Terms Used In Florida Statutes > Chapter 279 - Registered Public Obligations

• Agency: means the Agency for Health Care Administration. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• board: means the board within a district or subdistrict of the department which is established in accordance with ¹s. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Client: means any individual receiving services in any substance abuse or mental health facility, program, or service, which facility, program, or service is operated, funded, or regulated by the agency and the department or regulated by the agency. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Crisis services: means short-term evaluation, stabilization, and brief intervention services provided to a person who is experiencing an acute mental or emotional crisis, as defined in subsection (18), or an acute substance abuse crisis, as defined in subsection (19), to prevent further deterioration of the person's mental health. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Crisis stabilization unit: means a program that provides an alternative to inpatient hospitalization and that provides brief, intensive services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for mentally ill individuals who are in an acutely disturbed state. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the Department of Children and Families. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• District administrator: means the person appointed by the Secretary of Children and Families for the purpose of administering a department service district as set forth in ¹s. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Federal funds: means funds from federal sources for substance abuse or mental health facilities and programs, exclusive of federal funds that are deemed eligible by the Federal Government, and are eligible through state regulation, for matching purposes. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Governing body: means the chief legislative body of a county, a board of county commissioners, or boards of county commissioners in counties acting jointly, or their counterparts in a charter government. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Local matching funds: means funds received from governing bodies of local government, including city commissions, county commissions, district school boards, special tax districts, private hospital funds, private gifts, both individual and corporate, and bequests and funds received from community drives or any other sources. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Mental health services: means those therapeutic interventions and activities that help to eliminate, reduce, or manage symptoms or distress for persons who have severe emotional distress or a mental illness and to effectively manage the disability that often accompanies a mental illness so that the person can recover from the mental illness, become appropriately self-sufficient for his or her age, and live in a stable family or in the community. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Patient fees: means compensation received by a community substance abuse or mental health facility for services rendered to a specific client from any source of funds, including city, county, state, federal, and private sources. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Person who is experiencing an acute mental or emotional crisis: means a child, adolescent, or adult who is experiencing a psychotic episode or a high level of mental or emotional distress which may be precipitated by a traumatic event or a perceived life problem for which the individual's typical coping strategies are inadequate. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• plan: means the combined district substance abuse and mental health plan approved by the district administrator and governing bodies in accordance with this part. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• political subdivision: include counties, cities, towns, villages, special tax school districts, special road and bridge districts, bridge districts, and all other districts in this state. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Program office: means the Mental Health Program Office of the Department of Children and Families. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Sliding fee scale: means a schedule of fees for identified services delivered by a service provider which are based on a uniform schedule of discounts deducted from the service provider's usual and customary charges. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Substance abuse services: means services designed to prevent or remediate the consequences of substance abuse, improve an individual's quality of life and self-sufficiency, and support long-term recovery. See Florida Statutes 394.67
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01