legislation could fundamentally change how contracts are enforced and challenged when older residents claim to be misled.

“Out of the blue, I thought, what a great idea, so many agreements are signed under cover of dark,” attorney Charles Gallagher III told Tampa Bay 28 in a story that aired Jan. 8 (1). “The law in Florida doesn’t really help folks in that context. The law in Florida presumes if you signed the contract, you understand it.”

But even Gallagher, despite his initial excitement, has practical concerns. For example, the bill defines a contract as “any agreement that affects an individual’s legal rights or property, including documents conferring power of attorney or a deed instrument,” which may be interpreted broadly.

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“In theory, every interaction between folks and contract parlance could be required to be recorded,” he said. “Lawn guy, pest control, you're buying a washer at the store, these are all written contracts. Do these all require a video?”

He also worried about operational impact, noting law firms, insurance companies, real estate agencies and many other Florida businesses could slow down their practices.

And, crucially, the bill might not prevent all exploitation. It only requires documentation of the process and by itself doesn’t provide the means to void contracts, ban predatory tactics or create a cooling-off period for seniors to reconsider.

What other states are doing

The proposed bill appears unique in requiring video-recorded contract reviews specifically for elderly protection. While all states have Adult Protective Services programs and elder abuse statutes, few have implemented preventive measures specifically targeting the contract-signing process itself.

According to SeniorSite's analysis of state elder abuse laws, 15 states mandate that all citizens report suspected elder abuse, while others limit reporting requirements to specific professionals (2).

Financial exploitation penalties vary dramatically. For example, North Carolina classifies financial exploitation above $100,000 as a Class F felony, while physical abuse resulting in serious injury is a Class G felony. On the other hand, Michigan has a four-tier system for physical elder abuse with penalties from misdemeanors to felonies requiring prison time of up to 15 years.

Americans aged 60 and up are among the most vulnerable to scams and exploitation. Even if the Florida bill doesn’t pass this legislative session, it signals growing recognition that existing contract laws don’t adequately protect vulnerable adults. Especially for those who might be living on fixed incomes, where a single bad financial decision can have irreversible consequences, the stakes couldn't be higher.

Florida bill would require contract signings with older adults to be videotaped. Can it help against financial abuse?