# Bradford County, FL NEMT License: The $500 County License, Van Permits, and Who Books Rides

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/bradford-county/ · Updated 2026-10-02

Bradford County, Florida requires a county license for any nonemergency medical transportation service and a permit for each vehicle, under Chapter 38, Article II of its code. Each license, permit, and renewal costs $500, lasts two years, and follows an inspection. Suwannee River Economic Council runs the county's paratransit, and Medicaid rides come through the health plans' brokers and MTM Health.

- Bradford County requires a county license for the business and a separate permit for every vehicle before you carry riders.
- The code sets one fee, $500, for each license, permit, and renewal, and both last two years.
- The county inspects your vans, records, and premises before licensing and at least once a year after.
- The coordinator drives every county paratransit trip itself or through one day-program contractor, so the open work is plan trips, Gainesville runs, and larger wheelchairs.
- Most Bradford members in Medicaid health plans are in Sunshine Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Humana, so apply to Alivi, MTM Health, and Modivcare.

## Bradford County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| County rule | Code of Ordinances Chapter 38, Article II (Ordinance 92-4, September 17, 1992): a license for every nonemergency medical transportation service and a permit for each vehicle |
| Fee | $500 for each license, permit, or renewal (section 38-39), collected by the clerk |
| Term | Two years from the date of issue, renewed with new applications and inspections within 90 days of expiration |
| Decision | Within 60 days after the board receives the application, based on the papers and an inspection |
| Inspections | Once before licensing and at least once a year after: vehicles, equipment, personnel records, premises, and procedures |
| Paratransit coordinator | Suwannee River Economic Council of Live Oak, the county's coordinator since 1992, under a service plan for July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2028 |
| County trips | 25,837 in fiscal year 2024-25, 7,743 of them medical, at $37.34 a trip |
| Wheelchair limit | The coordinator carries chairs up to 30 by 48 inches and 600 pounds occupied, under its 2023 service plan |
| Medicaid | Region B. 4,425 Bradford members in health plans on August 31, 2026. Members outside a plan ride with MTM Health. |

## Who arranges rides here

- [Bradford County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller](https://bradfordclerk.com/): Takes license and vehicle permit applications and collects the $500 fees. (904) 966-6280
- [Bradford County Fire Rescue](https://bradfordcountyfl.gov/fire-rescue/): Runs county EMS, whose director supplies the license and permit forms under the code. (904) 966-6911
- [Suwannee River Economic Council](https://srecinc.org/programs/transportation/): Coordinates Bradford's paratransit trips; riders book at 844-496-0624. (386) 362-4115
- [MTM Health, Florida Medicaid rides](https://www.mtm-inc.net/floridaffs/): Books rides for Bradford Medicaid members who are not in a health plan. (844) 239-5974
- [North Central Florida Regional Planning Council](https://ncfrpc.org/TD/td.html): Staffs the Bradford County Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board. (352) 955-2200

Bradford County, with Starke as its county seat, writes its own license for wheelchair, stretcher, and other nonemergency medical transportation companies. Chapter 38, Article II of the county code, adopted as Ordinance 92-4 on September 17, 1992, puts nonemergency services under the same article as the county's ambulance certificates. Public rides for older adults, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes come from Suwannee River Economic Council, a private nonprofit based in Live Oak. The state steps, from Medicaid enrollment to owner screening, are in the [Florida guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/), and the [Florida NEMT license guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/florida-nemt-license/) compares Bradford with the other licensing counties.

## Who needs the Bradford County license

Section 38-35 covers every person who owns, or acts as agent for the owner of, a business that runs, advertises, or professes to offer nonemergency medical transportation service in the county. The business needs a county license, and each vehicle it uses needs a county vehicle permit. Advertising alone counts, so get the license before you market rides around Starke.

Two groups are exempt under section 38-33: vehicles and services exempt from state licensing under section 401.33 of the Florida Statutes, and vehicles owned and run by the state, the federal government, or a local government in the county. Section 401.33 mostly covers private cars not ordinarily used to carry sick or injured people, out-of-state ambulances, and federal ambulances, so a private wheelchair van company is not exempt.

The article never defines a nonemergency service beyond its name. Instead it ties the license to chapter 401 of the Florida Statutes, the state's ambulance law, and asks for applications "substantially similar" to the state's. Chapter 401's definitions today (section 401.23) name no wheelchair or stretcher van class, and the code still names the old Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services where the state now uses the Department of Health. That makes the county's own forms and instructions the practical standard, so get them before you buy or convert a van.

## How to get licensed

1. **Ask for the forms.** Under section 38-35(b), the county's director of emergency medical services supplies the license and vehicle permit forms and instructions on request. County EMS has been part of Bradford County Fire Rescue since October 1, 2020; call 904-966-6911.
2. **File with the clerk.** Applications and supporting papers go to the clerk of the circuit court, who passes them to the Board of County Commissioners.
3. **Meet the license conditions.** Under section 38-35(f), you file a complete application for each vehicle, own or lease at least one vehicle that qualifies for a permit, hold a permit for every vehicle you will use, employ staff who meet chapter 401, and pay the fees.
4. **Pass the inspections.** The county inspects your company before it licenses you and inspects each vehicle before it permits it.
5. **Wait for the decision.** Within 60 days after it receives your application, the board or its designee decides. A denial comes in writing with the specific reasons, and each decision goes to the board at its next regular meeting.
6. **Appeal if needed.** File a petition with the clerk within 30 days of a denial notice. The chair of the board, or a designee, hears it under chapter 120 of the Florida Statutes.

### What it costs and how long it lasts

Section 38-39, last amended by Ordinance 95-08 on August 7, 1995, sets one fee for everything under the article: $500 for each certificate, license, permit, or renewal, collected by the clerk for the county's general fund. Read literally, a one-van company pays $1,000 to start, $500 for the license and $500 for the van, and adds $500 for each van after that. Confirm how the clerk bills a fleet before you set your prices.

Licenses and vehicle permits last two years from the date of issue. Section 38-38 asks you to file the renewal applications, documents, and proofs, and pass the inspections, within 90 days of the expiration date. Put both dates on your calendar the day the license arrives.

### Inspections, records, and discipline

The board or its designee inspects every licensee once before licensing and at least once a year after. The visit covers your vehicles, equipment, personnel records, premises, and operating procedures in the county, and it must not get in the way of patient care. The board reports any adverse finding within 30 days, and refusing an inspection is grounds to deny, suspend, or revoke your license.

Keep the personnel records, vehicle records, and trip reports the state's rules call for, and have them ready for county and state staff during business hours. Section 38-41 lets the board reprimand you, put you on probation, or suspend or revoke your license for fraud on an application, a conviction for a crime of moral turpitude (a no contest plea counts), negligence, failing to provide the service, using a vehicle that fails chapter 401, or failing to report someone you know broke the article. A vehicle that fails the law can lose its permit even if it has not been used. Running without a valid license is punishable under section 1-8 by a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both, and each day counts as a separate offense.

## Suwannee River Economic Council and county paratransit trips

Suwannee River Economic Council (SREC) has been Bradford's [Community Transportation Coordinator](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/community-transportation-coordinator/) since the state commission approved it in 1992. It also coordinates Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette, and Union counties, and the commission's 2025 report calls Bradford's network a partial brokerage. The planning council picks the coordinator through a request for proposals at the end of each five-year contract, and the current service plan covers July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2028. When the council put Dixie, Gilchrist, and Union out for proposals in January 2026, SREC sent the only proposal each time.

In the commission's 2025 annual report, Bradford's trips fell to 25,837 in 2024-25, and SREC and its one coordination contractor drove all of them:

| Measure | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trips | 39,240 | 42,058 | 25,837 |
| Medical trips | 10,367 | 8,781 | 7,743 |
| Paid by Medicaid | 4,915 | 3,837 | 3,212 |
| Driven by SREC | 10,576 | 10,246 | 9,024 |
| Driven by the coordination contractor | 28,664 | 31,812 | 16,813 |
| Cost per trip | $18.94 | $18.52 | $37.34 |

The coordination contractor in the service plan is Bradford ARC, doing business as Sunshine Industries, at 1351 South Water Street in Starke. Its trip count matches, in each year, the trips the report lists as paid by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and 16,131 of the 2024-25 trips went to education, training, or day programs. SREC's own trips include the Medicaid-paid ones, and its website names Medicaid health plans among its funders, so it also carries health plan trips. The report shows no trips by outside operators.

The service plan sets the rules the program runs on, and any subcontractor would work under them:

- **Rates.** The plan's rate form set the state trust fund rates at $2.07 per ambulatory passenger mile and $3.55 per wheelchair passenger mile, effective July 1, 2023.
- **Booking.** Riders call 844-496-0624 at least 24 hours ahead for Tuesday through Friday, and 72 hours ahead for a Monday trip. Service runs weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., not on holidays.
- **Leaving the county.** The plan says medical trips leave Bradford only when the care is not available in the county, and its local out-of-service-area policy says the program provides none. It also says many residents must travel to Gainesville for work and medical care.
- **Wheelchair size.** SREC carries common wheelchairs up to 30 inches wide, 48 inches long, and 600 pounds with the rider, and larger or heavier chairs may not be carried. Those riders need another carrier.
- **Timeliness.** A 30-minute pickup window and a 90 percent on-time rate, checked by random sampling.
- **Payment.** Subcontractors are paid within seven working days after SREC is paid, or SREC owes a penalty of half a percent of the amount due for each late day.

The commission's draft allocations for fiscal year 2026-27 give Bradford $176,420 in trip and equipment money plus $19,602 in local match. In the rural capital grant summary tabled on June 11, 2026 and brought back for September 17, staff did not recommend SREC's $156,111 replacement cutaway for Bradford, which would replace a 2020 Ford with 138,860 miles. The same summary recommended funding SREC's vans for Dixie, Lafayette, and Union.

The Bradford County Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board next meets October 13, 2026 at 10 a.m. When the 2023 plan was adopted, its private transit seat and that seat's alternate were both vacant. The planning council takes seat applications through May 31 each year for three-year terms that start July 1, so a local owner can apply for a voice in how the county's trips are run.

## Medicaid rides in Bradford County

Bradford is in Medicaid Region B under section 409.966 of the Florida Statutes. Under the state's NEMT waiver for July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027, MTM Health arranges rides for Region B members who are not in a health plan. Health plans held 4,425 Bradford members on August 31, 2026. Sunshine Health, whose rides go through Alivi, held nearly half, and 4,159 members were in the five main plans below; the rest were in specialty plans:

| Health plan | Bradford members | Ride broker |
|---|---|---|
| [Sunshine Health](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/sunshine-health-florida/) | 2,075 | Alivi |
| [UnitedHealthcare Community Plan](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/unitedhealthcare-community-plan-florida/) | 1,079 | MTM Health, since March 1, 2026 |
| [Humana](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/humana-healthy-horizons-florida/) | 828 | Modivcare |
| [Florida Community Care](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/florida-community-care/) | 91 | Ride2MD |
| [Simply Healthcare](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/simply-healthcare-florida/) | 86 | Ride2MD |

The waiver's 2025 fleet counts put seven vehicles in MTM's Bradford network, three cars and four wheelchair lift vans, and no stretcher vehicles. Modivcare's table lists none in the county. The 2023 service plan counts one hospital and two nursing homes in Bradford and 24 physicians in 2021-22, and about 15 percent of employed residents work in Alachua County. Because the county program limits trips outside Bradford, long medical runs to Gainesville are where a private company fits: through the brokers for Medicaid members and private pay for everyone else. See [rural NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/rural-nemt/) for pricing long runs and empty miles, and the [MTM Health](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/) page for joining its network.

## What to do first

1. **Call Bradford County Fire Rescue** at 904-966-6911 for the license and vehicle permit forms, and ask what the vehicle inspection checks.
2. **Call the clerk** at 904-966-6280 to confirm the $500 fees for your license and each van, and how to file.
3. **Get your records ready** for the first inspection: vehicle files, personnel files, trip reports, and written procedures.
4. **Enroll with Florida Medicaid** and apply to Alivi, MTM Health, Modivcare, and Ride2MD.
5. **Talk to SREC** at 386-362-4115 about riders it cannot carry, such as heavier chairs, and attend the October 13, 2026 coordinating board meeting.

If you also pick up riders in Gainesville, read the [Alachua County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/alachua-county/) page, because that county requires its own certificate for nonemergency transport there.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need a county license for NEMT in Bradford County, Florida?

Yes. Section 38-35 of the county code says anyone who runs or advertises a nonemergency medical transportation service in the county needs a county license, and each vehicle used in it needs its own permit. The exemptions are vehicles exempt under section 401.33 of the Florida Statutes and vehicles owned and run by the state, the federal government, or a local government in the county.

### How much does a Bradford County NEMT license cost?

Section 38-39 sets the fee at $500 for a certificate, license, permit, or renewal under the article, paid to the clerk for the county's general fund. Read literally, a company with one van pays $500 for the license and $500 for the van's permit, and again at each two-year renewal. Ask the clerk at 904-966-6280 how it bills a fleet before you budget.

### How long does Bradford County take to decide on a license?

Within 60 days after it receives your application, the board or its designee decides whether you meet the article, based on your paperwork and an inspection. If it denies you, it must say why in writing. You can appeal by filing a petition with the clerk within 30 days of the denial notice, and the chair or a designee hears it under chapter 120.

### Does my license from Alachua or another county count in Bradford County?

No. Section 320.0603 of the Florida Statutes lets a vehicle-for-hire license from your home county count elsewhere, but subsection (4) leaves out transport of people in wheelchairs or on stretchers, or whose condition makes a bus or taxi impractical. A Gainesville company that picks up riders in Bradford County needs the Bradford license and van permits too.

### Who books Medicaid rides for people in Starke?

Health plan members book with their plan's broker: Alivi for Sunshine Health, MTM Health for UnitedHealthcare since March 1, 2026, Modivcare for Humana, and Ride2MD for Simply and Florida Community Care. Members outside a plan call MTM Health at 1-844-239-5974 at least three business days ahead. Your company enrolls with Florida Medicaid, then joins each broker on its own.

### Can my company get trips from Suwannee River Economic Council?

The openings are narrow. Its service plan lets it subcontract when that is cost effective, but in 2024-25 it drove 9,024 of the county's 25,837 trips itself, and its one coordination contractor drove the other 16,813. The commission's report shows no trips by outside operators. Call its main office at 386-362-4115 and ask about riders it cannot serve, such as chairs over its size and weight limit.

## Official resources

- [Bradford County Code Chapter 38, Article II, Medical Transportation Services](https://library.municode.com/fl/bradford_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIBRCOFLCO_CH38HESA_ARTIIMETRSE)
- [Bradford County Fire Rescue](https://bradfordcountyfl.gov/fire-rescue/)
- [Bradford County Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan, 2023 to 2028](https://ncfrpc.info/serviceplan/bradford%20202328%20TDSP.pdf)
- [NCFRPC: application for a coordinating board seat](https://ncfrpc.org/TD/tdbdapplication.pdf)
- [NCFRPC: 2026 coordinating board meeting schedule](https://ncfrpc.org/TD/2026mtgschedule.pdf)