Prenatal and infant health care coalitions shall be established according to the following procedure:

1. (1) The department shall notify the public of the legislative authorization of coalitions and of the process local communities must follow to seek recognition as a coalition. Coalitions may be organized at any time and may apply for funding after the effective date of these rules in accordance with the schedule defined by the department. Initial funding will be awarded through an application process. Continuation funding shall be based on the performance of the coalition, an annual application, availability of funds, and evidence of need.

2. (2) Membership:

   1. (a) The coalition must contain, at a minimum, representation from those groups described in Section 383.216(5), F.S.
   2. (b) There shall be no more than one member who represents any one agency or organization. There shall be no more than one representative of the same agency or organization from a county on a coalition. Nothing in this section shall prevent the official representative of an organization or group included in the coalition from simultaneously being affiliated with any other organization or group which may also be represented on the coalition by some other person. A provider who serves more than one coalition's service area may serve on each coalition.
   3. (c) Multi-county coalitions shall have representation from each county.
   4. (d) The coalition may establish a general membership from which a board and an executive committee may be elected, as specified in the coalition's by-laws.
3. (3) By-laws: Coalitions shall have a written set of by-laws setting out procedures.

4. (4) Procedures for coalition formation and recognition:

   1. (a) Any group of interested individuals or organizations can initiate the coalition recognition process by submitting a letter of intent to submit an application to the department within the time frame specified by the department through public notice in the Florida Administrative Register. This letter of intent to submit an application shall include a list of the members, and a geographic description of the coalition's proposed service area.

   2. (b) Application For Funding:

      1. Following receipt of the request for application for funding from the department, the prospective coalition shall submit an application for funding to the department in the time frame specified by the department which shall be no less than 60 days from the date the request for application for funding was sent by the department.

      2. The application for funding shall be submitted in the format specified by the department and shall minimally include the following elements:

      a. A list of the membership of the prospective coalition and who they represent.

      b. For each member who represents an organization there shall be a notarized statement from the organization that the person listed in the proposal as the organization's authorized representative has been designated to fulfill that position by the organization.

      c. A copy of the by-laws of the prospective coalition.

      d. A copy of the prospective coalition's true and correct copy of articles of incorporation as a not-for-profit organization.

      e. A geographic description of the prospective coalition's service area which shall be a single county or a group of counties.

      f. A statement of the prospective coalition's acceptance of all of its responsibilities as outlined in Rule 64F-2.002, F.A.C.

      g. A time table for completing the responsibilities outlined in Rule 64F-2.002, F.A.C.

      h. A budget for the coalition which reflects the anticipated operating costs of the coalition and revenues from all sources including funding from the state and other public sources.

      i. Written assurance that the local contributions will be available upon recognition of the coalition by the department.

   3. (c) State funds: The funds that the department awards may be used for the following purposes:

      1. Staff.

      2. Travel.

      3. Office space, furniture, expenses and equipment.

      4. Contractual services such as conducting community needs assessments and evaluating performance, but not direct client services.

      5. Computer hardware and software.

   4. (d) Local match may be cash or in-kind: All local match shall be for the exclusive purpose of operating the coalition.

Rulemaking Authority 383.216(10) FS. Law Implemented 383.216 FS. History–New 11-11-91, Amended 4-1-93, 4-21-96, Formerly 10D-113.005.