Sarasota Senior AdvisorHow do I verify an assisted living facility's license in Florida?
Search the facility on AHCA's FloridaHealthFinder Facility/Provider Locator (quality.healthfinder.fl.gov) by name, county or facility type; the profile shows the license number and status, licensed beds, specialty licenses, license dates, owner, sanctions and a link to inspection history.
Status values you will see include Licensed, Provisional and In Review (a renewal or change being processed). Across the 169 ALFs and nursing homes in the two counties, AHCA shows 142 licensed, 20 in review, 6 provisional, 1 in litigation (retrieved October 31, 2026).
What does a Florida ALF's AHCA profile tell me?
Beyond the license itself, the profile lists the original license date, the current license period, room counts, beds approved for ECC and for optional state supplementation, Medicaid services, nurse availability, languages spoken, whether there is a fixed generator, and self-reported programs such as memory care.
Program data is reported by the facility; license, sanction and inspection data come from AHCA. We label the difference on every facility page.
How can I check who owns a Florida assisted living facility?
The AHCA profile names the licensee and any management company, and its sanctions list records each change of ownership with the date, so you can see whether the building was sold recently.
A recent sale is not bad news by itself, but it is a reason to ask which managers and nurses stayed and whether rates or policies changed. 32 ALFs in Sarasota and Manatee counties recorded a change of ownership in the last three years, according to their AHCA profiles.
How do I check a Florida home health agency or hospice?
The same locator covers home health agencies, hospices, adult day care centers, adult family care homes and nurse registries; search by type and county, and for Medicare-certified agencies also check CMS Care Compare.
Companion and homemaker services can also be provided by registered nurse registries and some non-medical providers; ask any agency which license it operates under.
Is an unlicensed assisted living home illegal in Florida?
Yes: s. 429.07 makes an AHCA license a requirement to operate an assisted living facility, and anyone who suspects a home is housing and caring for unrelated adults without a license can report it to AHCA's complaint line at 1-888-419-3456.
If the concern is that someone is being harmed, call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 first.
At a glance
| FloridaHealthFinder shows | FloridaHealthFinder does not show | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Number, status, dates and specialty licenses | Prices |
| History | Sanctions, fines, ownership changes, inspections | Star ratings for assisted living |
| Programs | Self-reported services such as memory care | Verified quality of those programs |
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.
