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Area Offices > Area 12

Area News & Announcements

For Incident Reporting, Emergency Services Information, and Emergency Contact Data, check out the Incident Reporting & Emergency Services Information section of the Area 12 site

• ZixMail instructions for Service providers and Vendors
• Medicaid Waiver Wait List

Remediation Plan

• Final Plan of Remediation
  • PDF | XLS
• Remediation Plan Instructions
  • PDF | DOC

Plan of Remediation Instructions and Tools

Note: APD has a computer lab with access to Microsoft Word or Excel if you need to work on your Plan of Remediation (POR). Please contact your provider liasion or the front office to reserve a time to use the computer.

• Area 12 Provider Liaisons

Area Training Information

• Required Training
  • Classroom Training
• Optional Training (In-Service)
  • Classroom Training

APD Resource Directory

Resource Search

A searchable directory of local, state, and national resources and services.

• Searchable Resource Directory

Planning Resources

This directory is a good starting point for finding a variety of natural and community supports, in addition to services provided by government agencies.

• Planning Resources

Suggest a resource

If you or your organization has a suggestion for a resource opportunity, please complete the following form

• Suggest a Resource form

Area Suggestion Box

Submit your suggestions to APD for improving supports and services in your community

• Area Suggestion Box

Provider Recruiting Opportunities

Becoming a Provider is a free process.

Area 12 is currently recruiting providers for the following services:

• Adult Behavioral Analysis Service (Levels 1, 2, & 3)
• Behavioral Assistance Service
• Dental Services (Adult / Child)
• Dietitian Services
• Environmental Accessibility Adaptations w/ Assessments
• Specialized Mental Health
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Speech Therapy

It is recommended that you review the provider requirements in the Developmental Disabilities Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook for the service(s) you would like to become enrolled to provide. You must ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications before registering to attend the New Provider Orientation.

• Information on Opening a Group Home

  There are a number of different residential options available for persons with developmental disabilities in Florida. Many individuals choose to live in their own homes or apartments where various services and supports are provided to them in order to allow them to live as independently as possible. There are also 1,500 APD-licensed residential facilities which serve individuals who choose to live within those types of settings. The four types of Agency-licensed homes are foster care facilities, group homes, residential habilitation centers, and comprehensive transitional education programs. In addition, individuals receiving services from our Agency also live in other settings (such as Assisted Living Facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled) which are licensed by other state agencies.

  Below are the statutory descriptions of the four types of APD-licensed homes from s. 393.063, F.S.

  • "Foster care facility" means a residential facility which provides a family living environment including supervision and care necessary to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of its residents. The capacity of such a facility shall not be more than three residents.
  • "Group home facility" means a residential facility which provides a family living environment including supervision and care necessary to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of its residents. The capacity of such a facility shall be at least 4 but not more than 15 residents. For the purposes of this chapter, group home facilities shall not be considered commercial enterprises.
  • "Residential habilitation center" means a community residential facility that provides residential habilitation. The capacity of such a facility shall not be fewer than nine residents. After October 1, 1989, no new residential habilitation centers shall be licensed and the licensed capacity shall not be increased for any existing residential habilitation center.
  • "Comprehensive transitional education program" means a group of jointly operating centers or units, the collective purpose of which is to provide a sequential series of educational care, training, treatment, habilitation, and rehabilitation services to persons who have developmental disabilities and who have severe or moderate maladaptive behaviors. However, nothing in this subsection shall require such programs to provide services only to persons with developmental disabilities. All such services shall be temporary in nature and delivered in a structured residential setting with the primary goal of incorporating the normalization principle to establish permanent residence for persons with maladaptive behaviors in facilities not associated with the comprehensive transitional education program. The staff shall include psychologists and teachers who shall be available to provide services in each component center or unit of the program.

  APD staff conduct on-site reviews of all our licensed homes on at least a monthly basis in order to ensure compliance with the licensure requirements and standards. This monitoring function is one of the means by which we are able to assess the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of those homes.

  There are several resources available that you should review before applying for a license. First, Chapter 65G-2 of the Florida Administrative Code outlines the requirements for the licensure of residential facilities.

  You may also wish to review Chapter 393.067 of the Florida Statutes for additional information regarding the provision of residential services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

  We also recommend that you review the Developmental Disabilities Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook.

  The handbook is a reference guide to the services that may be purchased for individuals eligible for the Developmental Services Home and Community Based Services waiver. The handbook describes consumer eligibility and enrollment on the waiver, provider enrollment through the waiver, each service, qualifications required for providers of each service, how services may be delivered, documentation requirements, how the provider is paid, and many other important details. The majority of our residential providers are also enrolled Medicaid waiver providers.

  After you have had the opportunity to review this information, you can obtain application forms for enrollment as a Medicaid waiver provider and licensure as an APD-licensed residential facility by contacting your local APD office. Please visit http://apdcares.org/area/ to locate your local office information.

  After you receive a license, your ability to fill the vacant beds is largely dependent upon the following two factors:

  1. the type of APD clients you are willing to serve and
  2. the part of the state in which your home is located. For these reasons, it is best to contact your area APD office prior to establishing a home in order to determine where the greatest need exists for residential services at any given point in time.

Additional Information

Family Care Council

The mission of the Family Care Council Florida (FCCF) is to advocate, educate, and empower individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, partnering with the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), to bring quality services to individuals for dignity and choice.

• Area 12 Family Care Council
• Statewide Family Care Council