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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to individuals with disabilities; 2
amending s. 393.064, F.S.; requiring the Agency for 3
Persons with Disabilities to offer voluntary 4
participation care navigation services to certain 5
persons under certain circumstances; providing goals 6
and requirements for care navigation services; 7
amending s. 393.065, F.S.; requiring the agency to 8
develop and implement an electronic application 9
process; requiring the agency to maintain a printable 10
paper application on its website and, upon request, 11
provide a printed paper application to an applicant; 12
requiring the agency to provide applicants with 13
specified information upon receipt of an application 14
for services; defining the term "complete 15
application"; revising timeframes within which the 16
agency must make eligibility determinations for 17
services; lowering the age that a caregiver must be 18
for an individual to be placed in a certain 19
preenrollment category; amending s. 393.0651, F.S.; 20
requiring the agency to provide an individual support 21
plan for each client serv ed by the home and community -22
based services Medicaid waiver program; providing 23
appropriations; requiring the Agency for Persons with 24
Disabilities, in consultation with Agency for Health 25
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Care Administration, to jointly develop a 26
comprehensive plan for the a dministration, finance, 27
and delivery of home and community -based services 28
through a new home and community -based services 29
Medicaid waiver program; providing requirements for 30
the waiver program; requiring the Agency for Health 31
Care Administration to submit a specified report to 32
the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the 33
Speaker of the House of Representatives by a specified 34
date; requiring the agency to provide the option and 35
include functionality for electronic transmissions to 36
the iConnect system; prohibiting the agency from 37
requiring training on the use of its data management 38
system by certain persons or entities; requiring the 39
agency to provide enhanced technical assistance; 40
requiring the agency to submit a specified report to 41
the Governor, the Le gislature, and the appropriate 42
fiscal and policy committees by a specified date; 43
providing for a type two transfer of the Florida 44
Unique Abilities Partner Program from the Department 45
of Commerce to the Agency for Persons with 46
Disabilities; amending ss. 20. 60 and 413.801, F.S.; 47
conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 48
providing effective dates. 49
50
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 51
52
Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 393.064, Florida 53
Statutes, is amended to read: 54
393.064 Care navigation Prevention.— 55
(1) Within available resources, the agency must offer to 56
clients and their caregivers, care navigation services for 57
voluntary participation at time of application and as part of 58
any eligibility or renewal review. The goa ls of care navigation 59
are to create a seamless network of community resources and 60
supports for the client and the client's family as a whole to 61
support a client in daily living, community integration, and 62
achievement of individual goals. Care navigation se rvices shall 63
involve assessing client needs, developing care plans, and 64
implementing care plans, including, but not limited to, 65
connecting a client to resources and supports. At a minimum, a 66
care plan shall address immediate, intermediate, and long term 67
needs and goals to promote and increase well -being and 68
opportunities for education, employment, social engagement, 69
community integration, and caregiver support. For a client who 70
is a public school student entitled to a free appropriate public 71
education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 72
I.D.E.A., as amended, the care plan shall be integrated with the 73
student's individual education plan (IEP). The care plan and IEP 74
must be implemented to maximize the attainment of educational 75
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and habilitation goals shall give priority to the development, 76
planning, and implementation of programs which have the 77
potential to prevent, correct, cure, or reduce the severity of 78
developmental disabilities. The agency shall direct an 79
interagency and interprogram effo rt for the continued 80
development of a prevention plan and program. The agency shall 81
identify, through demonstration projects, through program 82
evaluation, and through monitoring of programs and projects 83
conducted outside of the agency, any medical, social, economic, 84
or educational methods, techniques, or procedures that have the 85
potential to effectively ameliorate, correct, or cure 86
developmental disabilities. The agency shall determine the costs 87
and benefits that would be associated with such prevention 88
efforts and shall implement, or recommend the implementation of, 89
those methods, techniques, or procedures which are found likely 90
to be cost-beneficial. 91
Section 2. Subsection (1) and paragraph (d) of subsection 92
(5) of section 393.065, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 93
393.065 Application and eligibility determination. — 94
(1)(a) The agency shall develop and implement an online 95
application process that, at a minimum, supports paperless 96
electronic application submissions with immediate e -mail 97
confirmation to each applicant to acknowledge receipt of 98
application upon submission. 99
(b) The agency shall maintain access to a printable paper 100
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application on its website and, upon request, must provide an 101
applicant with a printed paper application. Paper applicati ons 102
may Application for services shall be submitted made in writing 103
to the agency, in the region in which the applicant resides , 104
sent to a central or regional address via regular United States 105
mail, or faxed to a central or regional confidential fax number . 106
All applications, regardless of manner of submission, must be 107
acknowledged as received, with an immediate receipt confirmation 108
in the same manner as the application had been received unless 109
the applicant has designated an alternative, preferred 110
communication method on the submitted application . 111
(c) The agency must shall review each submitted 112
application in accordance with federal time standards. and make 113
an eligibility determination within 60 days after receipt of the 114
signed application. If, at the time of the application, an 115
applicant is requesting enrollment in the home and community -116
based services Medicaid waiver program for individuals with 117
developmental disabilities deemed to be in crisis, as described 118
in paragraph (5)(a), the agency shall complete an eligibility 119
determination within 45 days after receipt of the signed 120
application. 121
1.(a) If the agency determines additional documentation is 122
necessary to make an eligibility determination, the agency may 123
request the additional documentation from the a pplicant. 124
2.(b) When necessary to definitively identify individual 125
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conditions or needs, the agency or its designee must provide a 126
comprehensive assessment. 127
(c) If the agency requests additional documentation from 128
the applicant or provides or arranges f or a comprehensive 129
assessment, the agency's eligibility determination must be 130
completed within 90 days after receipt of the signed 131
application. 132
(d)1. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "complete 133
application" means an application submitted to the ag ency which 134
is signed and dated by the applicant or an individual with legal 135
authority to apply for public benefits on behalf of the 136
applicant, is responsive on all parts of the application, and 137
contains documentation of a diagnosis. 138
2. If the applicant requesting enrollment in the home and 139
community-based services Medicaid waiver program for individuals 140
with developmental disabilities is deemed to be in crisis as 141
described in paragraph (5)(a), the agency must make an 142
eligibility determination within 15 c alendar days after receipt 143
of a complete application. 144
3. If the applicant meets the criteria specified in 145
paragraph (5)(b), the agency must review and make an eligibility 146
determination as soon as practicable after receipt of a complete 147
application. 148
4. If the application meets the criteria specified in 149
paragraphs (5)(c)-(g), the agency shall make an eligibility 150
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determination within 60 days after receipt of a complete 151
application. Any delays in the eligibility determination process 152
or any tolling of the t ime standard until certain information or 153
actions have been completed, must be conveyed to the client as 154
soon as such delays are known with a verbal contact to the 155
client or the client's designated caregiver and confirmed by a 156
written notice of the delay, the anticipated length of delay, 157
and a contact person for the client. 158
(5) Except as provided in subsections (6) and (7), if a 159
client seeking enrollment in the developmental disabilities home 160
and community-based services Medicaid waiver program meets the 161
level of care requirement for an intermediate care facility for 162
individuals with intellectual disabilities pursuant to 42 C.F.R. 163
ss. 435.217(b)(1) and 440.150, the agency must assign the client 164
to an appropriate preenrollment category pursuant to this 165
subsection and must provide priority to clients waiting for 166
waiver services in the following order: 167
(d) Category 4, which includes, but is not required to be 168
limited to, clients whose caregivers are 60 70 years of age or 169
older and for whom a caregiver is req uired but no alternate 170
caregiver is available. 171
172
Within preenrollment categories 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the agency 173
shall prioritize clients in the order of the date that the 174
client is determined eligible for waiver services. 175
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Section 3. Section 393.0651, Flo rida Statutes, is amended 176
to read: 177
393.0651 Family or individual support plan. —The agency 178
shall provide directly or contract for the development of a 179
family support plan for children ages 3 to 18 years of age and 180
an individual support plan for each clien t served by the home 181
and community-based services Medicaid waiver program under s. 182
393.0662. The client, if competent, the client's parent or 183
guardian, or, when appropriate, the client advocate, shall be 184
consulted in the development of the plan and shall r eceive a 185
copy of the plan. Each plan must include the most appropriate, 186
least restrictive, and most cost -beneficial environment for 187
accomplishment of the objectives for client progress and a 188
specification of all services authorized. The plan must include 189
provisions for the most appropriate level of care for the 190
client. Within the specification of needs and services for each 191
client, when residential care is necessary, the agency shall 192
move toward placement of clients in residential facilities based 193
within the client's community. The ultimate goal of each plan, 194
whenever possible, shall be to enable the client to live a 195
dignified life in the least restrictive setting, be that in the 196
home or in the community. The family or individual support plan 197
must be developed within 60 calendar days after the agency 198
determines the client eligible pursuant to s. 393.065(3). When 199
developing or reviewing the support plan, the waiver support 200
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coordinator must inform the client, the client's parent or 201
guardian, or, when appropriat e, the client advocate about the 202
consumer-directed care program under s. 409.221. 203
(1) The agency shall develop and specify by rule the core 204
components of support plans. 205
(2) The family or individual support plan shall be 206
integrated with the individual e ducation plan (IEP) for all 207
clients who are public school students entitled to a free 208
appropriate public education under the Individuals with 209
Disabilities Education Act, I.D.E.A., as amended. The family or 210
individual support plan and IEP must be implemente d to maximize 211
the attainment of educational and habilitation goals. 212
(a) If the IEP for a student enrolled in a public school 213
program indicates placement in a public or private residential 214
program is necessary to provide special education and related 215
services to a client, the local education agency must provide 216
for the costs of that service in accordance with the 217
requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 218
I.D.E.A., as amended. This does not preclude local education 219
agencies and the agency from sharing the residential service 220
costs of students who are clients and require residential 221
placement. 222
(b) For clients who are entering or exiting the school 223
system, an interdepartmental staffing team composed of 224
representatives of the agency and the local school system shall 225
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develop a written transitional living and training plan with the 226
participation of the client or with the parent or guardian of 227
the client, or the client advocate, as appropriate. 228
(3) Each family or individual support plan s hall be 229
facilitated through case management designed solely to advance 230
the individual needs of the client. 231
(4) In the development of the family or individual support 232
plan, a client advocate may be appointed by the support planning 233
team for a client who i s a minor or for a client who is not 234
capable of express and informed consent when: 235
(a) The parent or guardian cannot be identified; 236
(b) The whereabouts of the parent or guardian cannot be 237
discovered; or 238
(c) The state is the only legal representative of the 239
client. 240
241
Such appointment may not be construed to extend the powers of 242
the client advocate to include any of those powers delegated by 243
law to a legal guardian. 244
(5) The agency shall place a client in the most 245
appropriate and least restrictive, and cost-beneficial, 246
residential facility according to his or her individual support 247
plan. The client, if competent, the client's parent or guardian, 248
or, when appropriate, the client advocate, and the administrator 249
of the facility to which placement is propose d shall be 250
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consulted in determining the appropriate placement for the 251
client. Considerations for placement shall be made in the 252
following order: 253
(a) Client's own home or the home of a family member or 254
direct service provider. 255
(b) Foster care facility. 256
(c) Group home facility. 257
(d) Intermediate care facility for the developmentally 258
disabled. 259
(e) Other facilities licensed by the agency which offer 260
special programs for people with developmental disabilities. 261
(f) Developmental disabilities center. 262
(6) In developing a client's annual family or individual 263
support plan, the individual or family with the assistance of 264
the support planning team shall identify measurable objectives 265
for client progress and shall specify a time period expected for 266
achievement of each objective. 267
(7) The individual, family, and support coordinator shall 268
review progress in achieving the objectives specified in each 269
client's family or individual support plan, and shall revise the 270
plan annually, following consultation with the client, if 271
competent, or with the parent or guardian of the client, or, 272
when appropriate, the client advocate. The agency or designated 273
contractor shall annually report in writing to the client, if 274
competent, or to the parent or guardian of the client, or to the 275
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client advocate, when appropriate, with respect to the client's 276
habilitative and medical progress. 277
(8) Any client, or any parent of a minor client, or 278
guardian, authorized guardian advocate, or client advocate for a 279
client, who is substantially affected by the client's initial 280
family or individual support plan, or the annual review thereof, 281
shall have the right to file a notice to challenge the decision 282
pursuant to ss. 120.569 and 120.57. Notice of such right to 283
appeal shall be included in all su pport plans provided by the 284
agency. 285
Section 4. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the sums of 286
$16,562,703 in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund and 287
$22,289,520 in recurring funds from the Operations and 288
Maintenance Trust Fund are appropriated in the Home and 289
Community Based Services Waiver category to the Agency for 290
Persons with Disabilities to offer waiver services to the 291
greatest number of individuals permissible under the 292
appropriation from preenrollment categories 3, 4, and 5, 293
including individuals whose caregiver is age 60 or older in 294
category 4, established in s. 393.065, Florida Statutes, as 295
amended by this act, and from preenrollment category 6 who have 296
a sibling in preenrollment category 3, category 4, category 5, 297
or category 6. 298
Section 5. The Agency for Health Care Administration and 299
the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, in consultation with 300
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other stakeholders, shall jointly develop a comprehensive plan 301
for the administration, finance, and delivery of home and 302
community-based services through a new home and community -based 303
services Medicaid waiver program. The waiver program shall be 304
for clients transitioning into adulthood and shall be designed 305
to prevent future crisis enrollment into the waiver authorized 306
under s. 393.0662, Flori da Statutes. The Agency for Health Care 307
Administration is authorized to contract with necessary experts, 308
in consultation with the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, 309
to assist in developing the plan. The Agency for Health Care 310
Administration, in consulta tion with the Agency for Persons with 311
Disabilities, must submit a report to the Governor, the 312
President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of 313
Representatives by December 1, 2024, addressing, at a minimum, 314
all of the following: 315
(1) The purpose, rationale, and expected benefits of the 316
new waiver program. 317
(2) The proposed eligibility criteria for clients and 318
service benefit package to be offered through the waiver 319
program. 320
(3) A proposed implementation plan and timeline, including 321
recommendations for number of clients served by the waiver 322
program at initial implementation, changes over time, and any 323
per-client benefit caps. 324
(4) Proposals for how clients will transition onto and off 325
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of the waiver, including, but not limited to, transitions 326
between this waiver and the waiver established under s. 327
393.0662, Florida Statutes. 328
(5) The fiscal impact for the implementation year and 329
projections for the next 5 years, determined on an actuarially -330
sound basis. 331
(6) An analysis of the availability of services that would 332
be offered under the waiver program and recommendations to 333
increase availability of such services, if necessary. 334
(7) A list of all stakeholders, public and private, who 335
were consulted or contacted as part of the waiver program. 336
Section 6. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities shall 337
provide the option and include functionality for providers to 338
electronically transmit all required information to the agency's 339
data management system, known as the iConnect system, in an 340
industry standard format designated by the agency. 341
Notwithstanding s. 393.066(2), Florida Statutes, persons or 342
entities under contract with the agency may maintain information 343
documenting service provision to clients in their own data 344
management systems until the agenc y data management system's 345
ability to accept all required data from external systems 346
electronically is fully operational. Persons or entities shall 347
use the system for electronic visit verification as required by 348
the agency. The agency may not require train ing on the use of 349
its data management system by persons or entities that choose to 350
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maintain data in their own data management systems until the 351
agency data management system's ability to accept all required 352
data from external systems electronically is full y operational, 353
except that the agency may require training for use of the 354
electronic visit verification functionality. The agency shall, 355
at a minimum, provide enhanced technical assistance and host 356
feedback and listening sessions with service providers to plan 357
for future system enhancements. The agency shall submit a report 358
to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the 359
House of Representatives, and the appropriate fiscal and policy 360
committees by December 31, 2024, that assesses the functi onality 361
of the data management system, considering the needs of and 362
impacts on the agency and persons and entities using the data 363
management system, and provides options and associated costs for 364
achieving sufficient functionality. 365
Section 7. Effective October 1, 2024, all powers, duties, 366
functions, records, offices, personnel, associated 367
administrative support positions, property, pending issues, 368
existing contracts, administrative authority, administrative 369
rules, and unexpended balances of appropriation s, allocations, 370
and any other funds relating to the Florida Unique Abilities 371
Partner Program are transferred by a type two transfer, as 372
described in s. 20.06(2), Florida Statutes, from the Department 373
of Commerce to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. 374
Section 8. Effective October 1, 2024, paragraph (c) of 375
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subsection (10) of section 20.60, Florida Statutes, is amended 376
to read: 377
20.60 Department of Commerce; creation; powers and 378
duties.— 379
(10) The department shall, by November 1 of each year, 380
submit an annual report to the Governor, the President of the 381
Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the 382
condition of the business climate and economic development in 383
the state. 384
(c) The report must incorporate annual reports of other 385
programs, including: 386
1. A detailed report of the performance of the Black 387
Business Loan Program and a cumulative summary of quarterly 388
report data required under s. 288.714. 389
2. The Rural Economic Development Initiative established 390
under s. 288.0656. 391
3. The Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program. 392
3.4. A detailed report of the performance of the Florida 393
Development Finance Corporation and a summary of the 394
corporation's report required under s. 288.9610. 395
4.5. Information provided by Space Florida under s . 396
331.3051 and an analysis of the activities and accomplishments 397
of Space Florida. 398
Section 9. Effective October 1, 2024, section 413.801, 399
Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 400
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413.801 Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program. — 401
(1) CREATION AND PURP OSE.—The Agency for Persons with 402
Disabilities Department of Economic Opportunity shall establish 403
the Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program to designate a 404
business entity as a Florida Unique Abilities Partner if the 405
business entity demonstrates commitmen t, through employment or 406
support, to the independence of individuals who have a 407
disability. The agency department shall consult with the 408
Department of Commerce Agency for Persons with Disabilities , the 409
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the Departmen t of 410
Education, the Division of Blind Services of the Department of 411
Education, and CareerSource Florida, Inc., in creating the 412
program. 413
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 414
(a) "Agency Department" means the Agency for Persons with 415
Disabilities Department of Economic Opportunity . 416
(b) "Individuals who have a disability" means persons who 417
have a physical or intellectual impairment that substantially 418
limits one or more major life activities, persons who have a 419
history or record of such an i mpairment, or persons who are 420
perceived by others as having such an impairment. 421
(3) DESIGNATION.— 422
(a) A business entity may apply to the agency department 423
to be designated as a Florida Unique Abilities Partner, based on 424
the business entity's achievemen ts in at least one of the 425
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following categories: 426
1. Employment of individuals who have a disability. 427
2. Contributions to local or national disability 428
organizations. 429
3. Contributions to, or the establishment of, a program 430
that contributes to the independence of individuals who have a 431
disability. 432
(b) As an alternative to application by a business entity, 433
the agency department must consider nominations from members of 434
the community where the business entity is located. The 435
nomination must identify the business entity's achievements in 436
at least one of the categories provided in paragraph (a). 437
(c) The name, location, and contact information of the 438
business entity must be included in the business entity's 439
application or nomination. 440
(d) The agency department shall adopt procedures for the 441
application, nomination, and designation processes for the 442
Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program. Designation as a 443
Florida Unique Abilities Partner does not establish or involve 444
licensure, does not affect the su bstantial interests of a party, 445
and does not constitute a final agency action. The Florida 446
Unique Abilities Partner Program and designation are not subject 447
to chapter 120. 448
(4) ELIGIBILITY AND AWARD. —In determining the eligibility 449
for the designation of a business entity as a Florida Unique 450
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Abilities Partner, the agency department shall consider, at a 451
minimum, the following criteria: 452
(a) For a designation based on an application by a 453
business entity, the business entity must certify that: 454
1. It employs at least one individual who has a 455
disability. Such employees must be residents of this state and 456
must have been employed by the business entity for at least 9 457
months before the business entity's application for the 458
designation. The agency department may not require the employer 459
to provide personally identifiable information about its 460
employees; 461
2. It has made contributions to local and national 462
disability organizations or contributions in support of 463
individuals who have a disability. Contributions may be 464
accomplished through financial or in -kind contributions, 465
including employee volunteer hours. Contributions must be 466
documented by providing copies of written receipts or letters of 467
acknowledgment from recipients or donees. A business entity with 468
100 or fewer employees must make a financial or in -kind 469
contribution of at least $1,000, and a business entity with more 470
than 100 employees must make a financial or in -kind contribution 471
of at least $5,000; or 472
3. It has established, or has contributed to the 473
establishment of, a program that contributes to the independence 474
of individuals who have a disability. Contributions must be 475
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documented by providing copies of written receipts, a summary of 476
the program, program materials, or letters of acknowledgment 477
from program participants or volunteers. A business entity with 478
100 or fewer employees must make a financial or in -kind 479
contribution of at least $1,000 in the program, and a business 480
entity with more than 100 employees must make a financial or in -481
kind contribution of at least $5,000. 482
483
A business entity that applies to the agency department to be 484
designated as a Florida Unique Abilities Partner shall be 485
awarded the designation upon meeting the requirements of this 486
section. 487
(b) For a designation based upon receipt of a nomination 488
of a business entity: 489
1. The agency department shall determine whether the 490
nominee, based on the information provided by the nominating 491
person or entity, meets the requirements of paragraph (a). The 492
agency department may request additional i nformation from the 493
nominee. 494
2. If the nominee meets the requirements, the agency 495
department shall provide notice, including the qualification 496
criteria provided in the nomination, to the nominee regarding 497
the nominee's eligibility to be awarded a designa tion as a 498
Florida Unique Abilities Partner. 499
3. The nominee shall be provided 30 days after receipt of 500
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the notice to certify that the information in the notice is true 501
and accurate and accept the nomination, to provide corrected 502
information for considerat ion by the agency department and 503
indicate an intention to accept the nomination, or to decline 504
the nomination. If the nominee accepts the nomination, the 505
agency department shall award the designation. The agency 506
department may not award the designation if the nominee declines 507
the nomination or has not accepted the nomination within 30 days 508
after receiving notice. 509
(5) ANNUAL CERTIFICATION. —After an initial designation as 510
a Florida Unique Abilities Partner, a business entit y must 511
certify each year that it continues to meet the criteria for the 512
designation. If the business entity does not submit the yearly 513
certification of continued eligibility, the agency department 514
shall remove the designation. The business entity may elect to 515
discontinue its designation status at any time by notifying the 516
agency department of such decision. 517
(6) LOGO DEVELOPMENT. — 518
(a) The agency department, in consultation with members of 519
the disability community, shall develop a logo that identifies a 520
business entity that is designated as a Florida Unique Abilities 521
Partner. 522
(b) The agency department shall adopt guidelines and 523
requirements for the use of the logo, including how the logo may 524
be used in advertising. The agency department may allow a 525
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business entity to display a Florida Unique Abilities Partner 526
logo upon designation. A business entity that has not been 527
designated as a Florida Unique Abilities Partner or has elected 528
to discontinue its designated status may not display the logo. 529
(7) WEBSITE.—The agency department shall maintain a 530
website for the program. At a minimum, the website must provide 531
a list of business entities, by county, which currently have the 532
Florida Unique Abilities Partner designation, updated quarterly; 533
information regarding the eligibility requirements for the 534
designation and the method of application or nomination; and 535
best practices for business entities to facilitate the inclusion 536
of individuals who have a disability, updated annually. The 537
website may provide links to the websites of organizations or 538
other resources that will aid business entities to employ or 539
support individuals who have a disability. 540
(8) INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION. — 541
(a) The Department of Commerce Agency for Persons with 542
Disabilities shall provide a link on its website to the agency's 543
department's website for the Florida Unique Abilities Partner 544
Program. 545
(b) On a quarterly basis, the agency department shall 546
provide the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation with 547
a current list of all businesse s that are designated as Florida 548
Unique Abilities Partners. The Florida Tourism Industry 549
Marketing Corporation must consider the Florida Unique Abilities 550
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Partner Program in the development of marketing campaigns, and 551
specifically in any targeted marketing campaign for individuals 552
who have a disability or their families. 553
(c) The agency department and CareerSource Florida, Inc., 554
shall identify employment opportunities posted by business 555
entities that currently have the Florida Unique Abilities 556
Partner designation in the workforce information system under s. 557
445.011. 558
(9) REPORT.— 559
(a) By January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter 2017, the 560
agency department shall provide a report on the progress and use 561
of the program to the President of the Senate and the S peaker of 562
the House of Representatives on the status of the implementation 563
of this section, including the adoption of rules, development of 564
the logo, and development of application procedures . 565
(b) Beginning in 2017 and each year thereafter, the 566
department's annual report required under s. 20.60 must describe 567
in detail the progress and use of the program. At a minimum, the 568
report must include, for the most recent year , all of the 569
following: 570
(a) The number of applications and nominations received .; 571
(b) The number of nominations accepted and declined .; 572
(c) The number of designations awarded .; 573
(d) Annual certifications .; 574
(e) The use of information provided under subsection (8) .; 575
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and 576
(f) Any other information the agency deems deemed 577
necessary to evaluate the program. 578
(10) RULES.—The agency department shall adopt rules to 579
administer this section. 580
Section 10. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 581
this act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 582