1. (1) Statement of Purpose and Program Description. The adult safe house must have a written statement of purpose describing the core values, mission, services the adult safe house provides, methods of service delivery, and a description of the program that outlines if serving females or males, and if minors are allowed to accompany their caregiver in the adult safe house.
2. (2) Business Registration. The owner of the adult safe house must be registered to conduct business under the Division of Corporations in Florida.
3. (3) Geographic Coverage. The adult safe house must provide a description of the geographic area the adult safe house intends to serve, to include if admitting residents from a specific county, region, statewide or national level.

4. (4) Governing Body.

   1. (a) Each adult safe house shall have a governing body.

   2. (b) The adult safe house must maintain a list of the members of its governing body and must not be fewer than three members. This list must be available to the Department and must:

      1. Include the name and term of each member; and

      2. Identify each office and the term of that office.

   3. (c) The governing body must meet no less than twice per year.

   4. (d) Responsibilities of the governing body must include the following:

      1. Review matters affecting the care and services to residents.

      2. Evaluate in writing the administrator’s performance annually.

      3. Approve the annual budget of anticipated income and expenditures necessary to provide the services described in its statement of purpose. The governing body must also approve the annual financial audit report.

      4. Maintain written minutes of all meetings, which must be available to the Department upon request.

   5. (e) Members of the governing body may review and recommend changes to the operational policies and procedures.
   6. (f) Members of the governing body must not have a proprietary interest in the adult safe house program and shall not be the owner or a family member of the owner of the adult safe house.
   7. (g) Undergo level 2 background screenings pursuant to Chapter 435, F.S., and training pursuant to paragraph 65K-1.008(4)(e), F.A.C., as a condition of membership on the governing board.

   8. (h) Confidentiality.

      1. Adhere to the confidentiality policies of the adult safe house. The governing body shall not have access to resident names or files maintained by the adult safe house.

      2. In the event there are legal or financial implications on the organization, the governing body can access resident files that have unique identification numbers for the resident’s name.

5. (5) Organizational Chart.

   1. (a) The adult safe house must maintain a current organizational chart showing the administrative structure including the lines of authority.
   2. (b) The adult safe house must maintain an employee roster that must be provided to the Department annually and upon request.
   3. (c) The adult safe house must provide written notification to the Department 30 days prior to changing the administrator. The adult safe house must notify the Department within 24 hours after the administrator is terminated in circumstances that require immediate action.
   4. (d) A change in ownership requires the submission of a new application for certification within five business days of the individual or entity aquiring ownership.
6. (6) Accreditation. If the adult safe house is accredited, a copy must be provided to the Department.

7. (7) Financial Ability. The adult safe house must provide written documentation of financial ability to operate at the time of application submission and when requested by the Department.

   1. (a) Initial Operational Expenses. Adult safe houses seeking an initial certification must provide evidence of sufficient funding to operate for at least six months. The six months of funding is calculated based on the projected expenditures in the annual budget submitted at the time of initial certification.
   2. (b) Annual budget. The adult safe house must provide the Department with an annual budget of anticipated income and expenditures necessary to provide the services described in its statement of purpose.

   3. (c) Financial audit. The adult safe house must have financial records audited annually.

      1. Financial audits are required for adult safe houses that expend equal to or in excess of $750,000 of state financial assistance, as outlined in Section 215.97, F.S. Annual audits must be conducted by an independent certified public accountant (CPA) licensed pursuant to Chapter 473, F.S.

      2. Adult safe houses that do not meet the audit threshold must provide proof a financial review was conducted by an external auditor or by an independent certified public accountant (CPA) licensed pursuant to Chapter 473, F.S. The external auditor shall not have a proprietary interest in the adult safe house agency or program and must sign and attest that there is no conflict of interest.

   4. (d) If fees for services are charged, the adult safe house shall have a fee schedule.

      1. The schedule shall clearly list the specific services covered by each fee.

      2. The fee schedule shall be given to each resident.

      3. A copy of the fee schedule shall be filed with the Department. The adult safe house must submit a copy of any updates made to the fee schedule during the certification year within 30 days of the changes.

   5. (e) If funding is obtained through public solicitation, a charitable permit for such solicitation must be obtained as required by Chapter 496, F.S.
8. (8) Insurance Coverage. The adult safe house must obtain liability insurance, and assess the potential risks associated with the delivery of services to determine the amount of coverage necessary.

9. (9) Community Support.

   1. (a) The adult safe house shall establish partnerships with local service providers, legal organizations, and healthcare providers to provide a comprehensive range of support services and ensure ongoing collaboration with community agencies to support and expand the service array available to residents.
   2. (b) If there is a local human trafficking task force or human trafficking coalition, the adults safe house must participate, and provide documentation to the Department through attendance records from meetings.

Rulemaking Authority 402.881 FS. Law Implemented 402.881 FS. History-New 7-16-25.