Naples Daily News – The Florida Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill that would allow teams of experts to review deaths of the elderly when abuse or neglect is suspected, and to propose policy changes to prevent future deaths.

Senate Bill 452 passed with no debate. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, did not receive any serious pushback in any of its previous committee stops this legislative session.

The elder death review teams “will be looking for any gaps in services or deficiencies that they want the Legislature and the governor to know about,” Gibson said while introducing the proposal on the Senate floor.

A companion bill in the House sponsored by Rep. Barbara Watson, D-Miami Gardens, passed its first committee hearing last month, but has since stalled. The session is scheduled to end next week.

Elder advocates say establishing elder death review teams in Florida could…