Organization: Left Behind in Florida

Left Behind in Florida


8693 Meadowbrook Drive Pensacola FL 32514
(850) 377-1960 mikecoonan@cox.net

About US

Left Behind in Florida is an organization of parents who have a child with a developmental disability (Mental Retardation, Cerebral Palsy, Autism etc) on the State of Florida’s Agency for Person with Disabilities (APD) Wait List. We represent 20,000 families in Florida waiting for help. We make up 40% of all families who have a child with a developmental disability who have been determined to be eligible for APD’s assistance. Many of our families are struggling alone, while dealing with life threatening conditions at home. We are committed to full funding for the DD System in the State of Florida. We are committed to be strong advocates for our children with disabilities!

The Problem

In Florida, 20,000 people with a developmental disability (diagnosis of Mental Retardation, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Epilepsy, Spina Bifida, and similar conditions) are on the Agency for People with Disabilities, (APD) Wait List for services. Many of people with disabilities have been on this wait list since 2003 or longer and they are being told that they cannot expect to get any help from APD until 2012, if then. Currently, Florida provides APD services for 30,000 people with a developmental disability, and the state is threatening to cut back these services. Two out of five or 40% of all people with a developmental disability are waiting for life prolonging/saving help.

What do we need?

Our families on APD’s Wait List have almost nothing. Some of our families need help with 24 hour care. Our children are forced to sit home (at times alone), everyday. Our children do not have opportunities for social interactions. Our children are not able to live independently. Even our families who want to be their guardian are charged exorbitant court related fees just to stay involved with their adult child. Our children do not have access to work training or day program experiences. Our children do not have transportation to get to these activities. Our children need help from physical therapists and behaviorists and other professionals to allow them to function at their maximum potential. In many cases, our children have been cared for by our families alone for 40 years or more with no help. Our families get no respite. Yet living next door to our families on the Wait List, are the lucky few, who are getting all the help listed above from the Agency for Person with Disabilities.

How to get help from APD

The current criteria getting off APD’s Wait List and getting help is for a parent to abused their child and to then throw them into the street i.e. “abandoned” them. (In a statement (words to this effect) by David Robinson Administrator for APD Area 1, at the Family Care Council meeting, in Pensacola Fl, in August 2008)

Decision Makers

Governor Charlie Crist and 160 state legislators (40 State Senators and 120 State Representatives) control the Florida State budget. It is necessary to get at least a majority vote in each house to pass a budget. Therefore, we need 21 State Senators and 61 State Representatives to vote for full funding for the DD system in Florida.

The Costs

The Florida State budget in 2009, for the Agency for People with Disabilities is $1.2 billion dollars. APD is serving about 30,000 people with a developmental disability. It will cost another $500 million dollars to add the 20,000 people with a developmental disability people waiting for services. APD’s services are provide via a program called the Medicaid Waiver, in which the State of Florida pays 55% of the costs, which is matched by the Federal Government which pays 65% of the costs. Therefore, when the State of Florida pays $175 million dollars for our children, it is matched by the Federal government which pays $325 million dollars.

How will the State of Florida pay for full funding of the DD System?

The first question that must be asked is:

Do our State Legislators want to pay for full funding for the DD System?
The answer is NO!

If the state legislators wanted to fully fund the DD System it would be funded. Our job as advocates is to change their minds. We must be prepared to encourage them, educate them, nurture them, support them, give them options and when all of this fails (which it will) we must ADVOCATE. Everybody and their brother have been doing the above in a politically correct fashion. We need to hold these state legislators accountable. For example before the legislature funds illegal aliens’ health care or criminals in prison recreation, they must fully fund the DD system.

Left Behind in Florida’s Proposal for Fully Funding for the State DD System

Each State Legislator (Senators and Representatives) will commit additional $1,090,000 from the state budget for DD services for their district. This totals about $175,000,000 which will be matched by the Federal government contribution of $325,000,000. This will provide a total of about $500,000,000 new money to fully fund the DD System.

This is just one suggestion. Please add your ideas.

Contact Person: Mike Coonan 850 277 1960 mikecoonan@cox.net