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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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An act relating to advanced practice registered nurse 2
services; amending s. 382.008, F.S.; revising who may 3
file a certificate of death or fetal death; revising 4
the definition of "primary or attending practitioner"; 5
revising who may note corrected information on a 6
permanent certificate of death or fetal death; 7
providing an effective date. 8
9
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10
11
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and subsections 12
(3) and (5) of section 382.008, Florida Statutes, are amended to 13
read: 14
382.008 Death, fetal death, and nonviable birth 15
registration.— 16
(2)(a) The funeral director who first assumes custody of a 17
dead body or fetus shall electronically file the certificate of 18
death or fetal death. In the absence of the funeral director, 19
the physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered 20
nurse registered under s. 464.0123, advanced practice registered 21
nurse providing hospice care pursuant to a written protocol with 22
a licensed physician, or other person in attendance at or after 23
the death or the district medical examiner of the county in 24
which the death occurred or the body was found shall 25
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
electronically file th e certificate of death or fetal death. The 26
person who files the certificate shall obtain personal data from 27
a legally authorized person as described in s. 497.005 or the 28
best qualified person or source available. The medical 29
certification of cause of death must be furnished to the funeral 30
director, either in person or via certified mail or electronic 31
transfer, by the physician, physician assistant, advanced 32
practice registered nurse registered under s. 464.0123, advanced 33
practice registered nurse providing hospice care pursuant to a 34
written protocol with a licensed physician, or medical examiner 35
responsible for furnishing such information. For fetal deaths, 36
the physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered 37
nurse registered under s. 464.0123, advanced practice registered 38
nurse providing hospice care pursuant to a written protocol with 39
a licensed physician, midwife, or hospital administrator shall 40
provide any medical or health information to the funeral 41
director within 72 hours after expulsion or extraction. 42
(3) Within 72 hours after receipt of a death or fetal 43
death certificate from the funeral director, the medical 44
certification of cause of death shall be completed and made 45
available to the funeral director by the decedent's primary or 46
attending practitioner or, if s. 382.011 applies, the district 47
medical examiner of the county in which the death occurred or 48
the body was found. The primary or attending practitioner or the 49
medical examiner shall certify over his or her signature the 50
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
cause of death to the best of his or her knowledge and belief. 51
As used in this section, the term "primary or attending 52
practitioner" means a physician, physician assistant, or 53
advanced practice registered nurse registered under s. 464.0123 , 54
or an advanced practice reg istered nurse providing hospice care 55
pursuant to a written protocol with a licensed physician, who 56
treated the decedent through examination, medical advice, or 57
medication during the 12 months preceding the date of death. 58
(a) The department may grant the funeral director an 59
extension of time upon a good and sufficient showing of any of 60
the following conditions: 61
1. An autopsy is pending. 62
2. Toxicology, laboratory, or other diagnostic reports 63
have not been completed. 64
3. The identity of the decedent is unknown and further 65
investigation or identification is required. 66
(b) If the decedent's primary or attending practitioner or 67
the district medical examiner of the county in which the death 68
occurred or the body was found indicates that he or she will 69
sign and complete the medical certification of cause of death 70
but will not be available until after the 5 -day registration 71
deadline, the local registrar may grant an extension of 5 days. 72
If a further extension is required, the funeral director must 73
provide written justification to the registrar. 74
(5) A permanent certificate of death or fetal death, 75
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
containing the cause of death and any other information that was 76
previously unavailable, shall be registered as a replacement for 77
the temporary certificate. The perma nent certificate may also 78
include corrected information if the items being corrected are 79
noted on the back of the certificate and dated and signed by the 80
funeral director, physician, physician assistant, advanced 81
practice registered nurse registered under s. 464.0123, an 82
advanced practice registered nurse providing hospice care 83
pursuant to a written protocol with a licensed physician , or 84
district medical examiner of the county in which the death 85
occurred or the body was found, as appropriate. 86
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 87