Florida certificate of need
Florida has a certificate of need program, run by Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). It covers 4 kinds of services, listed below.
- CON program
- Yes
- Services covered
- 4
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Florida CON program
Florida has a certificate of need program, run by Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). It covers 4 kinds of services, listed below.
- CON program
- Yes
- Program
- Certificate of Need
- Application fee
- Base fee $10,000 plus 0.015 of each dollar of proposed expenditure, capped at $50,000 total (s. 408.038, F.S.).
- Review timeline
- Applications are filed in batching cycles after a letter of intent. AHCA checks completeness within 15 days of the filing deadline and issues its State Agency Action Report and notice of intent within 60 days after all applications in the cycle are complete. Challenges go to DOAH; AHCA issues a final order within 45 days of the recommended order. Nursing home replacements/relocations and CON transfers get expedited review.
- Recent changes
- Chapter 2019-136, Laws of Florida (CS/HB 21, 2019) removed hospitals and hospital services from CON review; the statutory definition of 'health care facility' now covers only skilled nursing facilities, hospices and ICF/DDs. Section 408.036 was most recently amended by ch. 2025-129.
- Statute
- ss. 408.031–408.045, Florida Statutes
Services that need a certificate of need
- community nursing homes / skilled nursing facility beds
- hospice programs and hospice inpatient facilities
- intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled (ICF/DD)
- conversion from one type of covered facility to another
Frequently asked questions
Does Florida have a certificate of need law?
Florida has a certificate of need program, run by Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). It covers 4 kinds of services, listed below.
How long does a Florida CON review take?
Applications are filed in batching cycles after a letter of intent. AHCA checks completeness within 15 days of the filing deadline and issues its State Agency Action Report and notice of intent within 60 days after all applications in the cycle are complete. Challenges go to DOAH; AHCA issues a final order within 45 days of the recommended order. Nursing home replacements/relocations and CON transfers get expedited review.
How much is a Florida CON application?
Base fee $10,000 plus 0.015 of each dollar of proposed expenditure, capped at $50,000 total (s. 408.038, F.S.).