Read the full stored bill text
CS/CS/HB 783 2026
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb783-02-c2
Page 1 of 6
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to Coordinated Access Model Pilot 2
Program; creating s. 394.45735, F.S.; requiring the 3
Department of Children and Families to contract with 4
an entity to establish the Coordinated Access Model 5
Pilot Program in Clay, Duval, and St. Johns Counties; 6
requiring the department to award the contract by a 7
certain date; requiring certain contractual 8
provisions; providing requirements for the contracted 9
entity; requiring the contracted entity to subcontract 10
with a certain state university for certain purposes; 11
requiring the department and the contracted entity to 12
create a coordinated access model; providing model 13
requirements; requiring the department to provide 14
specified reports to the Governor and the Legislature 15
within specified timeframes; authorizing the 16
department and the contracted entity to apply for and 17
use certain funds to support or expand Coordinated 18
Access Models; authorizing the department to adopt 19
rules; providing an effective date. 20
21
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 22
23
Section 1. Section 394.45735, Florida Statutes, is created 24
to read: 25
CS/CS/HB 783 2026
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb783-02-c2
Page 2 of 6
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
394.45735 Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program.— 26
(1) The Department of Children and Families shall contract 27
with an entity to establish and operate a behavioral health 28
Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program in the department's 29
Northeast Region, including Clay, Duval, and St. Johns Counties, 30
to improve timely access to behavioral health services using a 31
single point of entry. The department must: 32
(a) Award the contract to the selected entity no later 33
than December 1, 2026. 34
(b) Include contractual provisions to ensure: 35
1. Any data created, processed, or maintained under the 36
contract is portable and can be extracted in a machine-readable 37
format upon request. 38
2. The entity will provide, upon request, comprehensive 39
operational documentation sufficient to allow continued 40
operation and maintenance by the agency or a new entity. 41
3. The entity will provide, upon request, reasonable 42
assistance and support during a transition to the agency or to a 43
new entity. 44
4. All anticipated software license fees, license renewal 45
fees, and operation and maintenance costs are documented in 46
detail. If exact figures are not feasible, the entity must 47
provide a reasonable cost range. 48
(2) The contracted entity must have experience in all of 49
the following: 50
CS/CS/HB 783 2026
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb783-02-c2
Page 3 of 6
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(a) Building resource networks, including behavioral 51
health providers, community-based organizations, and government 52
and social services. 53
(b) Connecting individuals requesting assistance with 54
resources through a coordinated care network. 55
(c) Hosting a platform that supports closed-loop referrals 56
and extensive program metrics. 57
(3) The contracted entity shall subcontract with a state 58
university that is not designated as a preeminent or emerging 59
preeminent state research university pursuant to s. 1001.7065(3) 60
to provide allied health staff and undergraduate and graduate 61
social work and health professions training and internship 62
experiences to interact with and screen individuals contacting 63
the network access point for assistance. 64
(4) The department and the contracted entity shall create 65
a coordinated access model which shall: 66
(a) Coordinate access to behavioral health services among 67
multiple service providers and social service entities for 68
individuals requesting assistance. 69
(b) Provide timely referral, provider navigation, and 70
connection to appropriate levels of care using a single, 71
electronic referral and resource platform capable of 72
coordinating among multiple providers. 73
(5) The coordinated access model must include, at a 74
minimum: 75
CS/CS/HB 783 2026
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb783-02-c2
Page 4 of 6
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(a) A network access point available during standard 76
business hours with options for telephone, web-based, and in-77
person intakes. 78
(b) Standardized screening and referral tools to identify 79
service needs and eligibility for available programs. 80
(c) Referral coordination and warm handoffs to providers, 81
including scheduling of first appointments and followup 82
confirmation. 83
(d) Navigation and followup support to ensure successful 84
engagement with referred services. 85
(e) Service directory and inventory of community-based 86
providers, maintained in real time to the extent practicable. 87
(f) Coordination with community systems, including primary 88
care providers, schools, social services, and local governments. 89
(g) Cultural and linguistic competence to ensure equitable 90
access to the county population. 91
(h) Use of a data platform that enables standardized data 92
collection and reporting on referral outcomes, timeliness of 93
service connections, consumer experience, and identification of 94
service system gaps. The data platform must: 95
1. Support the potential integration with other state and 96
local data systems, including, but not limited to, Medicaid, 97
managing entities, school-based services, and community health 98
systems. 99
2. Facilitate data sharing and interoperability in 100
CS/CS/HB 783 2026
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb783-02-c2
Page 5 of 6
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
compliance with applicable state and federal privacy laws, 101
including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability 102
Act of 1996 and 42 C.F.R. part 2. 103
3. Provide a comprehensive view of service utilization and 104
coordination across providers, payors, and community partners. 105
4. Enable the department to evaluate system performance, 106
identify barriers, and inform future resource allocation. 107
(6) The coordinated access model shall include measurable 108
performance outcomes, including, but not limited to: 109
(a) Timeliness of referrals and service connections. 110
(b) Successful engagement rates with referred services. 111
(c) Reduction in duplication of intake assessments. 112
(d) Improved consumer and family satisfaction. 113
(7)(a) Until the program is fully implemented, the 114
department shall provide reports of the status of the 115
Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program quarterly to the 116
Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 117
House of Representatives. 118
(b) By November 30, 2027, and annually thereafter, the 119
department shall assess the effectiveness of the pilot program 120
and submit a report to the Governor, the President of the 121
Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 122
(8) The department and the contracted entity may apply for 123
and use any funds from private, state, and federal grants to 124
support or expand Coordinated Access Models. 125
CS/CS/HB 783 2026
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb783-02-c2
Page 6 of 6
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(9) The department may adopt rules to administer this 126
section. 127
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 128