(1) For an applicant to qualify for a certificate of authority without first obtaining a provisional certificate of authority, all of the following conditions must be met:

(a) All reservation deposits and entrance fees must be placed in escrow in accordance with s. 651.033. The applicant may not use or pledge any part of an initial entrance fee for the construction or purchase of the facility or as security for long-term financing.
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 651.0215

  • Actuary: means an individual who is qualified to sign an actuarial opinion in accordance with the American Academy of Actuaries' qualification standards and who is a member in good standing of the American Academy of Actuaries. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • care: means , pursuant to a contract, furnishing shelter and nursing care or personal services to a resident who resides in a facility, whether such nursing care or personal services are provided in the facility or in another setting designated in the contract for continuing care, by an individual not related by consanguinity or affinity to the resident, upon payment of an entrance fee. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Continuing care at-home: means , pursuant to a contract other than a contract described in subsection (5), furnishing to a resident who resides outside the facility the right to future access to shelter and nursing care or personal services, whether such services are provided in the facility or in another setting designated in the contract, by an individual not related by consanguinity or affinity to the resident, upon payment of an entrance fee. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Controlling company: means any corporation, trust, or association that directly or indirectly owns 25 percent or more of:
    (a) The voting securities of one or more providers that are stock corporations; or
    (b) The ownership interest of one or more providers that are not stock corporations. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Department: means the Department of Financial Services. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Entrance fee: means an initial or deferred payment of a sum of money or property made as full or partial payment for continuing care or continuing care at-home. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Facility: means a place where continuing care is furnished and may include one or more physical plants on a primary or contiguous site or an immediately accessible site. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Licensed: means that a provider has obtained a certificate of authority from the office. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Occupancy: means the total number of occupied independent living units, assisted living units, and skilled nursing beds in a facility divided by the total number of units and beds in that facility, excluding units and beds that are unavailable to market or that are reserved by prospective residents. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • Provider: means the owner or operator, whether a natural person, partnership or other unincorporated association, however organized, trust, or corporation, of an institution, building, residence, or other place, whether operated for profit or not, which owner or operator provides continuing care or continuing care at-home for a fixed or variable fee, or for any other remuneration of any type, whether fixed or variable, for the period of care, payable in a lump sum or lump sum and monthly maintenance charges or in installments. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • registered mail: includes certified mail with return receipt requested. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • Resident: means a purchaser of, a nominee of, or a subscriber to a continuing care or continuing care at-home contract. See Florida Statutes 651.011
  • writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(b) The reservation deposit may not exceed the lesser of $40,000 or 10 percent of the then-current fee for the unit selected by a resident and must be refundable at any time before the resident takes occupancy of the selected unit.
(c) The resident contract must state that collection of the balance of the entrance fee is to occur after the resident is notified that his or her selected unit is available for occupancy and on or before the occupancy date.
(2) The consolidated application must be on a form prescribed by the commission and must contain all of the following information:

(a) All of the information required under s. 651.022(2).
(b) A feasibility study prepared by an independent consultant which contains all of the information required by s. 651.022(3) and financial forecasts or projections prepared in accordance with standards adopted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or in accordance with standards for feasibility studies for continuing care retirement communities adopted by the Actuarial Standards Board.

1. The feasibility study must take into account project costs, actual marketing results to date and marketing projections, resident fees and charges, competition, resident contract provisions, and other factors that affect the feasibility of operating the facility.
2. If the feasibility study is prepared by an independent certified public accountant, it must contain an examination report, or a compilation report acceptable to the office, containing a financial forecast or projections for the first 5 years of operations which take into account an actuary‘s mortality and morbidity assumptions as the study relates to turnover, rates, fees, and charges. If the study is prepared by an independent consulting actuary, it must contain mortality and morbidity assumptions as it relates to turnover, rates, fees, and charges and an actuary’s signed opinion that the project as proposed is feasible and that the study has been prepared in accordance with Actuarial Standard of Practice No. 3 for Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Revised Edition, effective May 1, 2011.
(c) Documents evidencing that commitments have been secured for construction financing and long-term financing or that a documented plan acceptable to the office has been adopted by the applicant for long-term financing.
(d) Documents evidencing that all conditions of the lender have been satisfied to activate the commitment to disburse funds, other than the obtaining of the certificate of authority, the completion of construction, or the closing of the purchase of realty or buildings for the facility.
(e) Documents evidencing that the aggregate amount of entrance fees received by or pledged to the applicant, plus anticipated proceeds from any long-term financing commitment and funds from all other sources in the actual possession of the applicant, equal at least 100 percent of the aggregate cost of constructing or purchasing, equipping, and furnishing the facility plus 100 percent of the anticipated startup losses of the facility.
(f) A complete audited financial report of the applicant, prepared by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as of the date the applicant commenced business operations or for the fiscal year that ended immediately preceding the date of application, whichever is later; and complete unaudited quarterly financial statements attested to by the applicant after the date of the last audit.
(g) Documents evidencing that the applicant will be able to comply with s. 651.035.
(h) Such other reasonable data, financial statements, and pertinent information as the commission or office may require with respect to the applicant or the facility to determine the financial status of the facility and the management capabilities of its managers and owners.

If any material change occurs in the facts set forth in an application filed with the office pursuant to this subsection, an amendment setting forth such change must be filed with the office within 10 business days after the applicant becomes aware of such change, and a copy of the amendment must be sent by registered mail to the principal office of the facility and to the principal office of the controlling company.

(3) If an applicant has or proposes to have more than one facility offering continuing care or continuing care at-home, a separate certificate of authority must be obtained for each facility.
(4) Within 45 days after receipt of the information required under subsection (2), the office shall examine the information and notify the applicant in writing, specifically requesting any additional information that the office is authorized to require. An application is deemed complete when the office receives all requested information and the applicant corrects any error or omission of which the applicant was timely notified or when the time for such notification has expired. Within 15 days after receipt of all of the requested additional information, the office shall notify the applicant in writing that all of the requested information has been received and that the application is deemed complete as of the date of the notice. Failure to notify the applicant in writing within the 15-day period constitutes acknowledgment by the office that it has received all requested additional information, and the application is deemed complete for purposes of review on the date the applicant files all of the required additional information.
(5) Within 45 days after an application is deemed complete as set forth in subsection (4) and upon completion of the remaining requirements of this section, the office shall complete its review and issue or deny a certificate of authority to the applicant. If a certificate of authority is denied, the office shall notify the applicant in writing, citing the specific failures to satisfy this chapter, and the applicant is entitled to an administrative hearing pursuant to chapter 120.
(6) The office shall issue a certificate of authority upon determining that the applicant meets all of the requirements of law and has submitted all of the information required under this section, that all escrow requirements have been satisfied, and that the fees prescribed in s. 651.015(2) have been paid.
(7) The issuance of a certificate of authority entitles the applicant to begin construction and collect reservation deposits and entrance fees from prospective residents. The reservation contract must state the cancellation policy and the terms of the continuing care contract. All or any part of an entrance fee or reservation deposit collected must be placed in an escrow account or on deposit with the department pursuant to s. 651.033.
(8) The provider is entitled to secure release of the moneys held in escrow within 7 days after the office receives an affidavit from the provider, along with appropriate documentation to verify, and notification is provided to the escrow agent by certified mail, that all of the following conditions have been satisfied:

(a) A certificate of occupancy has been issued.
(b) Payment in full has been received for at least 70 percent of the total units of a phase or of the total of the combined phases constructed. If a provider offering continuing care at-home is applying for a release of escrowed entrance fees, the same minimum requirement must be met for the continuing care contracts and for the continuing care at-home contracts independently of each other.
(c) The provider has evidence of sufficient funds to meet the requirements of s. 651.035, which may include funds deposited in the initial entrance fee account.
(d) Documents evidencing the intended application of the proceeds upon release and documents evidencing that the entrance fees, when released, will be applied as represented to the office.

Notwithstanding chapter 120, only the provider, the escrow agent, and the office have a substantial interest in any office decision regarding release of escrow funds in any proceedings under chapter 120 or this chapter.

(9) The office may not approve any application that includes in the plan of financing any encumbrance of the operating reserves or renewal and replacement reserves required by this chapter.
(10) The office may not issue a certificate of authority for a facility that does not have a component that is to be licensed pursuant to part II of chapter 400 or part I of chapter 429, or that does not offer personal services or nursing services through written contractual agreement. A written contractual agreement must be disclosed in the contract for continuing care or continuing care at-home and is subject to s. 651.1151.
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