How to Fill Out the STS Application: Special Transportation Service

To fill out the STS application for Miami-Dade’s Special Transportation Service, complete Part I with your personal information, sign the Part II release of information, and have a Florida-licensed physician complete and sign Part III, the medical verification. Then send the full packet, along with any supporting medical documentation the doctor provides, to the county’s STS certification office by email, fax, or mail. You can download the form from the county transit website, request one by calling 786-469-5000, or pick one up at the certification office at 701 NW 1st Court, Suite 131, Miami, Florida 33136.¹

The form has three parts. You handle the first two. Your doctor handles the third, and that is where most applications get held up.

Part I: Your Personal Information

The first section asks for straightforward biographical details. Fill in:

Your full legal name (last, first, middle initial)
Your Social Security number, all nine digits
Date of birth and sex
Home address with apartment number, city, state, and zip code
Phone number and email
An emergency contact with name, relationship, and phone number
Your Medicaid status, with your Medicaid number if you have one

Ethnicity is optional. If you need the county to correspond with you in an accessible format such as large print or Braille, note that in the space provided. If someone helps you fill out the form, that person’s name, relationship to you, and phone number go on a separate line so the county knows who to contact if there’s a question about what you wrote.¹

Part II: Release of Information

This is a short authorization that lets the county verify your medical information with your physician. Sign and date it. If you are physically unable to sign, another person can sign for you. That person needs to print their name, state their relationship to you, and certify in writing that they are authorized to act on your behalf.¹

Without a valid signature on this page, the county cannot process the medical verification in Part III, so don’t skip it or leave the date blank.

Part III: Medical Verification by Your Physician

A Florida-licensed physician must complete and sign the entire medical verification section. The county will not accept the form without it.²

Your doctor is asked to provide:

A description of your disability, including its type and nature, and whether it is moderate to severe
Whether the condition is permanent or temporary, with expected start and end dates if temporary
Whether you are receiving radiation, chemotherapy, or dialysis, and if so, the treatment schedule
Whether medication controls the disability, with an explanation of how
A functional ability assessment covering whether you can independently walk to a bus stop, wait for the bus, board using a ramp or kneeling bus, read bus signs, understand how to pay fares and navigate the system, and transfer between routes or to Metrorail or Metromover
Your mobility aid, if any: wheelchair, walker, crutches, cane, braces, service animal, or other
Whether you need ambulatory or wheelchair transport
Whether you need a Personal Care Attendant on every trip

The physician then attaches supporting medical documentation and signs the form with their printed name, Florida license number, office address, phone, and fax.¹

A few practical notes on this section. Bring the blank form to your doctor’s appointment rather than trying to mail it back and forth. Some physicians charge a fee to complete medical certification forms, so ask about that when you schedule the visit. And the functional ability checklist is the piece that carries the most weight in the review, so ask your doctor to give specific answers about each activity rather than checking “unable to determine” across the board. Vague responses slow down processing and can lead to a request for more information or an in-person evaluation.

Where to Send the Completed Application

Once all three parts are filled in and signed, send the application and any supporting medical documentation to the STS certification office by one of three methods:¹

Email: paratransit@miamidade.gov
Fax: 786-469-5033
Mail: 701 NW 1st Court, Suite 131, Miami, Florida 33136

Email is the fastest option and leaves you with a sent-message record. If you fax, keep the confirmation page. If you mail the packet, consider certified mail so you have proof of the date the county received it. That date matters, because it starts the county’s review clock.

What Happens After You Submit

County staff first screen the application to confirm all three parts are complete and that the physician’s signature and license number are present. Applications missing the medical verification are returned, and the review clock does not start until a complete application arrives.

The county may also require an in-person functional evaluation on top of the written application. A contracted professional conducts the assessment at a county-approved facility and observes your physical or cognitive abilities firsthand. Transportation to the evaluation is provided at no cost.³

Federal regulations give the county 21 days from receipt of a complete application to issue a decision. If that deadline passes without a determination, you are automatically treated as eligible and the county must provide service until it finishes processing your application.⁴ This presumptive eligibility rule exists so that people are not stranded during administrative backlogs.

If approved, you will receive a determination letter stating whether your eligibility is unconditional (you can book STS for all trips) or conditional (you can use regular Metrobus, Metrorail, or Metromover for some trips and STS for others). Either type can be permanent or temporary. If temporary, the letter will include an expiration date, and you will need to reapply before that date to avoid a gap in service.

If the Application Is Denied

Federal regulations require the county to send a written explanation when it denies an application. You can appeal. The appeal process generally involves submitting a written request within 60 days of the denial letter and attending a hearing before an appeal panel, and you can have someone represent you if you cannot attend in person. The panel issues a written decision within 30 days of the hearing, and if the panel has not decided within that window, the county must provide temporary STS service until the appeal is resolved.

For questions about your application status, missing paperwork, or the appeal process, call the STS certification office at 786-469-5000.³

1
Miami-Dade County. Special Transportation Service Application
2
City of North Miami. Special Transportation Service – How to Apply
3
Miami-Dade County. Special Transportation Service
4
eCFR. 49 CFR 37.125 – ADA Paratransit Eligibility Process