The Florida Senate

388.45  Threat to public health; emergency declarations.--The State Health Officer has the authority to declare that a threat to public health exists when the Department of Health discovers in the human or surrogate population the occurrence of an infectious disease that can be transmitted from arthropods to humans. The State Health Officer must immediately notify the Commissioner of Agriculture of the declaration of this threat to public health. The Commissioner of Agriculture is authorized to issue an emergency declaration based on the State Health Officer's declaration of a threat to the public health or based on other threats to animal health. Each declaration must contain the geographical boundaries and the duration of the declaration. The State Health Officer shall order such human medical preventive treatment and the Commissioner of Agriculture shall order such ameliorative arthropod control measures as are necessary to prevent the spread of disease, notwithstanding contrary provisions of this chapter or the rules adopted under this chapter. Within 24 hours after a declaration of a threat to the public health, the State Health Officer must also notify the agency heads of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of the declaration. Within 24 hours after an emergency declaration based on the public health declaration or based on other threats to animal health, the Commissioner of Agriculture must notify the agency heads of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of the declaration. Within 24 hours after an emergency declaration based on other threats to animal health, the Commissioner of Agriculture must also notify the agency head of the Department of Health of the declaration.

History.--s. 16, ch. 86-203; s. 21, ch. 92-203; s. 354, ch. 94-356; s. 85, ch. 97-101; s. 201, ch. 99-245.