DaycareFacts.com
Menu
Research

How Childcare Inspection Finding Rates Vary Across Florida

Florida recorded 70.5 findings per 100 reports. Across 18 counties with enough reports to compare, adjusted rates ranged from 22.9 in Alachua to 183.2 in Polk.

By Marty Paukstys, Founder of DaycareFacts

Published · Data covers through

On this page

Abstract

Results. Florida recorded 70.5 findings per 100 childcare inspection reports from July 2023 through June 2026. Among the 18 counties with enough reports to compare, adjusted rates ran from 22.9 in Alachua to 183.2 in Polk - about an 8-fold span. The 19-city comparison ranged from 22.7 in Gainesville, Alachua County to 187.1 in Lakeland, Polk County.

Methods. To make the local comparisons fairer, every place was recalculated as if it had Florida’s same mix of childcare centers and family homes.

Conclusion. The public records show wide geographic differences in what inspectors recorded. They do not explain why those differences occurred.

Key findings

  1. County rates spanned about eightfold

    Alachua recorded 22.9 adjusted findings per 100 reports; Polk recorded 183.2.

  2. The city comparison was similarly wide

    Gainesville, Alachua County recorded 22.7 adjusted findings per 100 reports; Lakeland, Polk County recorded 187.1.

  3. Most reports had no recorded finding

    Florida had 70.5 findings per 100 reports, yet only 27.4% of reports contained a recorded finding because one report can contain several citations.

1. Introduction

When a Florida childcare inspector records that a requirement was not met, that citation appears here as one finding. This study asks: how often were findings recorded in Florida counties and cities, and how did those rates compare with the state?

The study reports findings per 100 inspection reports and the share of reports with at least one finding. Findings per 100 reports is a rate - not a percentage - and can exceed 100 when individual reports contain several citations.

2. Data and methods

Source and study window

We used Florida CARES childcare inspection records dated July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026. Statewide totals cover all records available for that period.

Units and calculations

One finding is one citation linked to a report. Findings per 100 reports counts every citation. Reports with findings counts each report once when it has one or more linked findings.

Geographic inclusion

Each shown county or city had at least 50 inspected providers, 200 reports, and 20 reports from each of the three provider types. Eighteen counties and 19 cities qualified.

Provider-type adjustment

We first calculated rates for centers, family homes, and large family homes. Direct standardization then recalculated every place as if it had Florida’s same mix of those provider types.

Data-quality rule

CARES report flags and linked finding rows disagreed for 131 reports. We used the linked finding rows consistently and kept the mismatch in the audit.

Annual observations

We also calculated three July-to-June periods using the same statewide provider-type mix. These are separate observations, not a continuing pattern.

Why smaller places are not in the local charts

Smaller communities remain in Florida’s statewide totals. They do not appear in the local comparison if a provider type was absent or had fewer than 20 reports; no missing rate was estimated.

3. Results

Florida’s three-year picture

9,434Providers with an inspection
83,551Inspection reports
70.5Findings per 100 reports
27.4%Reports with at least one finding

Florida recorded 58,864 findings across 83,551 reports. Of those, 22,885 reports contained a recorded finding (27.4%); some reports contained several citations.

County comparison

The adjusted county rate ran from 22.9 in Alachua to 183.2 in Polk, compared with Florida’s 70.5. Counties remain alphabetical rather than ranked.

Adjusted comparison

Recorded finding rates across 18 counties

Florida: 70.5

Adjusted recorded findings per 100 inspection reports. Counties are shown alphabetically. The orange line marks Florida’s statewide reference.

Alachua County1,121 reports
22.9▼ 47.6
Brevard County1,570 reports
47.8▼ 22.7
Broward County8,241 reports
41.3▼ 29.1
Collier County1,103 reports
36.5▼ 34.0
Duval County4,906 reports
49.3▼ 21.2
Hillsborough County4,783 reports
130.1▲ 59.6
Lee County1,954 reports
56.4▼ 14.0
Marion County997 reports
85.6▲ 15.2
Miami-Dade County13,883 reports
39.6▼ 30.8
Orange County4,882 reports
55.0▼ 15.4
Osceola County1,094 reports
55.1▼ 15.3
Palm Beach County6,684 reports
106.3▲ 35.9
Pasco County1,951 reports
118.9▲ 48.4
Pinellas County5,572 reports
104.3▲ 33.9
Polk County4,715 reports
183.2▲ 112.8
Sarasota County984 reports
76.4▲ 5.9
St. Lucie County1,027 reports
33.2▼ 37.3
Volusia County1,745 reports
45.6▼ 24.9

City comparison

The adjusted city rate ran from 22.7 in Gainesville, Alachua County to 187.1 in Lakeland, Polk County. City names include their counties and remain ordered by county, then city.

Adjusted comparison

Recorded finding rates across 19 county-qualified cities

Florida: 70.5

Adjusted recorded findings per 100 inspection reports. Cities are shown alphabetically by county, then city. The orange line marks Florida’s statewide reference.

Gainesville, Alachua County849 reports
22.7▼ 47.7
Jacksonville, Duval County4,749 reports
50.1▼ 20.3
Brandon, Hillsborough County351 reports
103.0▲ 32.6
Tampa, Hillsborough County3,031 reports
144.8▲ 74.4
Fort Myers, Lee County970 reports
61.2▼ 9.2
Hialeah, Miami-Dade County1,990 reports
41.7▼ 28.8
Homestead, Miami-Dade County1,083 reports
36.6▼ 33.8
Miami, Miami-Dade County7,159 reports
41.0▼ 29.5
Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade County873 reports
42.4▼ 28.1
Orlando, Orange County3,742 reports
58.3▼ 12.2
Kissimmee, Osceola County752 reports
61.3▼ 9.1
Riviera Beach, Palm Beach County359 reports
109.5▲ 39.1
West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County1,422 reports
92.7▲ 22.2
Clearwater, Pinellas County1,125 reports
128.0▲ 57.6
Largo, Pinellas County628 reports
137.4▲ 66.9
St. Petersburg, Pinellas County2,132 reports
81.2▲ 10.7
Lakeland, Polk County1,768 reports
187.1▲ 116.7
Sarasota, Sarasota County635 reports
69.1▼ 1.3
Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County604 reports
29.4▼ 41.1

Statewide values by year

The cards show each year’s observed statewide value; they do not establish a continuing pattern.

2023‑07‑01 through 2024‑06‑30

68.8adjusted findings per 100 reports17,604 findings in 25,547 reports

2024‑07‑01 through 2025‑06‑30

66.6adjusted findings per 100 reports18,269 findings in 27,397 reports

2025‑07‑01 through 2026‑06‑30

75.3adjusted findings per 100 reports22,991 findings in 30,607 reports

Complete comparison tables

Counts are observed totals. Rates and differences use the provider-type adjustment.

County comparison values
CountyInspected providersReportsRecorded findingsAdjusted findings per 100 reportsDifference from FloridaAdjusted reports with findings
Alachua County1291,12125222.9-47.613.7%
Brevard County1671,57077147.8-22.722.6%
Broward County7488,2413,53441.3-29.121.0%
Collier County1241,10339836.5-34.019.2%
Duval County6534,9062,32849.3-21.220.8%
Hillsborough County1,0924,7835,274130.1+59.640.7%
Lee County1991,9541,11956.4-14.026.8%
Marion County10299784685.6+15.232.7%
Miami-Dade County1,47613,8835,59039.6-30.821.2%
Orange County5094,8822,75055.0-15.424.3%
Osceola County1431,09461455.1-15.324.0%
Palm Beach County7656,6847,118106.3+35.933.8%
Pasco County1961,9512,293118.9+48.438.7%
Pinellas County5755,5725,276104.3+33.937.6%
Polk County3064,7158,679183.2+112.847.6%
Sarasota County13998472776.4+5.929.5%
St. Lucie County1391,02734933.2-37.319.7%
Volusia County1831,74581145.6-24.921.7%
County-qualified city comparison values
CityInspected providersReportsRecorded findingsAdjusted findings per 100 reportsDifference from FloridaAdjusted reports with findings
Brandon, Hillsborough County82351308103.0+32.637.6%
Clearwater, Pinellas County1121,1251,343128.0+57.642.7%
Fort Myers, Lee County9497058961.2-9.229.3%
Gainesville, Alachua County10084918822.7-47.714.4%
Hialeah, Miami-Dade County2051,99082241.7-28.821.2%
Homestead, Miami-Dade County1151,08339936.6-33.819.8%
Jacksonville, Duval County6314,7492,29250.1-20.321.0%
Kissimmee, Osceola County10075246061.3-9.126.1%
Lakeland, Polk County1171,7683,249187.1+116.747.2%
Largo, Pinellas County58628764137.4+66.939.9%
Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade County9387337042.4-28.126.5%
Miami, Miami-Dade County7687,1592,99341.0-29.521.4%
Orlando, Orange County3923,7422,22658.3-12.225.1%
Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County8760417829.4-41.116.0%
Riviera Beach, Palm Beach County51359366109.5+39.128.4%
Sarasota, Sarasota County9163541769.1-1.325.8%
St. Petersburg, Pinellas County2312,1321,51081.2+10.735.4%
Tampa, Hillsborough County7233,0313,408144.8+74.442.0%
West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County1731,4221,30792.7+22.232.6%

4. Discussion

The adjusted county and city rates each covered roughly an eightfold span. The two statewide measures also tell different stories: several citations in one report raise the finding rate but count only once in the share of reports with findings.

The adjustment makes the provider-type mix consistent across places. It cannot account for why inspections occurred, how often they occurred, or how local systems recorded findings. Five counties use local licensing, but their results point in different directions and do not provide one explanation.

This study compares what inspectors recorded. It does not measure which places are safer.

5. Limitations

  • These public records are not a random sample. They do not fully identify why each inspection occurred, and inspection frequency and reporting can differ by place and provider type.
  • The adjustment covers only three provider types. It does not account for capacity, children served, current conditions, or the effect of local licensing.
  • The minimum-data rules favor larger, frequently inspected areas. The 18 counties and 19 cities should not stand in for communities that were not included.
  • No sampling margin of error or uncertainty interval is available for these administrative counts, and no statistical-significance test was performed. Three annual observations do not establish a continuing pattern.
  • CARES flags and linked finding rows disagreed for 131 reports. We used linked rows consistently, but the mismatch remains. The resulting rates do not establish causes or measure child outcomes, current conditions, safety, or childcare quality.

Interpretation boundary: These results describe what appears in the available official records during the study window. They are not evaluations of individual providers or communities.

6. Conclusions

Finding rates differed widely during this period across the Florida counties and cities with enough reports to compare, even after accounting for provider type. These results are most useful for examining inspection and reporting patterns - not judging present-day conditions.

7. Data availability and reproducibility

The underlying official records are available through the Florida CARES public search. DaycareFacts does not currently offer the derived study tables as a public download.

This review page reads versioned outputs under the contracts florida_inspection_findings_phase2_v1 and florida_inspection_findings_phase2b_v1. The build verifies each consumed file’s declared name and SHA-256 hash, plus row counts where applicable, against reviewed manifests and stops if an expected file does not match. Rates use direct provider-type standardization with a frozen statewide full-window report mix.

8. How to cite this study

Paukstys, M. (2026, August 8). How Childcare Inspection Finding Rates Vary Across Florida. DaycareFacts. https://daycarefacts.com/research/how-childcare-inspection-finding-rates-vary-across-florida

9. References and related research

  1. Florida Department of Children and Families. Florida CARES public search. Open official source
  2. DaycareFacts. Data and methodology.
  3. DaycareFacts Research. What Florida Childcare Inspectors Cite Most Often .

Local editorial-review version. This route is marked noindex and is not included in the public sitemap or site navigation.