Florida 2024 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1673 Analysis / Analysis

Filed 02/20/2024

                    This docum ent does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives. 
STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF ANALYSIS  
 
BILL #: CS/HB 1673    Transportation Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Transportation 
Disadvantaged 
SPONSOR(S): Transportation & Modals Subcommittee, Busatta Cabrera 
TIED BILLS:   IDEN./SIM. BILLS: CS/SB 1380 
 
REFERENCE 	ACTION ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR or 
BUDGET/POLICY CHIEF 
1) Transportation & Modals Subcommittee 13 Y, 0 N, As CS Hinshelwood Hinshelwood 
2) Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations 
Subcommittee 
11 Y, 0 N Hicks Davis 
3) Infrastructure Strategies Committee 	Hinshelwood Harrington 
SUMMARY ANALYSIS 
Florida law defines the term “transportation disadvantaged” as those persons who, because of physical or 
mental disability, income status, or age, are unable to transport themselves or to purchase transportation and 
are, therefore, dependent upon others to obtain access to health care, employment, education, shopping, 
social activities, or other life-sustaining activities, or children who are handicapped or high-risk. In 1989, the 
Legislature created the Commission for Transportation Disadvantaged (Commission) within the Florida 
Department of Transportation (FDOT) to accomplish the coordination of transportation services provided to the 
transportation disadvantaged. 
 
The bill amends the Commission’s membership by increasing the number of members from seven to 14 and 
amending requirements and qualifications for the members. The bill amends the Commission’s duties and 
requires the Commission to provide best practices, latest technology innovations, and preferential vendors lists 
to county transportation disadvantaged program managers; annually review and conduct a performance audit 
of each coordinator contract and transportation operator contract in each county; establish a system for the 
filing, receipt, and resolution of complaints regarding the transportation disadvantaged system; include in its 
annual report a summary for each county of the number of complaints filed regarding the transportation 
disadvantaged system, contract satisfaction, a breakdown of the total cost of services, the amount of funds 
provided by the Commission, and the results of annual performance audits; ensure that drivers of motor 
vehicles used to provide paratransit service attend training programs delivered by the Agency for Persons with 
Disabilities (APD). 
 
The bill also provides requirements specific to transportation service providers who provide paratransit services 
to persons with disabilities. Such requirements include providing training for drivers, installing cameras, 
providing access to camera footage by specified persons, providing ride booking and tracking services, 
establishing reasonable time periods between a request for service  and the arrival of the transportation 
service provider at the location specified in the request, establishing best practices for limiting the duration of 
travel times, establishing transparency regarding the quality of paratransit service provided, establishing an 
efficient system for the reporting of adverse incidents. APD, in collaboration with FDOT, must establish 
requirements for the investigation of adverse incidents reported.  
 
Lastly, the bill provides that the provisions of s. 287.057, F.S., which exempt the purchase of contractual 
services from competitive bidding requirements do not apply to contracts entered into by local governments 
and transportation service providers for the provision of paratransit service to persons with disabilities. 
 
The bill may have an indeterminate negative fiscal impact on the state, local governments, and the private 
sector. See Fiscal Analysis Section. 
 
The bill has an effective date of July 1, 2024. 
   STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 2 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
FULL ANALYSIS 
I.  SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS 
 
A. EFFECT OF PROPOSED CHANGES: 
Present Situation 
 
Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (Commission) 
Florida law defines the term “transportation disadvantaged” as those persons who, because of physical 
or mental disability, income status, or age, are unable to transport themselves or to purchase 
transportation and are, therefore, dependent upon others to obtain access to health care, employment, 
education, shopping, social activities, or other life-sustaining activities, or children who are handicapped 
or high-risk.
1
 
 
In 1989, the Legislature created the Commission within the Florida Department of Transportation 
(FDOT) to accomplish the coordination of transportation services provided to the transportation 
disadvantaged.
2
 The goal of this coordination is to assure the cost-effective provision of transportation 
by qualified community transportation coordinators (CTCs) or transportation operators
3
 for the 
transportation disadvantaged.
4
 The Commission is the state-level board that develops policies and 
procedures for the coordination of services to the transportation disadvantaged population.
5
 
 
The Commission consists of seven members appointed by the Governor in accordance with the 
following qualifications:
6
 
 Five of the members must have significant experience in the operation of a business, and it is 
the intent of the Legislature that, when making an appointment, the Governor select persons 
who reflect the broad diversity of the business community in this state, as well as the racial, 
ethnic, geographical, and gender diversity of the population of this state. 
 Two of the members must have a disability and use the transportation disadvantaged system. 
 Each member must be a resident and registered voter of this state.  
 At least one member must be at least 65 years of age. 
 A member may not, within the 5 years immediately before his or her appointment, or during his 
or her term on the Commission, have or have had a financial relationship with, or represent or 
have represented as a lobbyist, the following: a transportation operator; a CTC; a metropolitan 
planning organization (MPO);
 7
 a designated official planning agency; a purchaser agency;
8
 a 
local coordinating board; a broker of transportation; or a provider of transportation services. 
 Each candidate for appointment to the Commission must, before accepting the appointment, 
submit fingerprints and pass a level 2 background screening. 
 
                                                
1
 S. 427.011(1), F.S. 
2
 S. 427.013, F.S. 
3
 The term “transportation operator” means one or more public, private for-profit, or private nonprofit entities engaged by 
the CTC to provide service to transportation disadvantaged persons pursuant to a coordinated system or plan. S. 
427.011(6), F.S. 
4
 S. 427.013, F.S. 
5
 Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, 2023 Annual Performance Report, p. 8, 
https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-
source/ctd/docs/aoraprdocs/2023_ctd_annual_performance_report-electronic_version2.pdf?sfvrsn=94e1d74a_3 (last 
visited Feb. 16, 2024). 
6
 S. 427.012(1), F.S. 
7
 Section 427.011(2), F.S., defines the term “metropolitan planning organization” as the organization responsible for 
carrying out transportation planning and programming in accordance with the provisions of 23 U.S.C. § 134, as provided 
in 23 U.S.C. § 104(f)(3). 
8
 The term “purchasing agency” means a department or agency whose head is an ex officio, nonvoting adviser to the 
Commission, or an agency that purchases transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged. S. 427.011(8), 
F.S.  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 3 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
Additionally, the following individuals, or their senior management level representatives, serve as ex 
officio, nonvoting advisors to the Commission:
9
 
 The Secretary of Transportation,  
 The Secretary of Children and Families,  
 The Secretary of Economic Opportunity,  
 The executive director of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs,  
 The Secretary of Elderly Affairs,  
 The Secretary of Health Care Administration,  
 The director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and  
 A county manager or administrator who is appointed by the Governor. 
 
The statutory mandates for the Commission to carry out its purpose include, among other 
requirements, the following:
10
 
 Compile all available information on the transportation operations for and needs of the 
transportation disadvantaged in the state. 
 Establish statewide objectives for providing transportation services for the transportation 
disadvantaged. 
 Develop policies and procedures for the coordination of local government, federal, and state 
funding for the transportation disadvantaged. 
 Identify barriers prohibiting the coordination and accessibility of transportation services to the 
transportation disadvantaged and aggressively pursue the elimination of these barriers. 
 Serve as a clearinghouse for information about transportation disadvantaged services, training, 
funding sources, innovations, and coordination efforts. 
 Assist communities in developing transportation systems designed to serve the transportation 
disadvantaged. 
 Approve the appointment of all CTCs. 
 Have the authority to apply for and accept funds, grants, gifts, and services from the federal 
government, state government, local governments, or private funding sources. 
 Make an annual report to the Governor and Legislature by January 1 of each year. 
 Prepare a statewide 5-year transportation disadvantaged plan which addresses the 
transportation problems and needs of the transportation disadvantaged, which is fully 
coordinated with local transit plans, compatible with local government comprehensive plans, 
and which ensures that the most cost-effective and efficient method of providing transportation 
to the disadvantaged is programmed for development. 
 Develop an interagency uniform contracting and billing and accounting system that must be 
used by all CTCs and their transportation operators. 
 Develop and maintain a transportation disadvantaged manual. 
 Design and develop transportation disadvantaged training programs. 
 Coordinate all transportation disadvantaged programs with appropriate state, local, and federal 
agencies and public transit agencies to ensure compatibility with existing transportation 
systems. 
 Designate the official planning agency in areas outside of the purview of an MPO. 
 Develop need-based criteria that must be used by all CTCs to prioritize the delivery of 
nonsponsored transportation disadvantaged services that are purchased with Transportation 
Disadvantaged Trust Fund moneys. 
 Establish a review procedure to compare the rates proposed by alternate transportation 
operators with the rates charged by a CTC to determine which rate is more cost-effective. 
 Conduct a cost-comparison study of single-coordinator, multicoordinator, and brokered CTC 
networks to ensure that the most cost-effective and efficient method of providing transportation 
to the transportation disadvantaged is programmed for development. 
 Develop a quality assurance and management review program to monitor, based upon 
approved commission standards, services contracted for by an agency, and those provided by a 
community transportation operator pursuant to s. 427.0155, F.S. 
                                                
9
 S. 427.012(1)(g), F.S. 
10
 S. 427.013, F.S.  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 4 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
 Ensure that local CTCs work cooperatively with local workforce development boards 
established in chapter 445, F.S., to provide assistance in the development of innovative 
transportation services for participants in the welfare transition program. 
 
CTCs 
 
A CTC is a transportation entity competitively procured or recommended by an MPO or other 
appropriate official planning agency and local coordinating board and approved by the Commission, to 
ensure that safe, quality coordinated transportation services are provided or arranged in a cost-
effective manner to serve the transportation disadvantaged in a designated service area.
11
 
 
The Commission contracts with CTCs, typically for up to five years, to ensure the provision of services 
at the local level.
12
 While the Commission establishes guidelines for eligibility within the parameters laid 
out in Florida Statutes, specific eligibility policies are determined at the local level within such 
guidelines.
13
  
 
A CTC can be a public transportation organization (such as a transit authority), a private for-profit 
transportation company, a not-for-profit human services agency, or a local government entity.
14
 
Through a competitive procurement process, the CTC may also contract (i.e., broker) with local 
transportation operators to provide services in its designated service area.
15
 
 
Additionally, the Commission works with “purchasing agencies” to “sponsor” transportation for their 
transportation disadvantaged clients.
16
 Examples of purchasing agencies include the Agency for Health 
Care Administration (AHCA), Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), and local governments.
17
 A 
CTC may provide “sponsored” transportation for eligible individuals on behalf of a purchasing agency, 
such as trips to medical appointments covered under Florida’s Medicaid Managed Medical Assistance 
program.
18
  
 
CTCs that operate fixed bus route services may also serve certain groups within the transportation 
disadvantaged population, such as individuals with disabilities who qualify for complementary 
paratransit services
19
 required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
20
 
 
Local Coordinating Boards (LCBs) 
 
The Local Coordinating Board (LCB) serves as a local advisory body to the Commission and assists 
the Commission in identifying the local service needs and providing information, advice, and direction 
on the coordination of services.
21
 LCBs are chaired by a local elected official, and its membership 
represents local and state stakeholders, including state agencies, riders of the system, the public 
education system, military veterans, the workforce development system, the medical community, and 
the transportation industry.
22
 LCBs meet at least quarterly and assist CTCs and designated official 
planning agencies (e.g., MPOs) in a variety of activities, including establishing eligibility guidelines and 
setting trip priorities funded by the transportation disadvantaged program, developing the 
                                                
11
 S. 427.011(5), F.S.; Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, supra note 5 at p. 34. 
12
 Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, supra note 5 at p. 8. 
13
 Id. 
14
 Id. 
15
 Id. 
16
 Id. 
17
 Id. at 8-9. 
18
 Id. at p. 9. 
19
 “Paratransit” means those elements of public transit which provide service between specific origins and destinations 
selected by the individual user with such service being provided at a time that is agreed upon by the user and provider of 
the service. Paratransit service is provided by taxis, limousines, “dial-a-ride,” buses, and other demand-responsive 
operations that are characterized by their nonscheduled, nonfixed route nature. S. 427.011(9), F.S. 
20
 Id. 
21
 Id. 
22
 Id.  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 5 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan, and evaluating the performance of the CTC on an annual 
basis.
23
 
 
Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund
24
 
 
The Commission administers several grant programs that are funded through the Transportation 
Disadvantaged Trust Fund (TDTF). TDTF funds are mostly used to purchase trips for eligible 
individuals to access activities “not sponsored” by other purchasing agencies. In order for an eligible 
individual to qualify for TDTF non-sponsored services, he or she must, at minimum, demonstrate no 
availability of any other funding or reimbursement (including self-pay), and no means of any other 
transportation (including public transit). Using an example discussed above, an eligible individual may 
receive “sponsored” trips to medical appointments under Florida’s Medicaid Managed Medical 
Assistance program; however, there may not be a similar funding source for that same individual to 
access grocery shopping and other life-sustaining activities, where such trips could be reimbursed 
using TDTF monies.  
 
In Fiscal Year 2022-23, the Legislature appropriated approximately $61.2 million to the TDTF. The 
following pie chart provides a breakdown of the revenues that were deposited within the TDTF (as of 
June 30, 2023). The largest portion of TDTF revenues come from the vehicle registration fees that are 
paid by residents when they renew their license tag with the State of Florida. 
 
 
 
Coordinated Transportation System Organization 
 
In summary, the Commission ensures the availability of transportation services for the transportation 
disadvantaged through “coordinated transportation,” where the Commission works with state and local 
                                                
23
 Id. 
24
 Id. at p. 10.  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 6 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
partners to deliver transportation services to the transportation disadvantaged population.
25
 These 
services are collectively provided through the Coordinated Transportation System.
26
 
 
The Coordinated Transportation System includes the CTC, the transportation operators and 
coordination contractors under contract with the CTC, the official planning agency, and local 
coordinating board involved in the provision of service delivery to the transportation disadvantaged 
within the designated service area.
27
 Below is a chart illustrating the Coordinated Transportation 
System.
28
 
 
 
 
Non-Emergency Transportation Services Covered by Medicaid  
Medicaid is the medical assistance program that provides access to health care for low-income families 
and individuals.
29
 Medicaid also assists the elderly and people with disabilities with the costs of nursing 
facility care and other medical and long-term care expenses.
30
 In Florida, AHCA is responsible for 
Medicaid.
31
 
 
Medicaid reimburses for medically necessary non-emergency transportation services for a Medicaid 
eligible recipient and a personal care attendant or escort, if required, who have no other means of 
                                                
25
 Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, supra note 5 at p. 5. 
26
 Id. 
27
 Id. at p. 35. 
28
 Id. at 21. 
29
 Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Welcome to Statewide Medicaid Managed Care!, 
https://ahca.myflorida.com/medicaid/statewide-medicaid-managed-care (last visited Feb. 16, 2024). 
30
 Id. 
31
 Id.  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 7 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
transportation available to any Medicaid covered service.
32
 Examples of Medicaid-covered non-
emergency transport include transport to:
33
 
 Doctor appointments, 
 Dental appointments, 
 Mental health appointments, 
 Receive dialysis services, and 
 Receive services at a prescribed pediatric extended care center. 
 
If a Medicaid recipient has a complaint about a transportation trip, AHCA recommends first calling the 
transportation provider.
34
 If the transportation provider is not able to resolve the problem, AHCA 
provides two ways of filing a formal complaint: AHCA’s Medicaid Helpline or AHCA’s complaint 
website.
35
 
 
Effect of the Bill 
 
Membership of the Commission  
 
The bill amends the Commission’s membership such that it will consist of 14 members, rather than 
seven members, appointed by the Governor as follows: 
 The director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. 
 The Secretary of Transportation or his or her designee from within the Department of 
Transportation. 
 The Secretary of Children and Families or his or her designee from within the Department of 
Children and Families. 
 The Secretary of Elderly Affairs. 
 The State Surgeon General or his or her designee from within the Department of Health. 
 Two county managers or administrators, one from a rural county and one from a county with a 
population of more than 150,000 according to the last state census. 
 The chief executive officer or president of a hospital in this state. 
 The director of the Division of Blind Services. 
 Five members who have experience in transit, transportation services, innovative technology, 
government procurement, mobility, or service of persons with disabilities or who have 
disabilities and use transportation for the transportation disadvantaged. 
 
Each member must be a resident of this state. Appointed members will serve four-year terms, except 
that initially, to provide for staggered terms, the Governor must appoint three members to serve two-
year terms and two members to serve three-year terms. All subsequent appointments must be for four-
year terms. A member may be reappointed for one additional four-year term. 
 
The bill removes the requirement for members of the Commission to submit fingerprints and pass a 
level 2 background screening. The bill also removes the prohibition on members of the Commission 
having a financial relationship with specified entities or representing such entities as a lobbyist. 
  
                                                
32
 Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Non-Emergency Transportation Services, 
https://ahca.myflorida.com/medicaid/medicaid-policy-quality-and-operations/medicaid-policy-and-quality/medicaid-
policy/medical-and-behavioral-health-coverage-policy/specialized-health-services/non-emergency-transportation-services 
(last visited Feb. 16, 2024). 
33
 Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Medicaid Transportation Services Brochure, 
https://ahca.myflorida.com/content/download/6918/file/MEDICAID_TRANSPORTATION_BROCHURE.pdf (last visited 
Feb. 16, 2024). 
34
 Id. 
35
 Id. The Medicaid Helpline is 1-877-254-1055. AHCA’s complaint website is 
http://ahca.myflorida.com/Medicaid/complaints/.  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 8 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
Duties of the Commission 
 
The bill amends the Commission’s duties and requires the Commission to: 
 Provide best practices, latest technology innovations, and preferential vendors lists to county 
transportation disadvantaged program managers. 
 Annually review and conduct a performance audit of each coordinator contract and 
transportation operator contract in each county. 
 Establish a system for the filing, receipt, and resolution of complaints regarding the 
transportation disadvantaged system. 
 Include in its annual report a summary for each county the number of complaints filed regarding 
the transportation disadvantaged system, contract satisfaction, a breakdown of the total cost of 
services, the amount of funds provided by the Commission, and the results of annual 
performance audits. 
 Ensure that drivers of motor vehicles used to provide paratransit service
36
 attend training 
programs delivered by APD. 
 
Requirements for Transportation Services for Persons with Disabilities 
 
The bill requires a transportation service provider to: 
 Provide training to each driver of a motor vehicle used to provide paratransit service
37
 to 
persons with disabilities which, at a minimum, meets requirements established by the APD for 
training and professional development of staff providing direct services to clients of the agency.  
 Install an interior video camera monitoring system in each motor vehicle used to provide 
paratransit service to persons with disabilities. Each component of the interior video camera 
monitoring system must be mounted securely inside the motor vehicle, must be located outside 
the head protection zone as described in 49 C.F.R. § 571.222, must be located in an area in 
which the component is not likely to cause injury, and must have no sharp edges or projections. 
 Upon request, provide access to footage captured by an interior video camera monitoring 
system to the local government, FDOT, APD, or a parent, legal guardian, caretaker, or 
immediate family member
38
 of a person who receives paratransit service from the 
transportation service provider. 
 Offer Internet-based, application-based, and smartphone-based ride booking and vehicle 
tracking services. Each of these services must be provided in accessible formats. 
 Regularly maintain and upgrade all technology-based services. 
 Offer both pre-booking and on-demand service to paratransit service users. 
 
Further, the bill requires that a transportation service provider, in collaboration with the local 
government with which the provider contracts, establish: 
 Reasonable time periods between a request for service
39
 and the arrival of the transportation 
service provider at the location specified in the request, taking into account the number of 
persons requesting paratransit service on the same date, the distance between locations, usual 
or expected traffic conditions during the provision of paratransit service, and any other factor 
deemed necessary by the provider or the local government. If a transportation service provider 
exhibits a pattern of late arrivals based on such established reasonable time periods, the local 
government may authorize another provider to provide such paratransit service, including the 
acceptance of any prepaid vouchers for future paratransit service, notwithstanding the terms of 
the contract with the original provider. 
 Best practices for limiting the duration of travel times for persons receiving paratransit service. 
To avoid unreasonably long travel times, the provider and the local government must consider 
the level of service offered to persons without disabilities by a public entity operating a fixed 
                                                
36
 See definition of “paratransit”, supra note 19. 
37
 Id. 
38
 The bill defines “immediate family member” to mean a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or first 
cousin of a person or the person's spouse or a person who resides in the primary residence of the person. 
39
 The bill defines “request for service” to mean a request made to a transportation service provider by a person with a 
disability, or by such person's immediate family member, for paratransit service.  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 9 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
route as compared to the level of paratransit service offered by the transportation service 
provider in accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 37.121. 
 Transparency regarding the quality of paratransit service provided by the transportation service 
provider, including, but not limited to, data relating to the timeliness of paratransit service 
provided and the handling of complaints. 
 An efficient system for the reporting of adverse incidents occurring during the provision of 
paratransit service to persons with disabilities. Such system may include the assignment of a 
quick-response code to each motor vehicle used to provide such service for the purpose of 
reporting adverse incidents with a smartphone or other mobile device. Reports of adverse 
incidents received by the local government or the transportation service provider must be 
submitted to the APD and FDOT. 
 
APD, in collaboration with FDOT, must establish requirements for the investigation of adverse incidents 
reported, including periodic review of ongoing investigations and documentation of final outcomes 
thereof. The investigation of a reported adverse incident must commence within 48 hours after receipt 
of the report by APD and FDOT. 
 
Lastly, the bill provides that the provisions of s. 287.057, F.S., which exempt the purchase of 
contractual services from competitive bidding requirements do not apply to contracts entered into by 
local governments and transportation service providers for the provision of paratransit service to 
persons with disabilities. 
 
B. SECTION DIRECTORY: 
Section 1. Amends s. 427.011, F.S., relating to definitions. 
 
Section 2. Amends s. 427.012, F.S., relating to the Commission for the Transportation 
Disadvantaged. 
 
Section 3. Amends s. 427.013, F.S., relating to the Commission for the Transportation 
Disadvantaged; purpose and responsibilities. 
 
Section 4. Amends s. 427.0159, F.S., relating to Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund. 
 
Section 5. Amends s. 427.02, F.S., relating to transportation services for persons with disabilities. 
 
Section 6. Provides an effective date of July 1, 2024. 
II.  FISCAL ANALYSIS & ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT 
 
A. FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE GOVERNMENT: 
 
1. Revenues: 
None. 
 
2. Expenditures: 
While the Commission has not provided a fiscal impact statement on this bill, they believe additional 
resources would likely be required to implement the following provisions: 
 Annual review and conduct a performance audit of each coordinator contract and 
transportation operator contract in each county. 
 Establish a system for the filing, receipt, and resolution of complaints regarding the 
transportation disadvantaged system. 
 
The Commission reports that it currently conducts quality assurance reviews on the CTCs through a 
contractual arrangement. There is a total of 57 CTCs in the state, and the Commission engages 
with a certified public accounting firm to perform approximately 28 reviews each year at a total cost 
of $141,350. The cost per review ranges from $4,600 to $5,900 depending upon the size of the  STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 10 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
entity under review. As reported by the Commission, there are 146 coordinator contractors and 67 
transportation operators
40
 where responsibilities would need to be expanded to conduct 
performance audits. However, the bill does not clearly define what a “performance audit” would 
entail, which may result in greater costs than what is reviewed through the current quality 
assurance review process. The Commission has indicated that the increase in costs to conduct 
annual performance audits on 213 new entities cannot be absorbed within its existing resources, 
but the increase cannot be quantified at this time. 
 
Further, the Commission has indicated that it would need one additional full-time equivalent (FTE) 
position to dedicate to the oversight of the new system for filing, receipt, and resolution of 
complaints.  This function is currently handled at the local level between the CTC and the Local 
Coordinating Board. This new responsibility would expand the Commission’s data collection system 
as currently the data is provided in an aggregated format and does not include details, such as the 
date a complaint was received or how it was resolved. Again, any increase in costs or workload 
remain indeterminate. 
 
The below provisions are to be implemented by APD and FDOT.  FDOT can absorb any incurred 
costs related to the new provisions using its existing resources. However, APD has reported that it 
would require FTE positions and additional resources to manage the adverse incident investigation 
and reporting provisions.  APD currently has approximately 89 vacant FTE positions and should be 
able to reprioritize one of those positions to address any increase in workload. 
 APD will deliver training programs to drivers of motor vehicles used to provide paratransit 
service. 
 APD will establish requirements for training and professional development of staff providing 
direct services to clients of the agency. 
 APD and FDOT will receive adverse incidents reports from local governments or 
transportation service providers. 
 APD, in collaboration with FDOT, must establish requirements for the investigation of 
adverse incidents reported, including periodic review of ongoing investigations and 
documentation of final outcomes thereof.   
 
B. FISCAL IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: 
 
1. Revenues: 
None. 
 
2. Expenditures: 
The bill may have an indeterminate fiscal impact on local governments as it relates to establishing 
an efficient system for the reporting of adverse incidents occurring during the provision of 
paratransit services to persons with disabilities and ensuring that these incidents are properly 
reported to APD and FDOT. 
 
C. DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PRIVATE SECTOR: 
The bill will have an indeterminate negative impact on transportation service providers, as it requires 
transportation service providers to: 
 Install interior video camera monitoring systems in each motor vehicle used to provide 
paratransit services to persons with disabilities. 
 Provide training to each driver of a motor vehicle used to provide paratransit services to 
persons with disabilities. 
                                                
40
 This estimate is based on the reported number of transportation operators and coordination contractors in the Annual 
Operating Report from State Fiscal Year 2022-23. See Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, 2022-
2023 Annual Operating Report, County Summaries and Data Tables, (Jan. 1, 2024), 
https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/ctd/docs/aoraprdocs/2023-ctd-annual-operating-
report---county-summaries-and-tables---electronic-version.pdf?sfvrsn=230d6fef_1 (last visited Feb. 16, 2024).   STORAGE NAME: h1673c.ISC 	PAGE: 11 
DATE: 2/20/2024 
  
 Offer Internet-based, application-based, and smartphone-based ride booking and vehicle 
tracking services. 
 Regularly maintain and upgrade all technology-based services. 
 
D. FISCAL COMMENTS: 
None. 
III.  COMMENTS 
 
A. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES: 
 
 1. Applicability of Municipality/County Mandates Provision: 
Not applicable. The bill does not appear to require counties or municipalities to spend funds or take 
action requiring the expenditure of funds; reduce the authority that counties or municipalities have to 
raise revenues in the aggregate; or reduce the percentage of state tax shared with counties or 
municipalities 
 
 2. Other: 
None. 
 
B. RULE-MAKING AUTHORITY: 
Rulemaking may be necessary in order to conform to changes made by the bill. 
 
C. DRAFTING ISSUES OR OTHER COMMENTS: 
None. 
IV.  AMENDMENTS/COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE CHANGES 
On January 31, 2024, the Transportation & Modals Subcommittee adopted a proposed committee 
substitute (PCS) and reported the bill favorably as a committee substitute. The PCS: 
 Incorporates definitions and other provisions of the bill into Part I of chapter 427. F.S.; 
 Revises membership, requirements, and duties of the Commission for the Transportation 
Disadvantaged; and 
 Revises reporting to the Governor and Legislature. 
 
The analysis is drafted to the committee substitute as approved by the Transportation & Modals 
Subcommittee.