The Florida Senate

The bill revises chapter 497, F.S., the Florida Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services Act (Act), which provides for the regulation of funeral and cemetery services. The bill:

• Prohibits licensees from contracting to become the exclusive or sole provider of funeral, cremation, refrigeration, or removal services for any entity that provides medical, palliative, or other end-of-life care and services to the general public.
• Allows licensees to dispose of human remains that have been in their lawful possession for at least 90 days if the legally authorized person of the decedent fails, neglects, or refuses to direct the disposition.
• Provides that the minimum acreage of a cemetery must be contiguous, except that parcels of land divided solely by a public right-of-way or public road may be considered contiguous, provided the parcels are in close geographic proximity and form a unified cemetery property.
• Revises licensure requirements, providing that:

• Licensure by endorsement as an embalmer, funeral director, or a combination funeral director and embalmer for an applicant that holds a valid license in another state and has at least five years’ experience of licensed practice in that state does not require educational or testing requirements other than passage of the examination on local, state, and federal laws and rules relating to the disposition of dead human bodies.
• The educational requirements that a funeral director licensure applicant who has not completed the educational credentials required for the license are revised to remove passage of a college course in mortuary or funeral service law.
• Licensure as a combination funeral director and embalmer intern, a licensure that is available to applicants who have not completed the educational credentials required for a combination license as both a funeral director and embalmer, requires either an associate degree or higher from an accredited college or university or current enrollment in an accredited college in an accredited course of study in mortuary science.

• Exempts prepaid funeral contracts from the insurable interest requirements of the Florida Insurance Code.
• Allows a preneed licensee to send written notice to the last known e-mail or mailing address of the purchaser or beneficiary’s legally authorized person that the preneed licensee intends to distribute funds related to unfulfilled services.

The bill does not impact state expenditures or revenues.

If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor's signature, these provisions take effect on July 1, 2026.

Vote: Senate 37-0; House 104-0