Florida’s Purple Alert is a statewide notification system that helps law enforcement locate a missing adult who has a qualifying mental, cognitive, or physical disability. It was created under Florida Statute 937.0205 to fill the gap between the AMBER Alert, which covers children, and the Silver Alert, which covers older adults with Alzheimer’s or dementia. If someone you care for goes missing and lives with a qualifying condition, the alert can only be activated by police, so the first move is always to call and report the disappearance.
Who Qualifies
A missing person must be 18 or older and meet all four of the following at the same time:
- They have a mental or cognitive disability, a brain injury, an intellectual or developmental disability, or another physical, mental, or emotional disability. The disability cannot be Alzheimer’s, a dementia-related disorder, or a condition related to substance abuse.
- The disappearance suggests immediate danger or serious bodily harm, as determined by the investigating law enforcement agency.
- The person cannot be returned to safety on their own without police involvement.
- They do not qualify for a local Silver Alert or the statewide Silver Alert Plan.
All four boxes have to be checked before an alert goes out.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 937.0205 – Purple Alert
The Substance Abuse Exclusion
The statute is explicit: a disability related to substance abuse does not qualify. If a person’s only condition is a substance use disorder, they are not eligible for a Purple Alert.
What the law does not spell out is the dual-diagnosis situation, where someone has a qualifying disability such as a brain injury alongside a separate substance use issue. The plain language focuses on whether the disability itself is substance-abuse-related, not on whether the person also struggles with addiction. In practice, that call is made by the local agency on the facts of the case. If your loved one has a documented qualifying disability and also uses substances, report them missing and let law enforcement evaluate eligibility.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 937.0205 – Purple Alert
How To Trigger a Purple Alert
You cannot activate a Purple Alert directly. Only law enforcement can. You start the process by filing a missing person report with your local police or sheriff’s office. Florida has no waiting period for reporting a missing adult, so call as soon as you know something is wrong.
What To Have Ready When You Call
Every detail speeds the response. Have the person’s full name, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color, and any scars, tattoos, or other distinguishing features. Note what they were wearing when last seen and bring a recent photograph. Give the last known location and time of disappearance. List medical conditions and current medications. If a vehicle is involved, have the make, model, color, and license plate number ready. Vehicle information matters because it determines whether the alert can go up on electronic highway signs.
Local Versus Statewide Activation
The system works on two levels. Locally, the agency with jurisdiction can push the alert to media outlets and to people subscribed to Purple Alert notifications, and can request that it appear on lottery terminals at gas stations, convenience stores, and supermarkets in the search area.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 937.0205 – Purple Alert
For a wider reach, local law enforcement can request a statewide activation from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 1-888-356-4774. When an identifiable vehicle is involved, the clearinghouse coordinates with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to display the alert on electronic message signs along state highways.2Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Purple Alert Activation Steps
How the Alert Reaches the Public
One thing to understand up front: Purple Alerts do not arrive as automatic push notifications on cell phones. The federal Wireless Emergency Alert system currently carries only four message types, and Purple Alerts are not among them.3eCFR. 47 CFR Part 10 – Wireless Emergency Alerts
The alert spreads through four channels instead:
- Television and radio stations in the affected area may broadcast the alert, though participation is voluntary.
- Anyone can sign up through FDLE to receive Purple Alert notifications by email or text message.
- When a vehicle with a verified tag number is involved, dynamic message signs on state highways display the alert details.
- Lottery terminals at gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores in the search area can carry the alert.
Because Purple Alerts do not hit phones the way AMBER Alerts do, subscribing to FDLE notifications ahead of time is the most reliable way to see one when it goes out.4Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Purple Alert Frequently Asked Questions
If You See Someone Matching an Alert
Call 911 or the non-emergency number listed in the alert. Note the person’s location, direction of travel, and any details about a vehicle or companions. Do not approach them. Someone in a mental health crisis or coping with a brain injury may react unpredictably to strangers, and a well-intentioned approach can cause the person to flee or escalate the situation.
The alert stays active until the person is recovered. When they are found, the local agency updates the alert’s status and coordinates with FDLE to cancel any statewide notification.4Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Purple Alert Frequently Asked Questions
How Purple Alert Differs From Silver, AMBER, and Blue Alerts
If your loved one does not fit the Purple Alert criteria, they may still qualify for a different Florida alert system. The four programs each cover a different situation.
- AMBER Alert covers missing children under 18 when law enforcement believes the child has been abducted and faces serious danger. AMBER Alerts are the only missing-person alerts in Florida that reach cell phones automatically.
- Silver Alert covers missing adults 60 and older with irreversible intellectual deterioration such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. Adults 18 to 59 can also qualify if law enforcement determines they lack the capacity to consent and highway message signs may be the only way to find them.5Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Florida Silver Alert
- Purple Alert covers missing adults 18 and older with a qualifying disability other than Alzheimer’s or dementia, when the disappearance suggests danger and the person does not qualify for a Silver Alert.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 937.0205 – Purple Alert
- Blue Alert is not a missing-person alert. It notifies the public when a suspect who has killed or seriously injured a law enforcement officer is at large and poses a threat.
A person with Alzheimer’s or dementia belongs in the Silver Alert pathway. Someone with a different qualifying disability belongs in the Purple Alert pathway. Anyone under 18 falls under AMBER criteria.
Preparing Before Something Happens
If you care for someone who could qualify, a small amount of preparation now can save hours later. Keep a current photograph updated every six months, along with a written description of height, weight, distinguishing marks, and typical clothing. Store copies of medical records that note the diagnosis, medications, and any behavioral tendencies that might affect a search, including whether the person tends to wander in a particular direction or gravitates toward places from their past.
Some Florida law enforcement agencies keep voluntary registries for vulnerable individuals. These typically store a photo, notes on wandering patterns, whether the person is verbal, and past addresses or locations that carry personal meaning.6Office of Justice Programs. A Guide to Law Enforcement on Voluntary Registry Programs for Vulnerable Populations
A scent preservation kit is another option. The kit stores a gauze pad with the person’s scent in a sealed jar, giving K-9 units a clean scent article to work from. A preserved scent can remain usable for up to ten years. Ask your local sheriff’s office whether kits are available in your county.
Finally, sign up for FDLE Purple Alert notifications yourself. Since these alerts do not reach phones automatically, being subscribed is how you find out that one has gone out, whether it involves your loved one or someone else in your community.