Orlando, Fla. – The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced late Saturday that Delivering Solutions 24, its annual Convention & Expo and largest event of the year, was forced to be cancelled due to the projected path of the impending Hurricane Milton.
“We are beyond disappointed. But your safety is our paramount consideration, and we have no choice,” the organization’s leadership, including AHCA Chair Phil Scalo, President & CEO Mark Parkinson, and incoming President & CEO Clif Porter, stated in a communication to attendees late Saturday.
Events scheduled for Sunday, including NCAL Day, continued as planned; all other scheduled programming, which was intended to run through Wednesday, October 9, was cancelled.
The decision was necessitated based on information reviewed by AHCA/NCAL leadership on Saturday, including a declaration by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that Orange County, where Orlando is located, is in a state of emergency due to the oncoming storm. The path of Tropical Storm Milton shows a direct line over Orlando, where Delivering Solutions 24 was located. At the time of the cancellation, there were official weather predictions indicating the storm would accelerate to a Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall later this week.
“Our intent was that this conference would be an acknowledgement of our past and a celebration of the future,” read the communication from AHCA/NCAL leadership. “We are sorry that we can’t do that this week in Orlando. But none of this diminishes what we have all done together and will continue to do together in the future.”