A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Florida State Resources

Complete update · 5/2007
Partial update · 3/11/2008

The offices listed on this state sheet are primarily state-level offices. Even if an office is not close to your home, they can usually put you in touch with resources in your community, as well as provide you with information and assistance about disability issues in your state. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.

State Agencies and Organizations

Age of Eligibility

Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

United States Senators
Honorable Mel Martinez (R)
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3041; (202) 228-5171 (Fax)
E-mail: http://martinez.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.ContactForm
Web: http://martinez.senate.gov/public/

Honorable Bill Nelson (D)
716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5274
(202) 224-2183 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Web: http://billnelson.senate.gov

United States Representatives
To find the contact information for your representative in the House of the U.S. Congress, visit the House’s Web site at: www.house.gov, or call: (202) 224-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Charlie Crist
Executive Office of the Governor
400 S. Monroe Street
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
(850) 488-4441
(850) 487-0801 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: www.flgov.com/contact_form
Web: www.flgov.com

Official State Web Site
Web: www.myflorida.com/

State Department of Education: Special Education
Bambi Lockman, Chief
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0475
E-mail: bambi.lockman@fldoe.org
Web: www.fldoe.org

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Pam Kaperak, Senior Policy Director
Office of No Child Left Behind
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 316
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0501
E-mail: pam.kaperak@fldoe.org
Web: www.fldoe.org

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Dr. Phyllis Sloyer, Division Director
Early Steps
Children's Medical Services, Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-06
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1707
(850) 245-4218; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: phyllis_sloyer@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.cms-kids.com/InfantHome.htm

Lou Ann Long, Director
Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services
2807 Remington Green Circle
Tallahasse, FL 32308
(850) 487-6301; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: lalong@centraldirectory.org
Web: www.centraldirectory.org

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Marilyn Hibbard, Program Specialist
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 601
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0478
E-mail: marilyn.hibbard@fldoe.org
Web: www.fldoe.org

Lou Ann Long, Director
Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services
2807 Remington Green Circle
Tallahasse, FL 32308
(850) 487-6301; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: lalong@centraldirectory.org
Web: www.centraldirectory.org

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Bill Palmer, Director
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Education
2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4862
(850) 488-6210; (800) 451-4327
Web: www.rehabworks.org

Coordinator for Transition Services
Drew Andrews, Director
The Transition Center
University of Florida
P.O. Box 117050
Gainesville, FL 32611-7050
(352) 392-0701, Ext. 267
E-mail: transitioncenter@coe.ufl.edu
Web: www.thetransitioncenter.org

Kirk G. Hall, VR Administrator
School-To-Work Transition Services
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Education
2002 Old Saint Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 245-3360
E-mail: Kirk.Hall@vr.fldoe.org
Web: www.rehabworks.org

Career and Technical Education for Students with Disabilities
Jane Silveria, State Supervisor for Special Needs
Career Education for Students with Special Needs
Division of Workforce Education
Department of Education, Turlington Building
325 W. Gaines Street, Room 701
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-9022
E-mail: Jane.Silveria@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

State Mental Health Agency
Roderick L. Hall, Ph.D., Director
Mental Health Programs Office
Department of Children and Families
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 6, Room 275
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700
(850) 488-8304
E-mail: rod_hall@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.state.fl.us/cf_web/

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Sue Ross, Chief
Mental Health Programs Office
Department of Children and Families
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 6, Room 290
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700
(850) 488-8304
E-mail: Sue_Ross@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.state.fl.us/cf_web/

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Shelly Brantley, Director
Agency for Persons with Disabilities
4030 Esplanade Way, Suite 380
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950
(850) 488-4257
E-mail: Shelly_Brantley@apd.state.fl.us
Web: www.myflorida.com

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Debra Dowds, Executive Director
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.
124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203
Tallahassee, FL 32301-2981
(850) 488-4180; (800) 580-7801 (in FL)
Web: www.fddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Gary J. Weston, Executive Director
Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities
2671 Executive Center Circle West, Suite 100
Tallahassee, FL 32301-5092
(850) 488-9071; (800) 346-4127 (TTY)
(800) 342-0823; (800) 350-4566 (Spanish and Creole Speaking Clients)
E-mail: info@advocacycenter.org
Web: www.AdvocacyCenter.org

Client Assistance Program
Corey Hinds, CAP Program Director
Contact Protection and Advocacy Agency listed above

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Dr. Phyllis Sloyer, Division Director
Children's Medical Services, Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-06
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1707
(850) 245-4218; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: phyllis_sloyer@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.myflorida.com

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Florida KidCare
P.O. Box 980
Tallahassee, FL 32302-0980
(888) 540-5437
Web: www.healthykids.org

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Michael Elliott, Bureau Chief
Division of Blind Services
Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Room 1114, Turlington Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0322; (800) 342-1828 (in FL)
E-mail: michael.elliott@dbs.fldoe.org
Web: http://myflorida.com/dbs

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Cecil Bradley, VR Administrator
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Education
2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4862
(850) 245-3353; (850) 245-3350 (V)
(850) 245-3413; (850) 245-3404 (TTY)
E-mail: cecil.bradley@vr.fldoe.org
Web: www.rehabworks.org

Telecommunications Relay for People who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf/Blind, or Speech Impaired
James Forstall, Executive Director
Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc.
1820 E. Park Avenue, Suite 101
Tallahassee, FL 32301
E-mail: jforstall@ftri.org
Web: www.ftri.org
Questions or comments: (800) 222-3448 (V); (888) 447-5620 (TTY)
To use the relay dial 711 or the following toll-free numbers:
(800) 955-8771 (TTY)
(800) 955-8770 (Voice)
(800) 955-1339 (ASCII)
(877) 955-8260 (Voice Carry Over-Direct)
(877) 955-5334 (Speech to Speech )
(877) 955-8773 (Spanish)
(877) 955-8707 (French Cr)

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Cathy Bishop, Administrator
Exceptional Student Education Program Development and Services
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines, Suite 601
Tallahaseee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0478
E-mail: cathy.bishop@fldoe.org
Web: www.fldoe.org

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Shelley Kaplan, Project Director
DBTAC - Southeast ADA Center
Project of the Burton Blatt Institute - Syracuse University
490 10th Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 385-0636; (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: sedbtacproject@law.syr.edu
Web: www.sedbtac.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Daniel Armstrong, Director
Mailman Center for Child Development
University of Miami School of Medicine
1601 N.W. 12th Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
(305) 243-6801
E-mail: darmstrong@miami.edu
Web: http://pediatrics.med.miami.edu

Technology-Related Assistance
Michael J. Daniels, Interim Executive Director
Florida Alliance for Assistive Service and Technology
325 John Knox Road, Building 400, Suite 402
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 487-3278; (888) 788-9216
(850) 922-5951 (TTY)
E-mail: faast@faast.org
Web: http://faast.org/

State Mediation System
Eileen L. Amy, Administrator
ESE Program Administration and Quality Assurance
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0476
E-mail: eileen.amy@fldoe.org
Web: www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/

Special Format Library
Michael Gunde, Bureau Chief
Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services
420 Platt Street
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-2804
(386) 239-6000; (800) 226-6075
(800) 955-8771 (TTY)
E-mail: mike.gunde@dbs.fldoe.org
Web: http://dbs.myflorida.com/library/index.shtml

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464-0543
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
Autism Society of Florida, Inc.
P.O. Box 970646
Coconut Creek, FL 33097
(954) 349-2820
Web: www.autismfl.com

Holly Bortfeld, President
Autism Recovery Network
E-mail: maximom@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.autismrecoverynetwork.org/

Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD)
(One of six regional centers for autism and related disabilities)
University of Florida
P.O. Box 100234
Gainesville, FL 32610
(352) 846-2761; (800) 754-5891
E-mail: card@mbi.ufl.edu
Web: www.card.ufl.edu
To identify the CARD serving your region, either call the 800 number above, or visit:
www.card.ufl.edu/state.html

Erica Kosares, Director
The Alexis Foundation
P.O. Box 916263
Longwood, FL 32779
(407) 862-8833
E-mail: admin@alexisfoundation.org
Web: www.alexisfoundation.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Jaclyn Packer, Ph.D., Director of Information Center
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600; (800) 232-5463
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Brain Injury
Valerie Breen, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Florida (BIAF)
1621 Metropolitan Boulevard, #8
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 410-0103; (800) 992-3442 (in FL)
E-mail: info@biaf.org
Web: www.biaf.org

Cerebral Palsy
Gloria Wetherington, President of the Board of Directors
Ron Sanders, Executive Director
United Cerebral Palsy of Florida
1830 Buford Court
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 878-2141
E-mail: rsanders@sunrisegroup.org
Web: www.sunrisegroup.org

Down Syndrome
Diane DeBraga, Director
Broward Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization
10250 NW 53rd Street
Sunrise, FL 33351
(954) 577-4122
E-mail: jmaia@aol.com
Web: www.bgcdownsyndrome.org

Amy Van Bergen, Executive Director
Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida
1137 Edgewater Drive, Suite 101
Orlando, FL 32804
(407) 540-1121
E-mail: info@dsacf.org
Web: www.dsacf.org

(Manatee & Sarasota County)
Manasota BUDS (Bringing Up Down Syndrome)
8374 Market Street, #113
Bradenton, FL 34202
(941) 907-0499
E-mail: info@manasotabuds.com
Web: www.manasotabuds.com

Epilepsy
Ron Davis, Program Manager
Epilepsy Services Program
Florida Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-18
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1744
(850) 245-4330, ext. 4366
E-mail: ron_davis@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.floridaepilepsy.org

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
John Hall, Executive Director
ARC/Florida
2898 Mahan Drive, Suite 1
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 921-0460
E-mail: arcofflorida@comcast.net
Web: www.arcflorida.org

Learning Disabilities
Cheryl Kron, Executive Secretary
Learning Disabilities Association of Florida, Inc. (LDA-FL)
331 E. Henry Street
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
(941) 637-8957
E-mail: ldaf00@sunline.net
Web: www.lda-fl.org

Mental Health
Susanne Homant, MBA, DPA, Executive Director
NAMI Florida, Inc.
911 E. Park Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 671-4445
E-mail: namifl@namifl.org
Web: www.namifl.org

Speech, Language, and Hearing
Tina Kautter, Executive Director
Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA)
222 S. Westmonte Drive #101
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
(407) 774-7880; (800) 243-3574
E-mail: tkautter@kmgnet.com

Spina Bifida
Maria Quionones, Interim Executive Director
Spina Bifida Association of Florida of Jacksonville, Inc.
807 Children's Way
Jacksonville, FL 32207
(904) 390-3686; (800) 722-6355
E-mail: maria@sbaj.org
Web: www.sbaj.org

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Eileen Gilley, Executive Director
Central Florida Parent Center, Inc.
Assistance with Achieving Results in Education (AWARE Project)
1021 Delaware Avenue
Palm Harbor, FL 34683-3529
(727) 789-2400; (888) 612-9273
E-mail: cfpc@cflparents.org
Web: www.cflparents.org

Rich LaBelle, Executive Director
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida, Inc.
Parent Education Network
2735 Whitney Road
Clearwater, FL 33760-1610
(727) 523-1130; (800) 825-5736 (In Fl only)
E-mail: fnd@fndfl.org
Web: www.fndfl.org/

(Serving Northwest Florida from Escambia county to Alachua county)
Ashley Ocampo, Director
Parents of the Panhandle Information Network
1002 Miccosukee Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 980-1103; (800) 825-5736 (in FL)
E-mail: popin@fndfl.org
Web: www.fndfl.org

Community Parent Resource Center
Isabel Garcia, Executive Director
Parent to Parent of Miami, Inc.
Community Parent Resource Center
7990 S.W. 117th Avenue, Suite 201
Miami, FL 33183
(305) 271-9797; (800) 527-9552
E-mail: info@ptopmiami.org
Web: www.ptopmiami.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Lenell Cruse, President
Janice Bailey, Executive Director
Florida Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc.
1747 Orlando Central Parkway
Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 855-7604
E-mail: janice@floridapta.org
Web: www.floridapta.org

Other Disability Organizations

Susan Ventura, President
Easter Seals Florida
2010 Mizell Avenue
Winterpark, FL 32792
(407) 629-7881
E-mail: info@fl.easterseals.com
Web: www.fl.easterseals.com

Terry R. Farmer, President/CEO
Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Inc.
2475 Apalachee Parkway, Suite 205
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4946
(850) 877-4816
E-mail: tfarmer@floridaarf.org
Web: www.floridaarf.org

Marian Winters, Executive Director
VSA arts of Florida
3500 E. Fletcher Avenue, Suite 234
Tampa, FL 33613
(813) 558-5095
E-mail: mwinters@tempest.coedu.usf.edu
Web: www.vsafl.org

Independent Living

To find out the contact information for the Statewide
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 207-0034 (V); (202) 207-0340 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).
NICHCY State Resources are listings of selected state-wide organizations that can refer people to organizations in their area. We update our state resources continuously; however, the addresses and telephone numbers of these selected groups are constantly changing. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.
Publication of this document is made possible through a Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.	NICHCY P.O. Box 1492 Washington, DC 20013 (800) 695-0285 · v/tty (202) 884-8441 · fax e-mail: nichcy@aed.org web: www.nichcy.org