Throughout late fall and winter 2026, Florida’s county legislative delegations are holding public meetings to hear directly from residents, providers, local governments, and community organizations.
These meetings will help shape legislative and budget priorities before the 2027 Florida Legislative Session begins on Tuesday, March 2, 2027.
For home care professionals, this is an important opportunity to:
- Put home care on the local agenda: Speak directly with the state senators and representatives serving your county.
- Show the local impact: Explain how reimbursement, managed care requirements, and workforce shortages affect patients, families, and providers in your community.
- Make a clear request: Give lawmakers a specific action they can carry into committee meetings and the 2027 Session.
If your agency serves patients in a county, consider attending its delegation meeting even if you live elsewhere. Your experience providing care in that community gives lawmakers an important local perspective.
County delegation meetings are generally open to the public, but speaker registration, testimony limits, and handout deadlines vary by county. Confirm your local requirements and register as early as possible.
The Stakes for Home Care
Medicaid Reimbursement
Providers report that reimbursement has not kept pace with the cost of recruiting staff and delivering care, making it harder to accept Medicaid referrals and preserve access.
Medicaid Managed Care
Repeated authorizations, plan-specific requirements, payment delays, and reductions in authorized hours can delay care and consume resources that should support patients.
Workforce Capacity
Florida has the nation’s lowest supply of home health and personal care aides — just 17 workers per 1,000 adults age 65 and older, compared with 65 nationally, according to the 2026 America’s Health Rankings Senior Report.
County delegation meetings help shape legislative priorities, funding requests, and policy discussions. If home care professionals are absent, lawmakers may not hear how these challenges affect their own constituents.
Prepare to Speak
First, confirm your county’s meeting date, location, speaker deadline, and testimony limit. Use the Legislative Action Center to identify your legislators contact.
If you are confirmed to speak:
- Prepare a two- to three-minute version of your remarks. Follow the county’s stated time limit if it is shorter.
- Introduce yourself. Identify your organization and the patients, families, or communities you serve.
- Choose one pressing challenge. Focus on reimbursement, managed care, or workforce capacity rather than trying to cover every issue.
- Make it local. Share a brief example, such as unfilled shifts, delayed authorizations, reduced care hours, or referrals your agency could not accept.
- Make one clear request. Examples include:
- Support an evidence-based Medicaid rate update reflecting current care-delivery and workforce costs.
- Standardize authorization and documentation requirements and strengthen accountability for timely decisions and payment.
- Invest in home care workforce recruitment, training, and retention.
- Leave something behind. Bring a printed copy of HCAF’s Florida Home Care at a Crossroads issue brief for each legislator and relevant staff member.
- Follow up. Send a short thank-you email within 24–48 hours and offer to provide additional local information.
Important 2026–2027 Legislative Dates
- November 17–19, 2026 — Training for Senators
- November 30–December 3, 2026 — Interim Committee Meetings*
- January 4–7, 2027 — Interim Committee Meetings*
- January 11–14, 2027 — Interim Committee Meetings*
- February 1–4, 2027 — Interim Committee Meetings*
- February 8–11, 2027 — Interim Committee Meetings*
- February 15–18, 2027 — Interim Committee Meetings*
- March 2, 2027 — Opening Day of the 2027 Regular Session
- April 30, 2027 — Scheduled 60th and Final Day of the Regular Session
Resources & Assistance
Resources
- Issue Brief: Florida Home Care at a Crossroads
- Effective Communication With Your Legislators
- Advocacy in Action Training Video
Questions or Assistance
Kyle Simon, Senior Director of Policy, Advocacy & Communications
ksimon@homecarefla.org
(850) 222-8967
*Interim committee meetings are held in Tallahassee before the Regular Session begins. During these meetings, legislators hear agency updates, review emerging policy issues, receive public testimony, and begin developing bills and budget priorities. Although final votes generally occur during the Regular Session, interim meetings often determine which issues gain momentum — including home care funding, Medicaid policy, managed care oversight, and workforce initiatives.
Upcoming Meetings
Last updated August 20, 2026. These dates and times are subject to change. All times are local.