The Florida Senate

The department shall:

The department shall serve as a clearinghouse for information relating to domestic violence.

The department shall operate the domestic violence program, which provides supervision, direction, coordination, and administration of statewide activities related to the prevention of domestic violence.

The department shall enlist the assistance of public and voluntary health, education, welfare, and rehabilitation agencies in a concerted effort to prevent domestic violence and to treat persons engaged in or subject to domestic violence. With the assistance of these agencies, the department, within existing resources, shall formulate and conduct a research and evaluation program on domestic violence. Efforts on the part of these agencies to obtain relevant grants to fund this research and evaluation program must be supported by the department.

The department shall develop and provide educational programs on domestic violence for the benefit of the general public, persons engaged in or subject to domestic violence, professional persons, or others who care for or may be engaged in the care and treatment of persons engaged in or subject to domestic violence.

The department shall cooperate with, assist in, and participate in, programs of other properly qualified agencies, including any agency of the Federal Government, schools of medicine, hospitals, and clinics, in planning and conducting research on the prevention, care, treatment, and rehabilitation of persons engaged in or subject to domestic violence.

The department shall contract with a statewide association whose primary purpose is to represent and provide technical assistance to certified domestic violence centers. This association shall implement, administer, and evaluate all services provided by the certified domestic violence centers. The association shall receive and approve or reject applications for funding of certified domestic violence centers. When approving funding for a newly certified domestic violence center, the association shall make every effort to minimize any adverse economic impact on existing certified domestic violence centers or services provided within the same service area. In order to minimize duplication of services, the association shall make every effort to encourage subcontracting relationships with existing certified domestic violence centers within the same service area. In distributing funds allocated by the Legislature for certified domestic violence centers, the association shall use a formula approved by the department as specified in s. 39.905(7)(a).