Who qualifies for a Florida handicap placard?
Six specific conditions, not a list of diagnoses.
Dr. Fishman, DC and Dr. Schapiro, MDLicensed in Florida. CH00007509 · ME92972
Who would the placard be for?
If you qualify and book, the visit is $119.
Trouble with the form? Call (754) 233-0586 and we will go through it with you.
- Six named conditions, not a diagnosis list
- Walking 200 feet is not, on its own, a qualifier
- Free to check whether yours fits
Florida does not have a list of approved diagnoses. It has six specific conditions on the form, plus legal blindness, and a licensed practitioner decides whether your situation meets one of them.
The mistake almost everyone makes
People ask whether their diagnosis qualifies. Florida's form does not work that way. It asks whether the applicant is legally blind, or has a disability that limits their ability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, and whether that limitation is caused by one of six specific conditions.
The form is explicit that being unable to walk 200 feet is no longer a qualifying disability by itself. That change catches out a lot of applicants, and it is a common reason a well-meaning application comes back rejected.
What the doctor asks about
- How far you can go before you need to stop and rest
- Whether you use a cane, walker, crutches, a wheelchair or a brace, and how much it helps
- Whether you use oxygen, and how exertion affects your breathing
- What your diagnosis is, how long you have had it, and how it has changed
- What you can and cannot manage on an ordinary day
Read more by condition: arthritis and mobility, medical conditions, surgery recovery, expectant mothers. If you are applying for someone else, start with the caregivers page.
Who decides
The certifying practitioner does. You describe your situation and the doctor decides whether it meets the criteria printed on the form. That is why the fee covers the evaluation rather than the outcome. Your county then makes the issuance decision.
What the visit actually looks like
The most common question we get is not about qualifying. It is about the technology. So, plainly: you get a link by email, you tap it at your appointment time, and the doctor appears. There is nothing to download, no account to create and no password to remember.
If you would rather have someone walk you through it first, call (754) 233-0586. A person answers, and they will stay on the line while you get set up.
What Florida actually requires
Walking 200 feet is not, on its own, a qualifying disability. The form says so directly. The limitation has to be caused by one of the conditions below, or the applicant has to be legally blind. This is where a lot of applications go wrong.
- aCannot walk without help. A brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic or other assistive device, or the assistance of another person. If the device restores walking to the point where there is no severe limitation, that does not qualify.
- bPermanent use of a wheelchair.
- cSevere lung disease. Forced expiratory volume in one second below one liter by spirometry, or arterial oxygen below 60 mm/hg on room air at rest.
- dUse of portable oxygen.
- eCardiac condition, Class III or IV in severity by American Heart Association standards.
- fSevere walking limitation from an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition. The widest category, and the one most applicants fall under.
- ☉Legally blind. Certified separately. An optometrist may certify this and nothing else.
What the $119 pays for
Checking and booking are both free. The $119 is charged 24 hours before your visit. Cancel before then and pay nothing. No subscription, no repeat billing.
The fee covers the doctor's evaluation, just like a regular doctor's visit. It does not buy a placard, and no service can sell you one. Certification is the doctor's clinical judgment, and your county decides whether to issue.
What this service does not do
Worth being explicit, because telehealth covers a lot of different things and this is a narrow one.
- ✗No prescriptions. Our doctors do not prescribe, dispense or sell any medication. No prescription is issued at any point in this service, and there is no pharmacy involved.
- ✗No treatment. The doctor does not diagnose, treat or manage your condition. Your own doctors continue doing that.
- ✗No ongoing care. This is a single evaluation, not a relationship. There is no subscription and no follow-up care.
- ✗No controlled substances, devices or supplements of any kind, sold or recommended.
The entire service is one thing. A licensed Florida practitioner evaluates whether you meet the criteria printed on state form HSMV 83039, and if you do, completes and signs the practitioner section of that form. Your county issues the placard.
The Florida details, in one place
| Permanent placard fee | No state charge |
|---|---|
| Temporary placard fee | $15, paid to your county. A second temporary placard within one year of the first carries no charge |
| How long a permanent permit lasts | Four years, expiring on the holder's birthday |
| How long a temporary permit lasts | The period the certifying practitioner specifies, up to six months |
| How long the certification is valid | The form is not valid more than 12 months from the date the certifying authority signs it |
| Where it goes | Your county tax collector's office or a license plate (tag) agency |
| If there is no Florida ID | A Florida driver's license or ID number is normally required. Where the disability is too severe for the person to be transported to an office to obtain one, the certifying practitioner can note that exception on the form |
| If you are a disabled veteran | Veterans certified as permanently and totally disabled may be able to submit VA documentation instead of a practitioner certification. Ask your county. If that applies to you, you do not need us |
Who does what
Getting a placard takes two steps. We handle the doctor's part. Your county handles the rest.
- The video visit with a Florida-licensed doctor
- The doctor's judgment on whether the limitation meets Florida's criteria
- Completing and signing the doctor's section of form HSMV 83039
- Emailing you the signed form within 24 hours
- Reviews the completed application
- Decides whether to issue the permit
- Issues the actual placard or plate
- Handles fees, renewals and replacements
Your Florida-licensed doctors
Dr. Dean Fishman, DC
Chiropractor · arthritis, back, hip and knee
FL license CH00007509
Dr. Barry Schapiro, MD
Physician · medical, surgical and pregnancy
FL license ME92972
Form HSMV 83039 lists chiropractors among its certifying authorities, alongside physicians licensed under Chapters 458, 459 and 460. Some competing sites state otherwise. The form is public, and it is the authority.
Questions
Is there a list of qualifying conditions in Florida?
There are six, printed on form HSMV 83039, plus legal blindness. They describe function rather than diagnosis: needing assistance to walk, permanent wheelchair use, severe lung disease, portable oxygen, a Class III or IV cardiac condition, or a severe walking limitation from an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition.
Does arthritis qualify for a handicap placard in Florida?
It can. Arthritic conditions are named in condition (f), where the test is whether the walking limitation is severe. The diagnosis alone does not decide it.
I cannot walk 200 feet. Is that enough?
Not on its own. Florida amended the statute so that being unable to walk 200 feet is no longer a qualifying disability by itself. The limitation has to be caused by one of the six listed conditions.
What if I use a cane and it helps a lot?
The form addresses this directly. If the assistive device restores walking to the point where there is no severe limitation, that does not qualify.
Can I apply for my parent or spouse?
You can start the check, book the visit, sit with them during it, and take or mail the form to the county. They need to be present for the visit, because the doctor is evaluating them. The application section is signed by the disabled person, or by a parent or guardian.
Do I have to be in Florida?
Yes. Florida law requires the patient to be physically located in Florida during the visit. Our doctors are licensed in Florida and we currently serve Florida only.