Florida Group Home Video Monitoring and Surveillance Rules: What Families Should Know

Families often ask: Are surveillance cameras allowed in Florida group homes? The answer is yes, but only under strict legal rules designed to balance resident safety with privacy. Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities ("APD") enforces these requirements through Rule 65G-2.009(7), Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), which spells out when cameras may be used, who must give consent, and where video monitoring is strictly prohibited.

A breakdown of Florida group home video monitoring laws is provided below

Permitted Uses of Florida Group Home Video Surveillance

Florida law permits video cameras in group homes when necessary for:

• Behavioral or medical monitoring

• Diagnosis, intervention, or treatment of residents who require continuous supervision due to certain medical or behavioral issues

• Preventing or detecting abuse, neglect, exploitation, or sexual misconduct

Any provider that installs cameras must create written criteria for which residents are monitored and written protocols for how monitoring is implemented.

Florida Group Homes Must Obtain Consent to Engage in Video Monitoring

A group home cannot simply install cameras without permission. Instead, the group home must obtain written consent from the resident (if competent) or his/her legal representative. In doing so, the group home must explain when and where monitoring will occur and the purpose of the video monitoring system. This ensures residents and/or their families are fully informed and aware of these measures before any video monitoring begins.

Who Can Access Group Home Video Feeds

If a group home allows off-site video access (a/k/a remote video monitoring), it must disclose to the state the titles and positions of all staff authorized to view feeds. In addition, remote access must be protected with safeguards such as firewalls and other security measures to prevent misuse and ensure resident privacy.

Where Cameras Are Allowed (and Prohibited)

The use of remote video monitoring may only be used in the following locations:

✅ Vocational and educational settings

✅ Medical and special treatment areas

✅ Administrative offices

✅ Common areas

Cameras may never be used in the following locations:

❌ Never in bedrooms or bathrooms.

Oversight by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities can restrict, suspend, or revoke a facility’s right to use video monitoring at any time if the group home violates these rules or those resident rights enumerated by Fla. Stat. § 393.13.

What This Means for Families

Video monitoring can provide peace of mind, but it should never replace hands-on supervision and compassionate care. Families should ask group homes:

• Do you use video cameras?

• Which residents are monitored and why?

• Who can access the footage?

• What safeguards are in place to protect privacy?

  
  

Most importantly, remember that written consent is always required. If a group home installs cameras without approval, or uses them in prohibited areas, that could be a violation of Florida law and resident rights.

Holding Group Homes Accountable for Abuse, Neglect, & Wrongful Death

At FIDJ, we help families hold group homes accountable when they violate Florida law, cut corners, and put vulnerable residents at risk. If your loved one was injured in a Florida group home, contact the experienced attorneys at FIDJ for a free, confidential, no-pressure case review.

FAQs About Florida Group Home Video Monitoring

1. Can group homes in Florida put cameras in bedrooms? No. Cameras are never allowed in resident bedrooms or bathrooms.

   
   

2. Do families have to consent to video monitoring? Yes. Written consent from the resident or their legal representative is mandatory.

   
   

3. What is the purpose of video monitoring in Florida group homes? Monitoring is allowed for behavioral or medical supervision, treatment needs, or to prevent and detect abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

   
   

4. Who regulates group home video monitoring in Florida? The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (“APD”) enforces the rules and can suspend a facility’s use of cameras if resident rights are violated.