The Arc Sunrise of Central Florida history

In 1979 The Arc of Lake County was founded and co-located a pre-school program on the grounds of SunriseWorkshop.

By the 1986 Legislative session, the Florida ARC chapter had officially changed its name to ARC/Florida and successfully passed highly contested but necessary zoning legislation to permit groups of six or fewer individuals to live in single family residential zones.

In 1988, The Arc opened its first group home, Pilot House on South Grove Street in Eustis.

In 1993, ARC/Florida was successful in working with family groups to pass legislation to establish Family Care Councils around the State.

By 1995 The Arc Sunrise’s long-awaited new headquarters was opened on Radio Road in Leesburg just north of Lake Square Mall.

The law allows eligible individuals with disabilities the ability to establish “ABLE accounts” for qualified beneficiaries that resemble the qualified tuition programs, often called “529 accounts”, that have been established under that section of the tax code since 1996.

By 1995 The Arc Sunrise’s long-awaited new headquarters was opened on Radio Road in Leesburg just north of Lake Square Mall. It soon opened a second group home in Mount Dora and in 1997 built and opened a state of the art pre-school program.

In 1998 The Arc Sunrise’s opened the first home in the region dedicated to persons with severe or intensive behavioral challenges.

In 2003, ARC/Florida organized and rallied over 3,000 people to protest State cuts in funding for residential and day training services.

The Arc of Florida began a statewide vehicle donation program in order to raise funds for local chapters in 2008.

Removing the r-word from state statutes will not end bullying in Florida, but it shows individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities that they are respected.” The changes took effect on July 1, 2014.