The Florida Senate

400.419  Violations; imposition of administrative fines; grounds.--

(1)  The agency shall impose an administrative fine in the manner provided in chapter 120 for any of the actions or violations as set forth within this section by an assisted living facility, for the actions of any person subject to level 2 background screening under s. 400.4174, for the actions of any facility employee, or for an intentional or negligent act seriously affecting the health, safety, or welfare of a resident of the facility.

(2)  Each violation of this part and adopted rules shall be classified according to the nature of the violation and the gravity of its probable effect on facility residents. The agency shall indicate the classification on the written notice of the violation as follows:

(a)  Class "I" violations are those conditions or occurrences related to the operation and maintenance of a facility or to the personal care of residents which the agency determines present an imminent danger to the residents or guests of the facility or a substantial probability that death or serious physical or emotional harm would result therefrom. The condition or practice constituting a class I violation shall be abated or eliminated within 24 hours, unless a fixed period, as determined by the agency, is required for correction. The agency shall impose an administrative fine for a cited class I violation in an amount not less than $5,000 and not exceeding $10,000 for each violation. A fine may be levied notwithstanding the correction of the violation.

(b)  Class "II" violations are those conditions or occurrences related to the operation and maintenance of a facility or to the personal care of residents which the agency determines directly threaten the physical or emotional health, safety, or security of the facility residents, other than class I violations. The agency shall impose an administrative fine for a cited class II violation in an amount not less than $1,000 and not exceeding $5,000 for each violation. A fine shall be levied notwithstanding the correction of the violation.

(c)  Class "III" violations are those conditions or occurrences related to the operation and maintenance of a facility or to the personal care of residents which the agency determines indirectly or potentially threaten the physical or emotional health, safety, or security of facility residents, other than class I or class II violations. The agency shall impose an administrative fine for a cited class III violation in an amount not less than $500 and not exceeding $1,000 for each violation. A citation for a class III violation must specify the time within which the violation is required to be corrected. If a class III violation is corrected within the time specified, no fine may be imposed, unless it is a repeated offense.

(d)  Class "IV" violations are those conditions or occurrences related to the operation and maintenance of a building or to required reports, forms, or documents that do not have the potential of negatively affecting residents. These violations are of a type that the agency determines do not threaten the health, safety, or security of residents of the facility. The agency shall impose an administrative fine for a cited class IV violation in an amount not less than $100 and not exceeding $200 for each violation. A citation for a class IV violation must specify the time within which the violation is required to be corrected. If a class IV violation is corrected within the time specified, no fine shall be imposed. Any class IV violation that is corrected during the time an agency survey is being conducted will be identified as an agency finding and not as a violation.

(3)  In determining if a penalty is to be imposed and in fixing the amount of the fine, the agency shall consider the following factors:

(a)  The gravity of the violation, including the probability that death or serious physical or emotional harm to a resident will result or has resulted, the severity of the action or potential harm, and the extent to which the provisions of the applicable laws or rules were violated.

(b)  Actions taken by the owner or administrator to correct violations.

(c)  Any previous violations.

(d)  The financial benefit to the facility of committing or continuing the violation.

(e)  The licensed capacity of the facility.

(4)  Each day of continuing violation after the date fixed for termination of the violation, as ordered by the agency, constitutes an additional, separate, and distinct violation.

(5)  Any action taken to correct a violation shall be documented in writing by the owner or administrator of the facility and verified through followup visits by agency personnel. The agency may impose a fine and, in the case of an owner-operated facility, revoke or deny a facility's license when a facility administrator fraudulently misrepresents action taken to correct a violation.

(6)  For fines that are upheld following administrative or judicial review, the violator shall pay the fine, plus interest at the rate as specified in s. 55.03, for each day beyond the date set by the agency for payment of the fine.

(7)  Any unlicensed facility that continues to operate after agency notification is subject to a $1,000 fine per day.

(8)  Any licensed facility whose owner or administrator concurrently operates an unlicensed facility shall be subject to an administrative fine of $5,000 per day.

(9)  Any facility whose owner fails to apply for a change-of-ownership license in accordance with s. 400.412 and operates the facility under the new ownership is subject to a fine of $5,000.

(10)  In addition to any administrative fines imposed, the agency may assess a survey fee, equal to the lesser of one half of the facility's biennial license and bed fee or $500, to cover the cost of conducting initial complaint investigations that result in the finding of a violation that was the subject of the complaint or monitoring visits conducted under s. 400.428(3)(c) to verify the correction of the violations.

(11)  The agency, as an alternative to or in conjunction with an administrative action against a facility for violations of this part and adopted rules, shall make a reasonable attempt to discuss each violation and recommended corrective action with the owner or administrator of the facility, prior to written notification. The agency, instead of fixing a period within which the facility shall enter into compliance with standards, may request a plan of corrective action from the facility which demonstrates a good faith effort to remedy each violation by a specific date, subject to the approval of the agency.

(12)  Administrative fines paid by any facility under this section shall be deposited into the Health Care Trust Fund and expended as provided in s. 400.418

(13)  The agency shall develop and disseminate an annual list of all facilities sanctioned or fined $5,000 or more for violations of state standards, the number and class of violations involved, the penalties imposed, and the current status of cases. The list shall be disseminated, at no charge, to the Department of Elderly Affairs, the Department of Health, the Department of Children and Family Services, the area agencies on aging, the Florida Statewide Advocacy Council, and the state and local ombudsman councils. The Department of Children and Family Services shall disseminate the list to service providers under contract to the department who are responsible for referring persons to a facility for residency. The agency may charge a fee commensurate with the cost of printing and postage to other interested parties requesting a copy of this list.

History.--ss. 12, 21, ch. 80-198; s. 254, ch. 81-259; s. 2, ch. 81-318; ss. 49, 75, 79, 83, ch. 83-181; s. 53, ch. 83-218; s. 17, ch. 89-294; s. 12, ch. 91-263; ss. 14, 38, 39, ch. 93-216; s. 13, ch. 98-80; s. 2, ch. 99-179; s. 19, ch. 2000-263; s. 142, ch. 2000-349; s. 62, ch. 2000-367; s. 35, ch. 2001-45; s. 21, ch. 2003-57.