Florida
Florida special education hub
Starter orientation for Florida families and staff. Our Texas section is deeper today. Everything here points to official Florida Department of Education and federal sources.
Overview
Special education in Florida runs on the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) plus state rules administered by the Florida Department of Education. Local districts deliver the services.
Florida uses the federal vocabulary. The team that writes the plan is the IEP team, and the plan is the IEP. Texas terms such as ARD are Texas specific and do not describe Florida practice, so we do not use them on these pages.
We do not publish Florida day counts or deadline numbers. Timelines have exceptions and they are updated by rule. Confirm anything time sensitive with Florida Department of Education materials and with your district in writing.
Florida has multiple PTIs (FND programs and Parent to Parent of Miami, etc.). Verify region via CPIR.
Pages in this hub
- IEP meetings in Florida
Who is on the team, what the meeting covers, and how parents take part.
- Asking for an evaluation
How evaluation requests usually start, and where to confirm current Florida timelines and forms.
- Parent rights and safeguards
An orientation to the procedural safeguards notice. It is an overview, not a replacement for the notice itself.
For parents in Florida
Follow the parent journey, then see For Parents. New to the vocabulary? Read the glossary terms IEP, FAPE, LRE, and procedural safeguards. National companions live in Guides.
For Florida schools
District and building leaders can start with For Schools, then use Florida Department of Education guidance and your regional support system for state specific training.
Official starting points
- Florida Department of Education
- IDEA (U.S. Department of Education)
- Family Network on Disabilities (FND): the parent training and information center for Florida.
- Disability Rights Florida: the protection and advocacy agency for Florida.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources
Looking for another state? See all state sections.
Not legal advice. Not medical advice.