The short answer: To find assisted living near your parent in Florida, start with the address that matters. That's usually your parent's home, or yours if you'll be the one visiting. Search by city or ZIP code, then check every facility you like against the state's own records before you tour. Florida licenses about 3,000 assisted living facilities, and the state publishes each one's license, inspection reports and violations from the past five years. It takes about ten minutes per facility, and it's the step most families skip.
How do I find assisted living facilities near an address?
There are two good free ways:
- Our directory. AssistedLivingFacility.com lists all 3,006 licensed, active assisted living facilities in Florida across 54 counties. Type a city or ZIP code into the search on our homepage or browse the Florida directory by city and county. No sign-up or phone number needed.
- The state's FloridaHealthFinder. Its "proximity search" lets you enter a street address and pick a distance from 1,000 feet to 100 miles. It "helps you find a facility/provider closest to the street address that you enter within the distance you choose" (FloridaHealthFinder). Choose "Assisted Living Facilities" as the type. Adult family-care homes are a separate option.
Distance matters more than most families expect. Florida law gives residents the right to visitors "at any time between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. at a minimum" (s. 429.28), but those hours only help if someone can actually get there. Our guide on how often to visit has more on this.
What does a facility's state profile show?
Florida law requires the state's consumer website to be "searchable by facility name, license type, city, or zip code." It must list "the facility's violations committed during the previous 60 months," plus "the languages spoken by the staff," "forms of payment accepted" and "links to inspection reports that the agency has on file" (s. 429.55).
A facility profile on FloridaHealthFinder shows:
| On the profile | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Owner, management company and administrator | Lets you look up other facilities the same operator runs |
| Licensed beds and specialty licenses (ECC, LNS, LMH) | Size, and whether your parent could stay as needs grow |
| License effective and expiration dates | A license runs 2 years (s. 408.808) |
| Languages spoken and payment forms accepted | Whether staff speak your parent's language, and whether Medicaid is accepted |
| Bed hold policy and emergency power plan | What happens during a hospital stay or a hurricane |
| Legal actions, fines and inspection reports | The facility's real track record |
Source: FloridaHealthFinder facility profile. The page warns that some legal actions "may have been issued to a prior owner," so check the dates.
To compare facilities side by side, the state's assisted living comparison tool filters by ZIP code and distance. It shows the number of substantiated complaints, sanctions, fines and deficiencies by class for each facility (FloridaHealthFinder comparison tool).
How do I read an inspection record?
Florida inspects every assisted living facility without warning: "All inspections shall be unannounced," and relicensure inspections happen every two years (s. 408.811). A facility with one class I violation, or three or more class II violations, gets "an additional licensure inspection within 6 months" (s. 429.34). Class I is the most serious level.
When you read reports, look for patterns rather than one-off citations. The same problem cited again and again (medications, staffing, food safety) tells you more than a single old deficiency. You're also entitled to ask a facility directly: it must give a prospective resident or relative "a copy of the last inspection report" on request (s. 408.811). Our step-by-step guide to checking a Florida license walks through a real report.
How can I tell if a home is licensed?
Ask to see the license on the wall. Florida law says "a license must be displayed in a conspicuous place readily visible to clients," and it's valid only for the licensee and the address printed on it (s. 408.804). Check that the name and address match, and that the dates are current.
Unlicensed homes are a real problem in Florida. Any home that gives housing, meals and help with daily activities or medications to adults who aren't relatives needs a license (s. 429.02). The only small-home exception covers someone caring for no more than two unrelated adults, who don't receive state supplementation, in their own home (s. 429.04). Running an unlicensed assisted living facility is a third-degree felony, and "each day of continued operation is a separate offense" (s. 429.08). In June 2026 Florida's Attorney General announced charges against a couple accused of operating eight unlicensed assisted living facilities (Florida Attorney General).
Warning signs: no license on display, a facility that won't appear on FloridaHealthFinder by its name or address, cash-only payment, or a "group home" offering to take a parent the same day without a health assessment. Licensed facilities need a medical examination before or shortly after admission. Small licensed homes do exist, and they can be excellent. Our comparisons of adult family-care homes and large vs. small facilities explain the legal types.
Where do I report a problem?
- AHCA complaint line: 1-888-419-3456, for complaints about a facility, including suspected unlicensed homes. Florida law says anyone aware of an unlicensed provider "must report that provider to the agency" (s. 408.812).
- Florida Abuse Hotline: 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (Florida DCF).
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman: 1-888-831-0404, for residents' complaints in assisted living and adult family-care homes (Elder Affairs).
Every licensed facility has to post these numbers where residents can see them (rule 59A-36.007). If you can't find them on a tour, ask why.
A 10-minute check for each facility near you
- Find it in our directory, or on FloridaHealthFinder by name or address.
- Confirm the license is current and the address matches.
- Note the specialty licenses: ECC, LNS or LMH. Our license types guide explains them.
- Open the last two inspection reports and skim for repeated deficiencies.
- Check languages spoken, payment forms and the bed-hold policy.
- Shortlist three and tour them, using our tour checklist.
If you'd rather have help, the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337 connects you to your local Aging and Disability Resource Center for free. If you're thinking of using a placement agency, read our guide to senior living referral services first. For a worked example of a whole county, see our Seminole County guide.
