Department of Health

Community Public Health

For assistance, call 850-245-4444 or visit https://www.floridahealth.gov/

What is the purpose of the program?

The Community Public Health program carries out the Department of Health's mission to protect and promote the health and safety of all people in Florida through the delivery of public health services.

What services does the program provide?

The program delivers a wide range of public health services to maintain and improve the public health of Florida's citizens and visitors. 
  • Community Health Promotion facilitates access to basic family health care services for those who struggle to obtain care in the private sector. The major programs include: family planning, primary care, school health, the Healthy Start coalitions, and the federal nutrition programs for pregnant women and children.
  • County Health Departments, Local Health Needs programs include basic family health, outpatient and nutrition services, cancer screenings, infectious disease prevention and control and environmental health services, recording vital events, and improving health outcomes of racial and ethnic populations.
  • Disease Control and Health Protection services are intended to detect, control, and treat diseases. Services include statewide programs for HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis. The program also ensures the sanitation and safety of water, onsite sewage disposal, and public use facilities. The immunization program works to increase the percentage of children who receive immunizations and provides vaccinations to children who do not have health insurance.
  • Statewide Public Health Support Services support all-hazards preparedness and response, state laboratory, pharmacy, and emergency medical services, vital statistics, and radiation control.
  • Medical Marijuana Regulation is charged with writing and implementing the department's rules for medical marijuana; overseeing the statewide Medical Marijuana Use Registry; licensing Florida businesses to cultivate, process and dispense medical marijuana to qualified patients; and certifying marijuana testing laboratories to ensure the health and safety of the public as it relates to marijuana.

How are public health services delivered to Florida citizens?

Through state-local partnerships, public health services are delivered through the state's 67 county health departments. Each county health department provides services that are outlined in an annual contract with their host Board of County Commissioners. The contract specifies the revenues that fund the services. County health department services include environmental health services, communicable disease control services, and primary care services. The department's web site offers information about specific diseases, immunizations, suicide prevention, substance abuse and referrals to providers, links to support tobacco cessation, tools for submitting information on reportable diseases, and on injury prevention.

What is the status of public health in Florida?

As the entity responsible for public health in Florida, the department reports on several public health outcomes.
  • Childhood Unintentional Injuries. The overall unintentional injury fatality rates for Floridians ages 0-19 increased from 12.9 per 100,000 population in 2017 to 13.7 per 100,000 in 2021.
  • AIDS. The AIDS case rate per 100,000 population decreased from 9.9 per 100,000 in 2017-18 to 8.5 in Fiscal Year 2021-22 per 100,000 which was above the requested performance standard of 8.3 per 100,000.
  • Infant Mortality. The infant mortality rate in Florida in Fiscal Year 2021-22 was 5.9 per 1,000 live births, which was above the requested performance standard of 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. The rate among Black births was 11.5 in Fiscal Year 2021-22, which was greater than the requested performance standard of 9.9 deaths per 1,000 live births.
  • Teen Births. The rate of births to mothers ages 15 to 19, per 1,000 females of the same age was 13.5 in Fiscal Year 2021-22, which was lower than the requested performance standard of 15.2.
To learn more about the health status of individual counties visit the department's county health profile website.

How are these activities funded?

Fiscal Year: 2023-24
Title Fund Dollars Positions
PROGRAM: COMMUNITY PUBLIC HEALTH
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION
1,487,322,697
249.50
COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS LOCAL HEALTH NEEDS
1,406,881,642
9,025.51
DISEASE CONTROL AND HEALTH PROTECTION
685,907,131
528.50
MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGULATION
42,390,794
133.00
STATEWIDE PUBLIC HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES
329,707,774
453.00
TOTAL
3,952,210,038
10,389.51

Where can I find related OPPAGA reports?

A complete list of related OPPAGA reports is available on our website.

Where can I get more information?

Other Reports
The Auditor General reports on department operations are located on its website

Websites of Interest
Florida Department of Health, Emergency Preparedness and Response
Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set (CHARTS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Performance Information


Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

What are the applicable statutes?

Chapters 154, 376, 381, 382, 386, 383, 384, 385, 388, 392, 401, 402, 403, 404, 411, 489, 499, 500, 502, 513, 514, and 768, Florida Statutes

Whom do I contact for help?

Florida Department of Health, 850-245-4444
Website