FHCA Discusses Importance of Preserving Nursing Center Certificate of Need with Lawmakers

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Today, FHCA spoke about the importance of preserving Florida's Certificate of Need (CON) law for nursing centers during the House Healthcare Facilities and Systems Subcommittee. A provision to repeal nursing center CON is included in HB 693 by Rep. Mike Redondo (R-Miami). The legislation, also known as the Big Beautiful Healthcare Frontier Act, is part of a major healthcare legislative initiative by House Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami) that's designed to implement the Trump Administration's federal health care reforms into state-level action. 

"Florida is the gold standard for nursing center care because growth is guided by demonstrated community need and quality outcomes," said Emmett Reed, CEO of the Florida Health Care Association. "The Certificate of Need process ensures nursing centers are built where they are truly needed. Today, our centers maintain occupancy rates near 90% and above-average staffing levels, helping ensure they remain financially stable and able to deliver high-quality care to residents and their families. This progress is the result of continued legislative support, and keeping our CON laws intact will help ensure Florida stays focused on leading the nation in long term care quality."

During the meeting, FHCA Senior Director of Policy & Reimbursement Tom Parker spoke to the committee about the positive impact that Florida's CON law is having on seniors’ access to long term care in Florida.

• Florida’s current CON process supports a modern, market-driven environment that is focused on quality.
• Florida's CON law has become a model for other states because it’s working effectively to ensure that new nursing center growth is based on a demonstrated need.
• Since the state's CON law for nursing centers was modernized in 2014, Floridians now have access to 37 new nursing centers, several expanded centers, and nearly 6,500 new nursing center beds.
• Florida nursing centers are at 87% occupancy, which means the state is striking a balance that prevents duplication of services while also being prudent with taxpayer dollars.
• Strong occupancy is a predictor of nursing center quality, and Florida's nursing centers consistently outperform national averages on quality outcomes.

Parker also highlighted Florida's above-average staffing levels and providers' focus on eliminating the use of contract labor, which continues to trend downward according to Payroll Based Journal data. "We’re making great strides in eliminating the use of contract labor in our centers, because we know that retaining experienced staff leads to more consistent care and better outcomes for our residents," said Parker.

Preserving nursing center Certificate of Need is a legislative priority for FHCA, along with urging lawmakers to make permanent the non-recurring Medicaid funding from the 2025-2026 state budget. While HB 693 passed its first committee, the Association continues to meet with the bill sponsor and members of the Florida Legislature in an effort to remove the CON provision from the legislation.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2026

PRESS CONTACT:
Kristen Knapp, APR
850-510-4389 or kknapp@fhca.org