Florida Senior Living Association

By  DARA KAM NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA  February 27, 2019 -9:00 am (This is part of a series of stories advancing the 2019 legislative session) Baby steps. Florida policymakers readily admit that’s the approach they’ve taken when it comes to dealing with pot, both before and after voters overwhelmingly approved… Read more

By  JIM SAUNDERS NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA  February 26, 2019 NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA Former Gov. Rick Scott is pictured addressing the Legislature in this file photo. Gov. Ron DeSantis will deliver his first State of the State address on March 5. Florida lawmakers will gather March 5 in the… Read more

Florida Senior Living Association is proud to recognize three Five Star communities for receiving the J.D. Power Senior Living Certification. The three Florida communities include Five Star Premier Residences of Hollywood; Five Star Premier Residences of Boca Raton; and The Horizon Club in Deerfield Beach. Congratulations to all of the… Read more

By  DARA KAM NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA February 6, 2019  In the first major demonstration of an ideological shift on the revamped Florida Supreme Court, justices Tuesday refused to consider an appeal in a Miami Beach minimum-wage lawsuit that a former liberal-leaning majority of the court had scheduled to hear… Read more

Department of Elder Affairs Approves Process for Additional Extension of Generator Implementation Date Past January 1, 2019 Did you file a petition for variance from rule 58A-5.036, Emergency Environmental Control for Assisted Living Facilities, with the Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) requesting approval of an implementation date past January 1,… Read more

By: Julie Rupenski, President & Founder, MedBest As a Hiring Manager for a senior living organization, if you’re not regularly assessing the strength of your hiring process, 2019 is the year to start. In a candidate-driven market, you need to make a conscious effort to find new ways to attract… Read more

Claire Wentz caringfromafar.com claire@caringfromafar.com Most of us need assistance as we age. It’s quite common for seniors to face a variety of challenges, such as financial problems, medical issues, loneliness, mobility limitations, and mistreatment. Although many seniors function just fine on their own, a little help from supportive loved ones… Read more

What’s in store for 2019 when it comes to the Senior Living Industry and talent? Here are 7 talent trends that will help to shape the workforce in the New Year: -Succession Planning Remains Top of Mind. We’re facing a C-Suite mass exodus.  In fact, a 2018 survey sponsored by LeadingAge … Read more

Tampa, Florida-MedBest, Senior Living Executive Search Firm, is pleased to announce that Ashley Lodi, a former Executive Director at a multi-site senior living organization, has joined the company as a Senior Executive Recruiter.  In her new role, Lodi is a vital link between MedBest clients and job candidates. “Ashley is… Read more

On August 30, 2018, Florida Senior Living Association (FSLA) received the final order from the Division of Administrative Hearings on its challenge to many of the rules for assisted living community operations found in Rule 58A-5, Florida Administrative Code. The administrative law judge determined 13 separate rule provisions were invalid.… Read more

There are several important regulatory deadlines coming up soon for our industry; please make sure you are planning for the following: (1) Quarterly progress reports for implementation of generators At this time, all assisted living providers either should have implemented an approved Emergency Power Plan or have been granted the… Read more

The Florida Senior Living Association (FSLA) today announced a significant win after receiving the ruling from the Division of Administrative Hearings on its challenge to recently enacted rules for assisted living community operations found in Rule 58A-5, Florida Administrative Code. The administrative law judge determined 14 separate rule provisions were… Read more

At its 2018 Senior Living Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, the FSLA hosted its first ever culinary competition, and the participants brought the heat! Out of six chefs, Anthony Polito of Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) was crowned the winner and took the trophy back to the new HarborChase of Dr. Phillips in… Read more

The FSLA was honored to present Senator Denise Grimsley (R-Lake Placid) with our Legislator of the Year Award at the 2018 Senior Living Conference. For more than a decade, Senator Grimsley has been a dedicated public servant and has brought her expertise in health care to the Florida House and… Read more

The Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) has issued Emergency Rule12AER18-02, F.A.C. to provide a sales tax exemption for equipment used to generate emergency electric energy for nursing homes and assisted living communities. The sales tax exemption must be redeemed before September 23, 2018. If you have already purchased emergency electric energy equipment,… Read more

Florida’s legislative session is complete for 2018 and will not take place again until March 2019. The 2018 session was dominated by the tragic loss of life that occurred in the wake of Hurricane Irma and the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. The end of session produced legislation… Read more

From the Florida Department of Health, Division of Disease Control & Health Protection: Influenza activity levels are high across both the state and the nation. Florida is currently experiencing a moderately severe influenza season. Emergency department and urgent care center visits for adults aged 65 years and older for influenza-like illness increased… Read more

January 23, 2018: Governor Rick Scott announced today that the Florida Health Care Association, Florida Senior Living Association, LeadingAge Florida and the Florida Assisted Living Association have agreed to support the Governor’s rule to have emergency generators to power their air conditioning units during emergencies. These associations, which represent thousands… Read more

In September 2017, Florida Governor Rick Scott issued emergency rules requiring all nursing homes and assisted living facilities (ALFs) to install generators capable of powering air conditioning systems for 96 hours within 60 days, and required facilities to maintain sufficient fuel to run the generators for 96 hours onsite. Facilities… Read more

Florida Senior Living Association’s Legislative Advocacy Days is a great opportunity to learn the legislative process as well as to educate legislators about the effect of current proposed legislation on senior living in Florida. You will receive CEs for this event while networking with fellow executive directors, the FSLA Board,… Read more

The 2018 Florida Legislative Session is expected to be challenging and hectic considering the slew of emergency preparedness bills in addition to the normal bills we see that that could have a huge impact on senior living. Since the 2018 session starts on January 9, the Florida Senior Living Association… Read more

We’re excited to announce an important change at FL Argentum. As of today, we will be known as the Florida Senior Living Association. This name change will better reflect what we do and the people we serve throughout the state. Our mission is to serve professionally managed communities that provide choice,… Read more

Yesterday,  the Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) filed rule 58AER17-2 Variances from Emergency Rule 58AER17-1 – Procedures Regarding Emergency Environmental Control for Assisted Living Facilities. In explanation of the rule, DOEA stated, “58AER17-2 is a supplement to the Emergency Rule and outlines the rule variance process where, under extreme circumstances beyond a facility’s control,… Read more

AHCA and DOEA have provided a link to an updated Q&A document with answers to questions received, a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding requests for a waiver or variance of portions of the rule, and a NEW County Emergency Management Agency Q&A document. Links to the licensure web pages, as… Read more

Yesterday evening, we filed a petition with the First District Court of Appeal (DCA) to ask for a temporary injunction against the Governor’s Emergency Rule, 58AER17-1. This action is coordinated with our filing at the Division of Administrative Hearings to challenge the rule itself. Download a copy of the petition… Read more

This evening, AHCA and DOEA provided an updated to the Q&A document originally issued September 21st. They also created an FAQ document regarding Petitions for Variance or Waiver of an Agency Rule. These documents can be found on AHCA’s Assisted Living Facility webpage under Notices/Updates. While we support the Governor’s objective to provide generators for emergency… Read more

On September 16, Governor Rick Scott directed the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) to issue anemergency rule requiring assisted living communities and nursing homes to obtain emergency generator power and fuel to support and sustain operations for at least 96 hours… Read more

Most of you have probably heard about the Governor’s emergency rule requiring emergency generator power at assisted living facilities throughout the state. We understand many of you have questions, and we have reached out to the Governor and his agencies for clarification. We spoke with regulatory staff from the Agency for Health… Read more

We applaud Governor Scott and his staff for their efforts to keep seniors safe during Hurricane Irma. We also thank Justin Senior, Secretary, AHCA, Molly McKinstry, Deputy Secretary and their entire team for their extraordinary service and volunteer efforts. We would also like to congratulate every assisted living provider who worked diligently… Read more

A Notice of Emergency Rule, 58AER17-1 Procedures Regarding Emergency Environmental Control for Assisted Living Facilities, was filed today by the Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) at the direction of Governor Scott. A similar emergency rule was filed by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) concerning nursing homes. The emergency… Read more