Health Care Facility CEMP Planning

Preparing for an Emergency

Patients and residents rely on healthcare facilities to provide a high level of care, even during an emergency. A Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) helps facilities prepare for all types of threats and protect the safety of their clients.

State law requires healthcare facilities to submit their CEMP to Pinellas County Emergency Management (PCEM) for annual review to meet the requirements of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and Pinellas County.

Introducing the Pinellas County Access Portal

Pinellas County now uses the Pinellas County Access Portal (also known as Accela), a convenient browser-based application that streamlines the process for healthcare facilities to submit their CEMP, receive feedback, obtain approval and make payments — all online, all in one place.

Get Your Plan Approved

Facilities may submit their plans up to 60 days in advance of the CEMP year listed on the approval certificate. Once your plan is accepted for review, it can take up to 60 days for PCEM to complete the review and issue a response.

Facilities Reviewed and Submission Requirements

Pinellas County has different criteria for CEMPs depending on the type of facility. The required documents must accompany the submission for the CEMP to be accepted for review.

Note: The CEMP Acknowledgement Form, AHCA Criteria, and Pinellas County Criteria are now required fields within your CEMP submission record in the Pinellas County Access Portal. These no longer need to be attached to your uploaded CEMP PDF.

Find your facility type below and include all required forms and documents as listed.
Items marked (within the Pinellas County Access Portal) are required fields but do not need to be uploaded as attachments.

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Pinellas County does not review CEMPs for the following health care providers:

• Home Health Agencies
• Home Medical Equipment Providers
• Nurse Registries
• Hospice Agencies

The Florida Department of Health is responsible for annually reviewing and approving Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans for these agencies.

Submitting Your Plan

All CEMPs must be submitted electronically through the Pinellas County Access Portal CEMP Submission Portal. In-person and email submissions are no longer accepted.

Before You Submit

• You must have a Pinellas County Access Portal account linked to your facility.
• If you were listed as a primary or secondary contact in PCEM’s database when the portal launched (October 6, 2025), you should have received an email to reset your password and claim your account.
• If you did not receive this email or are a new contact, email EMAHC@pinellas.gov to be connected to your facility within the Pinellas County Access Portal.

Submission Timeline

Upon acceptance for review, PCEM will complete the CEMP review within 60 days.

60 days before your CEMP renewal date, the Pinellas County Access Portal will automatically create your CEMP record and notify your primary and secondary contacts.

Facilities with past-due CEMPs were issued records at launch and must now submit through the Pinellas County Access Portal.

Once your record is available, log in to the Pinellas County Access Portal, complete all required information, submit your plan and pay the associated review fee.

Following submission and payment, PCEM will verify that all required documentation has been provided. If all required fields and documents have been uploaded, the record will be accepted for review.

Fee by Facility

This initial fee covers a standard review period based on facility type, plus annual training for all facilities. If your CEMP requires additional review, extra time will be billed in 15-minute increments and must be paid before approval is issued.

Facility Type	Initial Fee – Upon Submission	Additional Hourly Fee
Assisted Living Facility (ALF) – Full Plan	$78.13 – Includes 1 ½ hours of review time + 1-hour annual training	$31.25 per additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.
ALF – Form Year	$62.50 – Includes 1 hour of review time + 1-hour annual  training	$31.25 per additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.
Nursing Home	$109.38 – Includes 2 ½ hours of review time + 1-hour annual training	$31.25 per additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.
Hospital	$109.38 – Includes 2 ½ hours of review time + 1-hour annual training	$31.25 per additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.
Surgical Center	$62.50 – Includes 2 ½ hours of review time + 1-hour annual training	$31.25 per additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.
Adult Day Care	$62.50 – Includes 2 ½ hours of review time + 1-hour annual training	$31.25 per additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.
Residential Treatment	$62.50 – Includes 2 ½ hours of review time + 1-hour annual training	$31.25 per additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.
Additional Meeting Fee (Optional)	$25.00	$25.00 for each additional hour, billed at the quarter hour.

Review, Approval and Payment

If additional information or documentation is needed during the review, the Pinellas County Access Portal will send an automated email with revision details. You can then reopen your CEMP submission, make corrections, and resubmit.

Once your plan meets all criteria, it will be approved, and both the primary and secondary contacts will receive a confirmation email. Your approval certificate will be available for download directly from your Pinellas County Access Portal record.

Additional Resources

• The Emergency Power Plan (EPP) Guidance document lists every piece of information to be included in an EPP response.
• The Healthcare Sheltering Considerations page provides planning considerations when sheltering in an alternative location.
• For more information, contact Pinellas County Emergency Management at emahc@pinellas.gov or call (727) 464-3800.