Sarasota Senior AdvisorWhat is the difference between a CCRC and assisted living in Florida?
A continuing care retirement community (life plan community) sells a contract, usually with an entrance fee, that promises housing plus access to assisted living and nursing care for life or a long term, and is regulated by the Office of Insurance Regulation under Chapter 651; a rental assisted living facility charges monthly for current care and is licensed only by AHCA.
The care units inside a CCRC still need AHCA licenses: the assisted living section holds an ALF license and the health center a nursing home license.
Who is a life plan community best for?
Usually a healthy retiree or couple who can move into independent living, wants a guaranteed path to higher care on one campus, and has the assets for an entrance fee; most CCRCs require residents to enter while still independent.
Someone who already needs daily help is usually a better fit for rental assisted living, which takes residents based on current needs.
Are CCRC entrance fees refundable in Florida?
Partly, depending on the contract: Florida requires a seven-day rescission period with a full refund, and for contracts without a transferable ownership right, refunds after move-in are pro-rated with the provider keeping up to 2 percent per month of occupancy plus up to a 5 percent processing fee, unless the contract offers a different approved refund plan.
How many life plan communities are there around Sarasota?
Florida OIR's October 2025 map lists nine continuing care facilities in Sarasota and Manatee counties, about one in eight of the 74 statewide, including one with a provisional certificate and one in runoff.
Each has a profile in our life plan community section, with its AHCA-licensed care units.
Can someone who already needs care move into a Sarasota life plan community?
Sometimes: some campuses rent assisted living or memory care apartments directly to people from outside under an ordinary residency agreement, not a continuing care contract, so the resident pays monthly like any rental ALF and gets no lifetime care guarantee.
Ask which kind of agreement you are being offered; only a continuing care contract carries Chapter 651 protections.
At a glance
| A life plan community | Rental assisted living | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | OIR (contract and finances) plus AHCA (care units) | AHCA only |
| Payment | Entrance fee plus monthly fee | Monthly rent and care charges |
| Entry | Usually while independent | When care is needed |
Sources include Chapters 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-36 and 65A-2, AHCA, DCF, OIR and Elder Affairs pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
