Who APD serves

The eight conditions that qualify for APD in Florida

Florida does not use a general phrase for this. Its statute names eight conditions, and the list is closed — if a loved one is served by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, it is because of one of these. Below is what each one means in the state's own words, and what living in a small licensed home in Clearwater actually looks like.

We take anyone APD finds eligible. Our homes are licensed at the standard level. We support adults whose plans call for standard residential habilitation — if a plan calls for behavior focus or intensive behavior services, that is a different kind of home than ours, and we will tell you so rather than take a placement we are not licensed for.

All three of our homes are in Clearwater, Florida — that is the only city we are in, and our homes are for adults, 18 or older.

Does Medicaid pay for a group home in Florida?

727.254.1196 Arrange a visit

Autism

Florida's rule does not ask what DSM level someone was given. It has its own definition and its own list of twelve features, and a person has to show at least six of them, including at least one behavior feature. That is why two people with the same diagnosis on paper can get different answers from APD.

“Autism means a condition which meets the requirements of Section 393.063, F.S., that the condition is: pervasive, meaning always present and without interruption; neurologically based, meaning that the condition is not the result of physical impairment; a developmental disability with age of onset during infancy or childhood; with extended duration, meaning that the condition reasonably can be expected to continue indefinitely into the future; causes severe learning disorders resulting in both severe communication disorders affecting both verbal and nonverbal skills, and severe behavior disorders.”
Rule 65G-4.014(1), F.A.C.

Routine that holds. The same staff, the same rhythm to a day, and warning before anything changes — which is most of what makes a house feel safe rather than unpredictable.
Communication however it works for the person. Speech, a device, signs, pictures, or the particular way someone lets you know they have had enough. Staff learn the individual signals, not a generic list.
Somewhere to go when it is too much. A private bedroom that is genuinely theirs, every time, in every one of our homes — we do not share rooms.
Help with medications from staff trained and validated to give them under APD's rules.
A real week. Day program or work, outings, the beach, a normal social life — not a building people sit inside.

More about autism and our homes

Down syndrome

Down syndrome is named directly in Florida's statute, so it is one of the conditions that can establish eligibility on its own terms. Section 393.063, F.S. defines it simply as a disorder caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21.

“Down syndrome means a condition caused by the presence of extra chromosomal material on chromosome 21. This disorder is often associated with impairment in cognitive ability, characteristic physical growth and features, and congenital medical conditions.”
Rule 65G-4.014(3), F.A.C.

Independence where it exists, help where it does not. Plenty of adults with Down syndrome do a great deal for themselves — the job of the house is to support the gaps, not to take over the parts somebody is proud of.
A social life, because this is usually the part that shrinks when someone leaves the family home. Housemates, outings, birthdays that get made a fuss of.
Appointments kept. Adults with Down syndrome often carry a longer list of routine health checks — thyroid, heart, hearing, vision, sleep. We coordinate with the person's own doctors and make sure the visits happen.
Help with medications from staff trained and validated to give them under APD's rules.
Staff who see the person every day, which is how a change gets noticed early rather than at the next annual review.

More about Down syndrome and our homes

Cerebral palsy

Two things in that definition surprise families. Florida's rule reaches beyond the prenatal period to significant motor dysfunction appearing before 18 from events such as oxygen deprivation or traumatic brain injury — and it specifically excludes motor problems caused by a stroke or by a progressive disease such as muscular dystrophy.

“Cerebral Palsy means a group of disabling symptoms of extended duration that result from damage to the developing brain during the prenatal period and characterized by paralysis, spasticity, or abnormal control of movement or posture, such as poor coordination or lack of balance, which is manifest prior to three years of age. For purposes of the rule, cerebral palsy also means the presence of other significant motor dysfunction appearing prior to age 18 due to perinatal or external events such as anoxia, oxygen deprivation, or traumatic brain injury. Excluded from this definition is motor dysfunction caused by medical events, including stroke or progressive diseases such as muscular dystrophy.”
Rule 65G-4.014(2), F.A.C.

Support with the parts of a day that take longer — dressing, transfers, meals — from people who are not rushing.
Equipment that belongs to the person stays with the person, and we work with the therapists and suppliers already involved rather than starting over.
Help with medications from staff trained and validated to give them under APD's rules.
Getting out of the house. Appointments, day program, the ordinary trips that quietly stop happening when getting someone into a car is difficult.
A straight answer about access. Our three homes are different buildings — call and ask about the specific one, and we will tell you what it can and cannot do.

More about cerebral palsy and our homes

Intellectual disability

Florida's rule asks for two things at once, and families often only know about the first. An IQ score two or more standard deviations below the mean is not enough on its own — there must also be a significant deficit in everyday functioning, and both must have shown up before age 18.

“Intellectual Disability is evidenced by the concurrent existence of: significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning evidenced by an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) two or more standard deviations below the mean on an individually administered standardized intelligence test; and significant deficits in adaptive functioning in one or more of the following areas: communication skills; self-care, home living; social and interpersonal skills; use of community resources and self-direction; functional academic skills; work, leisure, health and safety awareness and skills; which are manifested prior to age 18; and constitute a substantial handicap which is reasonably expected to continue indefinitely.”
Rule 65G-4.014(4), F.A.C.

Daily living supported at the person's own level — cooking, laundry, money, shopping — with staff doing it alongside them rather than instead of them wherever that is possible.
Safety awareness handled quietly and constantly, which is usually the real reason a family stops being able to manage at home.
Help with medications from staff trained and validated to give them under APD's rules.
Transport and support to day program, work or volunteering, so the week has a shape.
A private bedroom in every one of our homes, and housemates rather than a ward.

More about intellectual disability and our homes

Prader-Willi syndrome

One line in that rule matters more than the rest, and families are rarely told it: a person with Prader-Willi syndrome can be found eligible in Florida WITHOUT an accompanying diagnosis of intellectual disability. The syndrome stands on its own.

“Prader-Willi Syndrome means a genetic disorder which is most often associated with a random deletion of chromosome 15. Commonly associated characteristics include insatiable appetite, chronic overeating, hypotonia, short stature, obesity, and behavioral issues. Individuals diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome generally have intellectual disability; however, an individual with Prader-Willi syndrome can be determined as eligible for services without an accompanying diagnosis of intellectual disability.”
Rule 65G-4.014(6), F.A.C.

Food security is the whole question, and it is a house-by-house answer. Locked kitchen and pantry, supervised meals and no unmonitored food access are real physical and staffing arrangements — not a policy you can write down.
Routine and predictability, because both are protective here rather than merely pleasant.
Help with medications from staff trained and validated to give them under APD's rules.
Working with the people already involved — the person's doctors, dietitian and coordinator — rather than substituting our own plan for theirs.
An honest answer. Call us and describe what your loved one actually needs. If we can do it we will say so, and if we cannot we will say that instead.

More about Prader-Willi syndrome and our homes

Spina bifida

Florida is narrow here, and this catches families out. For APD eligibility the rule names two specific forms — spina bifida cystica and myelomeningocele. Section 393.063, F.S. uses the same two terms.

“Spina Bifida. For the purposes of agency eligibility, spina bifida refers to a confirmed diagnosis of spina bifida cystica or myelomeningocele.”
Rule 65G-4.014(7), F.A.C.

Support with mobility and the parts of a day that take longer, at the person's pace.
Coordination with the person's own medical team rather than a substitute for it.
A straight answer about whether a particular house physically works — call and ask about the specific home.

Phelan-McDermid syndrome

Named in Florida's statute in its own right, so it can establish eligibility without being argued as something else. Absent or delayed speech is part of the state's own description, which is why communication support matters so much here.

“Phelan-McDermid syndrome means a disorder caused by the loss of the terminal segment of the long arm of chromosome 22, which occurs near the end of the chromosome at a location designated q13.3, typically leading to developmental delay, intellectual disability, dolicocephaly, hypotonia, or absent or delayed speech.”
Rule 65G-4.014(5), F.A.C.

Communication supported in whatever form works — a device, signs, pictures, or the person's own signals.
Consistent staff, because being known well is most of what makes a house work for someone who does not use speech.
Help with medications from staff trained and validated to give them under APD's rules.

Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome

The newest of the eight and the one almost no provider names. If your family has this diagnosis you have probably had to explain it in every office you have walked into — in Florida it is written into the statute by name, and it establishes a developmental disability the same way the others do.

“Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome means a disorder caused by a mutation in the DNMT3A gene typified by mild to severe intellectual disability, macrocephaly, stature and weight that is greater than or equal to two or more standard deviations above the mean for the person's age and sex, and any of the following features presenting in infancy, childhood, or adolescence: mild facial dysmorphism; joint hypermobility; hypotonia; kyphoscoliosis; seizures; cryptorchidism; deficits in behavior; hematologic malignancies.”
Rule 65G-4.014(8), F.A.C.

Support built around the person rather than the diagnosis, which is the only workable approach with a condition this rare.
Working with the specialists already involved instead of starting over.
Help with medications from staff trained and validated to give them under APD's rules.

Our three homes, all in Clearwater

Skycrest Place

1960 Cleveland Street, Clearwater, FL

Full — no openings right now

Stardust Group Home

2132 Academy Drive, Clearwater, FL

Full — no openings right now

Luna Bay

104 N Orion Avenue, Clearwater, FL

Opening later in 2026 — now reserving private rooms

A diagnosis is the start, not the decision

Every definition above comes from Rule 65G-4.014, F.A.C. — the chapter APD applies when it decides eligibility, last amended 30 August 2026. A diagnosis by itself does not settle anything: the rules also set criteria, an application process, and who is qualified to establish the diagnosis in the first place. Being found eligible for APD is then a separate step from being enrolled for iBudget Medicaid Waiver services.

We explain what Florida's published rules say and link the state sources they come from. This is not legal advice, and nothing here can tell you how an individual case will be decided — APD determines eligibility, and a Waiver Support Coordinator is the person who helps a family work through it.

Definitions read from the primary sources on September 20, 2026.

How to apply for APD services What Florida's autism rule actually says

Questions families ask us

What conditions qualify as a developmental disability in Florida?

Section 393.063(11), Florida Statutes names eight: intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida, Down syndrome, Phelan-McDermid syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome and Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome. The condition must manifest before the age of 18 and constitute a substantial handicap that can reasonably be expected to continue indefinitely. Children aged 3 to 5 may also qualify with APD as a high-risk child, though Skycrest Place homes are for adults 18 and older. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities determines eligibility.

Does a diagnosis automatically qualify someone for APD services in Florida?

No. A diagnosis is the starting point, not the decision. Rules 65G-4.014 through 65G-4.017, F.A.C. set out Florida's own definitions, the criteria, the application process and who may establish the diagnosis, and APD applies them. Being found eligible for APD is also a separate decision from being enrolled for iBudget Medicaid Waiver services.

Can someone qualify for APD with a condition that is not on the list?

The list in Section 393.063(11), F.S. is the definition itself, so eligibility rests on one of those eight conditions rather than on a related or similar diagnosis. Anyone unsure where their loved one's diagnosis falls should speak to APD or a Waiver Support Coordinator, who can look at the specific evaluations involved.

Which of these conditions can live in a Skycrest Place group home?

Any adult APD has found eligible. Our homes are licensed at the standard level, so the one limit is the level of support a plan calls for rather than the diagnosis behind it — a plan calling for behavior focus or intensive behavior services needs a different kind of home than ours.

Where are your group homes?

We have three homes and all three are in Clearwater, Florida: Skycrest Place on Cleveland Street, Stardust on Academy Drive, and Luna Bay on N Orion Avenue. Those are our only homes — we do not run homes in any other city. Clearwater sits in the middle of Pinellas County, so families who drive to us from Largo, Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Seminole, Pinellas Park or St. Petersburg have a short trip. Every resident has a private bedroom.

Come and see one

You will learn more in twenty minutes in a house than in a week of reading. Call 727.254.1196 or send a note and we will arrange a visit.

Arrange a visit 727.254.1196