Florida has seven CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities) centers, and each one serves a fixed list of counties written into state law, section 1004.55, Florida Statutes. You register with the center for the county where you live, even if another university is closer. This page gives the full county list, contact details taken from each center's own website, and notes on the counties where families most often get it wrong.
Phone numbers and web addresses were checked on each center's site in October 2026. Offices move and numbers change, so confirm on the center's site before you visit. For what CARD does, see CARD Florida explained.
Which CARD center serves each Florida county?
| CARD center | Counties served |
|---|---|
| FSU CARD (Florida State University College of Medicine) | Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, Washington |
| UF CARD (University of Florida, Gainesville) | Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee, Union |
| UF Health Jacksonville CARD | Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns |
| CARD-USF (Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida) | Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota |
| UM-NSU CARD (University of Miami Mailman Center and Department of Psychology, with Nova Southeastern University) | Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe |
| UCF CARD (University of Central Florida) | Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia |
| FAU CARD (Florida Atlantic University, Department of Exceptional Student Education) | Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, St. Lucie |
The county lists on the centers' own sites match the statute.
How do I contact my CARD center?
| Center | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|
| FAU CARD | 561-213-5751 (card@fau.edu); offices on FAU's Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses | fau.edu CARD |
| UM-NSU CARD, Broward families | 954-262-7111 (card@nova.edu); Nova Southeastern University, 7600 SW 36th St., Bldg. 200, Davie | card.miami.edu |
| UM-NSU CARD, Miami-Dade and Monroe families | 305-284-6563 (card@miami.edu); 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables | card.miami.edu |
| CARD-USF | 813-974-2532 (card-usf@usf.edu); 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa | card-usf.fmhi.usf.edu |
| UF Health Jacksonville CARD | 904-633-0760; 6271 St. Augustine Rd., Suite 1, Jacksonville | UF Health Jacksonville CARD |
| UCF CARD | 407-823-6011 (ucfcard@ucf.edu) | ucf-card.org |
| UF CARD, Gainesville | 352-265-2230 or 1-800-9-AUTISM | card.ufl.edu |
| FSU CARD | 850-644-4367 or toll-free 800-769-7926 | FSU CARD referral site |
A caution about old links: the former University of Miami CARD address, umcard.org, no longer belongs to CARD. Use card.miami.edu. Older directories also list outdated addresses for some centers; the center's own site is the reliable source.
Which CARD serves the areas Hope Center works in?
| Area | County | CARD center | APD region (for comparison) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Palm Beach | Palm Beach | FAU CARD | Southeast |
| Fort Lauderdale | Broward | UM-NSU CARD (Broward office at NSU) | Southeast (Fort Lauderdale office) |
| Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce | St. Lucie | FAU CARD | Southeast |
| Martin County | Martin | FAU CARD | Southeast |
| Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, Apollo Beach | Hillsborough | CARD-USF | Suncoast |
| Lakeland, Winter Haven | Polk | CARD-USF | Central |
| Port Charlotte | Charlotte | CARD-USF | Suncoast (Fort Myers office) |
| Sebring | Highlands | CARD-USF | Central (Lakeland office) |
| Jacksonville | Duval | UF Health Jacksonville CARD | Northeast |
| Orlando | Orange | UCF CARD | Central (Orlando office) |
Which counties do families most often get wrong?
- Broward is not FAU. Broward County families are served by UM-NSU CARD, through its Nova Southeastern office in Davie. Palm Beach, by contrast, is FAU.
- Polk and Highlands are USF, not UCF. Central Florida counties south and west of Orlando (Polk, Highlands, Hardee) belong to CARD-USF. Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Sumter, Brevard and Volusia belong to UCF.
- Citrus, Hernando and Marion are UF Gainesville, even though they border Tampa Bay or Orlando counties. Pasco next door is USF.
- Flagler and St. Johns are UF Jacksonville, while Volusia, just south of Flagler, is UCF.
- Charlotte, Lee and Collier are USF. CARD-USF covers the whole Gulf Coast from Pasco to Collier.
Why does my APD office cover a different area than my CARD center?
CARD regions are set by s. 1004.55. APD (Agency for Persons with Disabilities) uses its own six regions, drawn differently. Highlands County is a good example: CARD-USF in Tampa is its CARD center, but APD serves Highlands from its Central Region office in Lakeland. School districts and Early Steps offices use yet other boundaries. Keep a short list of your own county's offices: CARD, APD, Early Steps or FDLRS, and your school district. Our county guides do this for you, for example Palm Beach County, Broward County, Hillsborough County and Duval County.
What if we move or live near a county line?
Your county of residence decides. If you move to a county served by a different center, register with the new center; each CARD is operationally and fiscally independent under the statute. You can ask your old center for a copy of your record, which the law lets a client or parent request. If your child attends school in a neighboring county, tell both centers; the center for your home county is the one you register with, but it can coordinate with the school.
What should I ask when I call my CARD center?
- Do you serve my county, and how do I register (online form, phone or both)?
- What documents do you need for my child's age, and can you help if we do not have a formal diagnosis yet?
- Is registration and intake available in Spanish or another language we use at home?
- What services can you offer us now: a consultation, a parent workshop, help before an IEP meeting, or support for my child's teacher?
- Do you run support or social groups near us, for parents, siblings or my child?
- Can you share local resource lists, such as evaluators, recreation programs or respite options?
What happens after I find my center?
Register online or by phone and send the documents the center asks for, usually a diagnostic report or an IEP showing autism eligibility. Rules for young children without a formal diagnosis differ by center. Then you can request consultation, training or school support. CARD services are described by the centers as free. CARD does not provide therapy, so if your child needs ABA, you will work with a provider alongside CARD. See CARD vs an ABA provider.
Hope Center has centers in West Palm Beach, Temple Terrace (Tampa), Port Charlotte, Jacksonville and Sebring, and also serves Fort Lauderdale and Broward (including Pembroke Pines and Miramar), St. Lucie, Martin County, Orlando, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Plant City and Apollo Beach in homes, schools, daycares and the community. For any other area, call to ask whether we can staff your area. We have no waitlist. See where we provide ABA, contact us or call 561-337-8865 for a free consultation and benefits check.