Fla. Stat. § 39.905 — Florida Code / Title V / Chapter 39 / Part XII / Section 39.905
39.905 Domestic violence centers.
Status: in_force

(1) Domestic violence centers certified under this part must: (a) Provide a facility which will serve as a center to receive and house persons who are victims of domestic violence. For the purpose of this part, minor children and other dependents of a victim, when such dependents are partly or wholly dependent on the victim for support or services, may be sheltered with the victim in a domestic violence center. (b) Receive the annual written endorsement of local law enforcement agencies. (c) Provide minimum services that include, but are not limited to, information and referral services, counseling and case management services, temporary emergency shelter for more than 24 hours, a 24-hour hotline, nonresidential outreach services, training for law enforcement personnel, assessment and appropriate referral of resident children, and educational services for community awareness relative to the incidence of domestic violence, the prevention of such violence, and the services available for persons engaged in or subject to domestic violence. If a 24-hour hotline, professional training, or community education is already provided by a certified domestic violence center within its designated service area, the department may exempt such certification requirements for a new center serving the same service area in order to avoid duplication of services. (d) Participate in the provision of orientation and training programs developed for law enforcement officers, social workers, and other professionals and paraprofessionals who work with domestic violence victims to better enable such persons to deal effectively with incidents of domestic violence. (e) Establish and maintain a board of directors composed of at least three citizens, one of whom must be a member of a local, municipal, or county law enforcement agency. (f) Comply with rules adopted under this part. (g) File with the department a list of the names of the domestic violence advocates who are employed or who volunteer at the domestic violence center who may claim a privilege under s. 90.5036 to refuse to disclose a confidential communication between a victim of domestic violence and the advocate regarding the domestic violence inflicted upon the victim. The list must include the title of the position held by the advocate whose name is listed and a description of the duties of that position. A domestic violence center must file amendments to this list as necessary. (h) Demonstrate local need and ability to sustain operations through a history of 18 consecutive months’ operation as a domestic violence center, including 12 months’ operation of an emergency shelter as provided in paragraph (c), and a business plan which addresses future operations and funding of future operations. The department may waive this requirement if there is an emergency need for a new domestic violence center to provide services in an area and no other viable options exist to ensure continuity of services. If there is an emergency need, the department may issue a provisional certificate to the domestic violence center as long as the center meets all other criteria in this subsection. The department may adopt rules to provide minimum standards for a provisional certificate, including increased monitoring and site visits and the time period such certificate is valid. (i) If its center is a new center applying for certification, demonstrate that the services provided address a need identified in the most current statewide needs assessment approved by the department. If the center applying for initial certification proposes providing services in an area that has an existing certified domestic violence center, the center applying for initial certification must demonstrate the unmet need in that service area and describe its efforts to avoid duplication of services.

(2) If the department finds that there is failure by a center to comply with the requirements established, or rules adopted, under this part, the department may deny, suspend, or revoke the certification of the center.

(3) The annual certificate automatically expires on June 30 of each state fiscal year unless the certification is temporarily extended to allow the center to implement a corrective action plan.

(4) The domestic violence centers shall establish procedures to facilitate persons subject to domestic violence to seek services from these centers voluntarily.

(5) Domestic violence centers may be established throughout the state when private, local, state, or federal funds are available and a need is demonstrated.

(6) In order to receive state funds, a center must: (a) Obtain certification under this part. However, the issuance of a certificate does not obligate the department to provide funding. (b) Obtain public or private funding from one or more local, municipal, or county sources in an amount that equals at least 25 percent of the amount of funding the center receives from the Domestic Violence Trust Fund established in s. 741.01. Contributions in kind, whether materials, commodities, transportation, office space, other types of facilities, or personal services, may be evaluated and counted as part of the required local funding.

(7)(a) All funds collected and appropriated to the domestic violence program for certified domestic violence centers shall be distributed annually according to an allocation formula approved by the department. In developing the formula, the factors of population, rural characteristics, geographical area, and the incidence of domestic violence must be considered. (b) A contract between the department and a certified domestic violence center shall contain provisions ensuring the availability and geographic accessibility of services throughout the service area. For this purpose, a center may distribute funds through subcontracts or to center satellites, if such arrangements and any subcontracts are approved by the department.

(8) A certified domestic violence center may carry forward from one fiscal year to the next during the contract period documented unexpended state funds in a cumulative amount that does not exceed 8 percent of its total contract with the department. (a) The funds carried forward may not be used in a manner that would increase future recurring obligations or for any program or service that is not authorized by the existing contract. (b) Expenditures of funds carried forward must be separately reported to the department. (c) Any unexpended funds that remain at the end of the contract period must be returned to the department. (d) Funds carried forward under this subsection may be retained through any contract renewals as long as the same certified domestic violence center is retained by the department.

History: s. 5, ch. 78-281; s. 4, ch. 79-402; s. 2, ch. 82-135; s. 4, ch. 82-192; s. 3, ch. 84-128; s. 5, ch. 84-343; s. 32, ch. 94-134; s. 32, ch. 94-135; ss. 3, 8, ch. 95-187; s. 117, ch. 98-403; s. 2, ch. 2003-11; s. 5, ch. 2012-147; s. 5, ch. 2020-6; s. 2, ch. 2021-152; s. 2, ch. 2025-186.