Medical facilities for diagnosing cerebral palsy in Florida
Early diagnosis often involves pediatric neurologists, developmental pediatricians, and high-risk infant follow-up programs.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
3100 SW 62nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33155
Phone: (305) 666-6511
Website: www.nicklauschildrens.org
Nicklaus Children’s provides pediatric neurology, developmental medicine, and neonatal follow-up clinics for infants with perinatal complications.
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
6535 Nemours Parkway, Orlando, FL 32827
Phone: (407) 567-4000
Website: www.nemours.org
Nemours offers multidisciplinary developmental assessment and pediatric neurology services.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital - Cerebral palsy lawyer in Tampa
501 6th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 767-4176
Website: www.hopkinsallchildrens.org
This hospital operates a high-risk infant program and pediatric brain injury services.
Treatment and therapy for cerebral palsy in Florida
Children with cerebral palsy often require long-term physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language services, orthopedic consultation, and spasticity management.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital - Find a Jacksonville cerebral palsy lawyer
800 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207
Phone: (904) 202-8000
Website: www.wolfsonchildrens.com
Wolfson provides pediatric rehabilitation and neurology services for children throughout Northeast Florida.
Miami Children’s Health System Rehabilitation Services
3100 SW 62nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33155
Phone: (305) 662-8301
Website: www.nicklauschildrens.org
Offers comprehensive rehabilitation therapies and mobility clinics.
Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
92 West Miller Street, Orlando, FL 32806
Phone: (321) 841-5111
Website: www.arnoldpalmerhospital.com
Provides pediatric rehabilitation and orthopedic services for children with neuromuscular conditions.
Organizations that support cerebral palsy in Florida
United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida
4780 Data Court, Orlando, FL 32817
Phone: (407) 852-3300
Website: www.ucpcfl.org
United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida
141 NW 20th Street, Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: (561) 994-4357
Website: https://www.ucpsouthflorida.org
The Arc of Florida
2898 Mahan Drive, Suite 1, Tallahassee, FL 32308
Phone: (850) 921-0460
Website: https://www.thearcflorida.org
These organizations provide family advocacy, early childhood programs, respite care, adult transition services, and employment support.
Fundraisers for cerebral palsy in Florida
UCP Walk & Roll (Multiple Florida Locations)
Website: www.ucpcfl.org
Easterseals Florida Walk With Me
Website: www.easterseals.com/florida
These events raise funds for therapy programs, adaptive equipment, and inclusive community services.
Legal rights for those with a cerebral palsy disability
Families in Florida have multiple legal protections and public benefits available:
- Medicaid coverage: Florida Medicaid may cover physician visits, therapy, durable medical equipment, and home health services for eligible children.
- Early Steps (Early Intervention): Provides therapy and developmental services for infants and toddlers under age three with delays or disabilities.
- Educational rights: Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), children are entitled to a free appropriate public education and an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
- Employment protections: The Americans with Disabilities Act and Florida Civil Rights Act prohibit discrimination based on disability.
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Provides financial assistance for qualifying children with disabilities.
- Home and Community-Based Services Waivers: Florida offers Medicaid waiver programs to support long-term in-home and community care.
Florida juries and hospital insurers have shown a strong willingness to award compensation to children who suffer birth injury like cerebral palsy when negligent care can be proven as a cause. However, Florida medical malpractice law requires a pre-suit investigation and expert verification before filing suit.
In birth injury cases involving severe neurological impairment, families should check first whether the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA) applies. When a physician who participates in the NICA plan delivered the baby in a Florida hospital and the injury meets the plan’s definition, NICA pays without proof of fault and is the only remedy against the doctors, nurses and hospital involved in the delivery, so it replaces a lawsuit. A NICA claim must be filed within five years of the birth. Families are advised to speak with a Florida cerebral palsy lawyer for more info and help.
Other helpful info for families dealing with cerebral palsy in Florida
Families should seek early referral to pediatric neurology and developmental services if motor delays are suspected. Maintaining detailed records of prenatal care, labor and delivery, neonatal hospitalization, and therapy progress can help both medically and legally.
Because Florida’s Medicaid waiver programs may have waiting lists, early application is essential. Parents should also coordinate closely with school districts to ensure timely evaluations and appropriate classroom accommodations.
In hurricane-prone regions, families should maintain emergency preparedness plans that account for medical equipment, medications, and mobility needs.
Florida offers world-class pediatric expertise alongside strong disability advocacy networks. With early intervention, coordinated medical care, and informed legal guidance when necessary, children with cerebral palsy in Florida can access meaningful support across every stage of development.
Florida statute of limitations for birth injury claims
The general deadline
Florida requires a medical malpractice action to begin within two years of the incident, or within two years of the date it was discovered or should have been discovered with reasonable diligence. An action cannot begin more than four years after the incident itself, and that outer limit stretches to seven years where fraud, concealment or intentional misrepresentation of fact prevented the injury from being discovered.
Claims brought on behalf of a child
Those outer limits do not close off a child’s claim the way they close an adult’s. Under Florida Statutes section 95.11, the four year period “shall not bar an action brought on behalf of a minor on or before the child’s eighth birthday,” and the same exception applies to the seven year period. The two year period is not paused for a child, though. A child’s claim must still be filed within two years of when the parents knew or should have known of the injury and its possible link to the care, and never after the eighth birthday. Our table sets out Florida’s filing deadlines, with the statutes behind them.
Limitation periods turn on facts particular to each case, and Florida law changes. Confirm the deadline that applies to your child with a Florida cerebral palsy lawyer rather than relying on a general summary.
Sources
Chapter 95 Section 11, Florida Statutes. The Florida Senate. Retrieved from flsenate.gov
Cerebral palsy resources by city in Florida
- Cerebral palsy lawyers in Jacksonville, Florida
- Miami, Florida cerebral palsy attorneys
- Orlando, Florida cerebral palsy lawyers
- Cerebral palsy lawyers in Tampa, Florida
