Autism Resources in Florida

A statewide guide to autism services across Florida — for families in Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, and communities from the Panhandle to the Keys.

Florida has one genuinely distinctive asset that families in most other states don't: the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) network — seven university-based centers that provide support, consultation, training, and navigation help for autism and related disabilities at no cost, with no waitlist for their own services. Nearly every part of the state is covered by a CARD center, and getting connected to yours is one of the highest-value first steps a Florida family can take.

Florida also has real challenges. The state's main Medicaid home- and community-based waiver — the APD iBudget waiver — has a waitlist of tens of thousands of people and waits that can stretch a decade or more for families not in a crisis category. This page walks through how the pieces fit together, where the free help is, and where the hard bottlenecks are.

We've written this as a starting point. Florida readers who know specifics better than we do — tell us what we got wrong or missed.

Wondering how Florida compares nationally? See our guide to comparing states for autism services — Medicaid waivers, insurance mandates, and waitlists side by side.