Revised Florida Law: What It Means for Your Youth Sports Organization
(Revised as of February 5, 2026)
As of July 1, 2026, Florida law will require Independent Sanctioning Authorities (“ISAs”) in the state to ensure that most youth athletic coaches complete and pass a Level 2 background screening, including fingerprinting, before they are authorized to work with minors. This change is intended to increase safety in youth sports programs by standardizing how organizations screen adults who have direct contact with children. This law was originally go into effect on January 1, 2025, but the deadline to comply was extended to July 1, 2026.
While this may appear to be a positive step toward protecting minors, the law creates significant administrative burdens and costs for many youth sports organizations and relies heavily on background screening as a substitute for more comprehensive risk‑management practices.
Key Requirements of the Law
Under Florida Statute 943.0438, Independent Sanctioning Authorities are required to ensure that a Level 2 background screening is conducted for each current and prospective athletic coach and other individuals authorized to work with youth athletes who have direct contact with minors. This requirement applies to both paid and volunteer coaches.
A Level 2 background screening is a fingerprint‑based criminal history check conducted pursuant to Florida Statute 435.04 and includes submission of fingerprints to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the FBI for a national criminal history search. The ISA may not authorize any person to act as an athletic coach if the individual’s Level 2 background screening results in disqualification, and the responsibility to comply remains with the ISA rather than individual teams.
Who Is Covered
An Independent Sanctioning Authority is a private, nongovernmental entity that organizes, operates, or coordinates a youth athletic team in Florida that includes one or more minors, and the definition includes organizations headquartered outside Florida that operate youth teams within the state. Many club, travel, and tournament‑organizing bodies fall within this definition if they exercise authority over youth athletic teams or events involving minors.
An athletic coach includes any individual authorized by an ISA to serve as a coach, assistant coach, manager, or referee who has direct contact with minors. The statutory definition focuses on the fact of authorization and direct contact with children, rather than requiring a minimum number of hours worked or a specific employment classification.
Disqualifying Offenses
Florida Statute 435.04 lists the disqualifying offenses that prevent an individual from serving as an athletic coach following a Level 2 background screening. These offenses include, among others:
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Sexual offenses.
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Child abuse or neglect.
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Violent felony offenses.
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Certain domestic violence and child‑related crimes.
An individual who has been convicted or found guilty of a disqualifying offense, regardless of adjudication, may not be authorized to work with youth athletes unless they first obtain an exemption from disqualification under applicable law.
Exemptions From Disqualification
Florida law allows for limited exemptions from disqualification under Florida Statute 435.07, but the exemption process is narrow and discretionary. To qualify for an exemption, an applicant must typically show that a specified period of time has passed since completion of their sentence and must provide clear and convincing evidence of rehabilitation, including factors such as work history, references, and circumstances of the offense.
Exemptions are generally unavailable for the most serious offenses, particularly those involving minors or serious violence, and different agencies may apply additional limits in their own programs. The decision to grant an exemption rests with the reviewing authority and requires careful evaluation of the risk posed to children, so organizations should not assume that a disqualifying history can be easily overcome.
VECHS Participation
To comply with these requirements after July 1, 2026, ISAs will operate within the framework of the Volunteer and Employee Criminal History System (VECHS), which is administered by FDLE. VECHS is the mechanism that allows qualifying organizations to obtain state and national criminal history information for volunteers and employees who work with vulnerable populations.
VECHS participation generally involves designation of a Local Agency Security Officer (LASO), adherence to FDLE security and confidentiality requirements, and ongoing record‑keeping and oversight obligations. For ISAs, VECHS participation is effectively a prerequisite to submitting fingerprints for Level 2 screening and accessing the results needed to make eligibility decisions about athletic coaches.
Role of the AHCA Background Screening Clearinghouse
Beginning July 1, 2026, Level 2 background screenings for athletic coaches associated with ISAs will be processed through the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Background Screening Clearinghouse as part of the implementation of the new law. The Clearinghouse is a centralized system Florida uses in several regulated sectors to share and reuse screening results across participating agencies and programs.
For youth sports organizations covered by the ISA definition, this means that fingerprint‑based Level 2 screenings for coaches will be entered and maintained in the Clearinghouse, rather than being handled as one‑off checks with no central record. Organizations should plan for the administrative work of registering with the Clearinghouse, understanding its workflows, and aligning their internal processes with how eligibility decisions are tracked.
Participation in the AFRNP Program
The Applicant Fingerprint Retention and Notification Program (AFRNP) allows FDLE to retain fingerprints and provide notifications of subsequent arrest activity involving individuals who have already been screened. For VECHS entities, including ISAs, AFRNP offers a way to move beyond one‑time screening and receive alerts when there is new criminal history information.
Participation in AFRNP remains an available option for entities that qualify under VECHS and can provide ongoing visibility into post‑screening criminal activity that might affect an individual’s eligibility to serve as an athletic coach. While not a substitute for good supervision and reporting mechanisms, this type of continuous monitoring can be a useful supplement to the baseline Level 2 screening requirement.
Advantages of AFRNP
AFRNP offers several advantages for organizations that choose to participate:
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Notification of new arrest activity after the initial screening, which can trigger a timely review of a coach’s continued eligibility.
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Reduced need to re‑fingerprint individuals who remain continuously affiliated with the organization, because retained prints can be used for ongoing checks as allowed by program rules.
These features provide additional oversight beyond a single background check conducted at the time of onboarding. For youth sports organizations with large or frequently changing coaching staffs, AFRNP can be an important tool in maintaining continuous awareness of relevant criminal history.
Ongoing Responsibilities of VECHS Entities
Organizations participating in VECHS must maintain appropriate records, manage user access, ensure proper handling and storage of screening results, and comply with FDLE audit and retention requirements. These responsibilities continue regardless of whether the AHCA Clearinghouse is used for the actual screening transactions or renewal cycles.
Background screening is not a one‑time administrative task, and compliance requires ongoing attention and internal controls within the ISA’s operations. Policies, training, and internal oversight should reflect the fact that mismanaging background‑screening information can itself create legal and reputational risk.
Costs and Budget Considerations After July 1, 2026
Beginning in 2026, Level 2 background screenings for athletic coaches covered by the law will be initiated and managed through the AHCA Background Screening Clearinghouse, rather than as isolated VECHS transactions. State‑level fees for Clearinghouse screenings are higher than traditional name‑based background checks and may also be higher than what some youth sports organizations have paid under prior screening models.
Actual costs to organizations will include:
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The state and federal fees associated with a Level 2 background screening processed through the Clearinghouse.
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Any additional charges from LiveScan fingerprinting vendors or third‑party service providers used to capture and submit fingerprints.
Because fee amounts and components can change over time, organizations should confirm current Clearinghouse pricing and related costs directly from AHCA and FDLE resources when planning their 2026 budgets, instead of relying on older figures that may no longer apply.
Concussion Risk Management
In addition to background screening, Florida—and many national governing bodies for youth sports—have adopted concussion‑management requirements that typically include coach education, parental consent, and removal‑from‑play protocols for suspected head injuries. These requirements may come from state law, athletic associations, school districts, or sanctioning bodies, and they continue to evolve as medical guidance changes.
While background screening focuses on past criminal history, concussion risk management addresses a different, and often more immediate, category of risk inherent in youth sports. Youth sports organizations should review both Florida‑specific concussion rules and the policies of their sanctioning bodies to ensure that their own concussion protocols, forms, and training materials are current.
For additional resources and guidance on developing or reviewing your concussion-management program, see our Concussion Awareness & Risk Management
Final Thoughts
Fingerprint‑based background screening may identify some individuals who should not be working with youth athletes, but it does not prevent first‑time offenders and does not replace comprehensive risk‑management practices. Education, supervision, reporting mechanisms, and well‑implemented safety policies remain critical components of protecting young athletes, especially where adults have ongoing access and authority.
Background checks are best understood as one tool within a broader youth‑protection program, not as a stand‑alone solution that can substitute for thoughtful program design and day‑to‑day vigilance. For further guidance on developing or strengthening a comprehensive misconduct and risk-management strategy, see our SafeSport & Misconduct Risk Management resource.
