Choosing Assisted Living in Florida When You Live Out of State

The short answer: You can do most of the research from home. Florida's inspection reports, complaint histories and facility statements are available online or by email, and you can save in-person visits for a short list. The parts that need planning are paperwork and benefits. The admission medical exam must be done within 60 days before or 30 days after move-in, and Florida's rules don't clearly say a doctor licensed in another state can sign it, so ask the facility first. A power of attorney signed in another state is generally valid here, but a business can ask for a lawyer's opinion first. Medicare moves with your parent; Medicaid doesn't, and the Florida application starts once your parent lives here. After move-in, put your name on the facility's records as the contact for changes and emergencies.

How do you research Florida facilities from far away?

Start with the official record. Florida's FloridaHealthFinder profile for each licensed facility lists "the administrator, owner, number of beds, types of beds and specialty licenses, a link to inspection reports and emergency actions" (FloridaHealthFinder). You can also compare facilities "by bed size, special services, number of complaints, sanction history and final orders" (FloridaHealthFinder FAQ). Our guide to checking a Florida license and inspections walks through the search, and our directory lists 3,006 licensed assisted living facilities across Florida, searchable by city and county.

Then ask for the paperwork before you fly in. Florida requires facilities to give new residents the contract, a facility statement with "the daily, weekly or monthly charge to reside in the facility," the elopement response policy, the bill of rights and an ombudsman brochure (rule 59A-36.006). Ask your shortlisted facilities to email them now. Each facility must also post its visitation policy where it's "easily accessible from the homepages of their websites" (s. 408.823, Florida Statutes).

A few questions are best asked on a video call:

• Who answers the phone at night and on weekends, and how do families reach the nurse or administrator?
• How do you tell families about falls, ER trips and changes in condition?
• Can family join care meetings by video?
• What do residents usually do on a weekday afternoon? Ask them to show you.

Should you visit before choosing?

If you can, yes, even once. Our tour checklist covers what to look, listen and smell for, and it fits a two-day trip with four or five tours. If you're comparing many options in one big market, our guide to comparing facilities in Miami shows how to narrow the list first.

Florida law helps visiting relatives. Residents can have visitors from at least 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and "upon request, the facility shall make provisions to extend visiting hours for caregivers and out-of-town guests" (s. 429.28, Florida Statutes).

What paperwork does admission require?

Every resident must have a face-to-face medical exam "completed within 60 days before or within 30 days after the individual's admission," recorded on the practitioner's own form or AHCA Form 1823. "Faxed or electronic copies of the completed form are acceptable" (rule 59A-36.006).

The tricky part is who may sign it. The statute says the exam must be done by "a licensed physician, a licensed physician assistant, or a licensed advanced practice registered nurse" (s. 429.26, Florida Statutes). It doesn't say licensed in Florida, but the rule's definition of a health care provider refers to Florida's licensing chapters (rule 59A-36.002). Before booking the exam with your parent's doctor back home, ask the facility in writing whether it will accept it. If not, a Florida doctor, PA or nurse practitioner can do the exam within 30 days after move-in. An assessment from Florida's CARES program can also substitute for the exam.

Are your parent's legal documents valid in Florida?

Usually, with one catch for powers of attorney:

• Power of attorney. One signed in another state "is valid in this state if, when the power of attorney was executed, the power of attorney and its execution complied with the law of the state of execution." But a bank or other business asked to accept it may request "an opinion of counsel," at your parent's expense, and may refuse it without one (s. 709.2106, Florida Statutes). A Florida-style power of attorney avoids that: it must be signed by your parent, two witnesses and acknowledged before a notary (s. 709.2105).
• Health care surrogate and living will. "An advance directive executed in another state in compliance with the law of that state or of this state is validly executed" in Florida (s. 765.112). There's no lawyer's-opinion clause here.

If your parent can still sign, many families have a Florida attorney prepare new documents after the move. Our guide to power of attorney, health care surrogates and DNR forms explains each one.

What happens to Medicare?

Original Medicare works anywhere: "You can see any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S." (Medicare.gov). Medicare Advantage and drug plans are tied to a service area. After a move out of that area, your parent's "chance to switch begins when you move and continues for 2 full months after you move," or a month earlier if you tell the plan in advance. Without a new plan, they'll be moved to Original Medicare when the old plan drops them (Medicare.gov). Florida plans work with local hospital networks, so check which hospitals each plan covers near the facility.

A Medigap supplement can usually stay: "you can keep your current Medigap policy regardless of where you live as long as you still have Original Medicare." Someone leaving a Medicare Advantage plan because of a move also gets a time-limited right to buy certain Medigap plans (CMS, Choosing a Medigap Policy). To change the address Medicare uses, "you have to contact Social Security" (Medicare.gov). Our guide to what Medicare covers explains why it doesn't pay assisted living rent.

What about Medicaid?

Medicaid is run state by state, so coverage from another state doesn't carry over. "You must be a resident of the state where you are applying for benefits" (USA.gov). Florida treats someone as a resident when they intend to stay: "Residency is not dependent upon the duration of the stay," but it doesn't exist for "a temporary purpose such as a vacation" (DCF policy manual). Federal rules bar a waiting period (42 CFR 435.403).

For assisted living, Florida Medicaid works through the long-term care program, and since July 2026 the law calls its waitlist a "pre-enrollment list." Offers go by a frailty-based priority score, not by date, and "the individual or the individual's authorized representative must participate" in the screening (s. 409.979, Florida Statutes), so an adult child can take part. Screening is done by phone through the local aging and disability resource center (AHCA), and state training material says people contact the center "in the region where they live" (Elder Affairs). Call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337) to ask about timing, but don't count on a place in line before your parent lives in Florida. If Medicaid is likely within a year or two, choose a facility that accepts Medicaid residents. Our guides to Medicaid and assisted living and the waitlist explain the program.

What about Social Security?

Your parent can update their address online "if you're already getting benefits," or by calling 1-800-772-1213 (SSA). If your parent can no longer manage their benefits, a power of attorney isn't enough. "Being an authorized representative, having power of attorney, or a joint bank account with the beneficiary is not the same as being a payee," and payees must apply and be appointed (SSA). SSA's "main concern is that your payee is someone who can see you often and knows what you need" (SSA), so a sibling nearby may be the better choice.

How do you stay involved after move-in?

• Get your name on the records. Resident records must include the name and phone number of the "individual designated by the resident for notification in case of an emergency" (rule 59A-36.015). Ask your parent to name you in writing as their representative or designee.
• Agree on how you'll hear about changes. Facilities must contact the resident's family, surrogate or case manager "if the resident exhibits a significant change," such as a stroke or major decline (rule 59A-36.007). No Florida rule specifically requires them to call you about every ER trip or fall, so ask how they handle those and get the answer in writing.
• Sign medical permission forms. "By law, you will need written permission to receive medical information about the person unless they are with you in person and able to give consent" (NIA). Get it for your parent's doctors and the facility.
• Join meetings remotely. The National Institute on Aging suggests you "participate remotely in conference calls or video meetings with the assisted living facility team" and keep a shared list of contacts and a shared calendar with other caregivers (NIA).
• Name an essential caregiver. Under Florida's No Patient Left Alone Act, a resident can designate an essential caregiver whom the facility must allow to visit for at least two hours a day (s. 408.823). A trusted local friend or relative can fill that role between your visits.
• Know who to call. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, 1-888-831-0404, investigates complaints made "by, or on behalf of" residents, and its services are free and confidential (Elder Affairs).
• Consider a care manager. A geriatric care manager, usually a nurse or social worker, "can be especially helpful when a caregiver lives far away." They charge by the hour, and "Medicare and Medicaid do not pay for this service" (NIA).

Our guide to how often to visit has ideas for making each trip count. If you're planning a holiday visit home, read taking a parent out for the holidays first.

What happens during hurricane season?

Florida requires each facility's emergency plan to cover "responding to family inquiries" after a disaster (rule 59A-36.019). The state's required plan form asks facilities to describe how "residents' responsible parties will be informed" about evacuation or sheltering in place, and what backup communication they'll use if phones fail (AHCA Form 3180-5006). Facilities must also tell each resident's legal representative in writing, within five business days, when their generator plan is submitted and when it's in place (rule 59A-36.025).

Ask for the facility's family communication plan before June, and if you ever take your parent out ahead of a storm, tell the facility so it can account for them. Our hurricane questions guide has the full list.