Florida Senate - 2026 SB 524
By Senator Simon
3-00680-26 2026524__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Department of Law Enforcement;
3 amending s. 406.02, F.S.; specifying the circumstances
4 under which an appointment or reappointment to the
5 Medical Examiners Commission is considered in force;
6 requiring the commission to approve the appointment of
7 district medical examiners by a majority vote to fill
8 vacancies; amending s. 406.06, F.S.; requiring the
9 commission, rather than the Governor, to appoint
10 district medical examiners for each medical examiner
11 district; specifying that upon approval by the
12 commission, rather than by the Governor, a physician
13 member of the commission is eligible to serve as a
14 district medical examiner; amending s. 943.11, F.S.;
15 requiring the Criminal Justice Professionalism Program
16 to provide staff support to the Criminal Justice
17 Standards and Training Commission; requiring the
18 commission to act independently of any criminal
19 justice agency; amending s. 943.1395, F.S.; requiring
20 commission staff to provide service by certified mail
21 to a certain licensee’s last known address of record
22 and, if possible, by e-mail; requiring commission
23 staff to take specified action if the person providing
24 service does not provide commission staff with proof
25 of service; amending ss. 943.1726, 943.17261,
26 943.1727, and 943.17299, F.S.; requiring the
27 commission, rather than the Department of Law
28 Enforcement, to establish or develop specified
29 training components or courses; providing an effective
30 date.
31
32 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
33
34 Section 1. Subsections (2) and (4) of section 406.02,
35 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
36 406.02 Medical Examiners Commission; membership; terms;
37 duties; staff.—
38 (2) The term of office of the physicians appointed to the
39 commission shall be 4 years. The term of office of the state
40 attorney, public defender, sheriff, and county commissioner each
41 shall be 4 years unless she or he leaves that office sooner, in
42 which case her or his appointment will terminate. The term of
43 office of the funeral director shall be 4 years. Upon the
44 expiration of the present terms of office, the Governor shall
45 appoint two members for terms of 4 years, two members for terms
46 of 3 years, two members for terms of 2 years, and one member for
47 a term of 1 year. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall be for
48 the unexpired portion of the term. An appointment or
49 reappointment is considered in force until the appointee
50 resigns, the appointee is no longer qualified for the position,
51 or the Governor appoints a new member.
52 (4) The Medical Examiners Commission shall:
53 (a) Initiate cooperative policies with any agency of the
54 state or political subdivision thereof.
55 (b) Approve the appointment of district medical examiners
56 by a majority vote to fill vacancies.
57 (c) Remove or suspend district medical examiners pursuant
58 to this act and have the authority to investigate violations of
59 this act.
60 (d)(c) Oversee the distribution of state funds for the
61 medical examiner districts and may make such agreements and
62 contracts, subject to approval of the executive director of the
63 Department of Law Enforcement, as may be necessary to effect the
64 provisions of this chapter.
65 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 406.06, Florida
66 Statutes, is amended to read:
67 406.06 District medical examiners; associates; suspension
68 of medical examiners.—
69 (1)(a) A district medical examiner shall be appointed by
70 The Medical Examiners Commission shall appoint a district
71 medical examiner, who must be a practicing physician in
72 pathology, Governor for each medical examiner district from
73 nominees who are practicing physicians in pathology, whose
74 nominations are submitted to the Governor by the Medical
75 Examiners Commission. The term of office of each district
76 medical examiner shall be 3 years. An appointment to fill a
77 vacancy shall be for the unexpired portion of the term.
78 (b) A physician member of the Medical Examiners Commission
79 is shall be eligible to serve as a district medical examiner
80 upon approval by the Medical Examiners Commission Governor.
81 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
82 943.11, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
83 943.11 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission;
84 membership; meetings; compensation.—
85 (1)(a) There is created a Criminal Justice Standards and
86 Training Commission within the Department of Law Enforcement.
87 The Criminal Justice Professionalism Program shall provide staff
88 support to the commission as authorized in s. 943.09; however,
89 the commission must act independently of any criminal justice
90 agency. The commission shall be composed of 19 members,
91 consisting of the Secretary of Corrections or a designated
92 assistant; the Attorney General or a designee; the Director of
93 the Division of the Florida Highway Patrol; and 16 members
94 appointed by the Governor, consisting of 3 sheriffs; 3 chiefs of
95 police; 5 law enforcement officers who are of the rank of
96 sergeant or below within the employing agency; 2 correctional
97 officers, 1 of whom is an administrator of a state correctional
98 institution and 1 of whom is of the rank of sergeant or below
99 within the employing agency; 1 training center director; 1
100 person who is in charge of a county correctional institution;
101 and 1 resident of the state who falls into none of the foregoing
102 classifications. Prior to the appointment, the sheriff, chief of
103 police, law enforcement officer, and correctional officer
104 members must have had at least 4 years’ experience as law
105 enforcement officers or correctional officers.
106 Section 4. Present subsection (10) of section 943.1395,
107 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (11), and a new
108 subsection (10) is added to that section, to read:
109 943.1395 Certification for employment or appointment;
110 concurrent certification; reemployment or reappointment;
111 inactive status; revocation; suspension; investigation.—
112 (10) Notwithstanding s. 120.60(5), if an administrative
113 complaint is served on a certified law enforcement officer, a
114 correctional officer, a correctional probation officer, or an
115 instructor, commission staff must provide service by certified
116 mail to the licensee’s last known address of record and, if
117 possible, by e-mail. If the person providing service does not
118 provide commission staff with proof of service, commission staff
119 must call the last known telephone number of record and cause a
120 short, plain notice to the licensee to be posted on the front
121 page of the commission’s website.
122 Section 5. Section 943.1726, Florida Statutes, is amended
123 to read:
124 943.1726 Continued employment training relating to diabetic
125 emergencies.—The commission department shall establish an online
126 continued employment training component relating to diabetic
127 emergencies. The training component shall include, but need not
128 be limited to, instruction on the recognition of symptoms of
129 such an emergency, distinguishing such an emergency from alcohol
130 intoxication or drug overdose, and appropriate first aid for
131 such an emergency. Completion of the training component may
132 count toward the 40 hours of instruction for continued
133 employment or appointment as a law enforcement officer required
134 under s. 943.135.
135 Section 6. Section 943.17261, Florida Statutes, is amended
136 to read:
137 943.17261 Department of Law Enforcement; Training related
138 to medical use of marijuana.—The commission Department of Law
139 Enforcement shall develop a 4-hour online initial training
140 course, and a 2-hour online continuing education course, which
141 shall be made available for use by all law enforcement agencies
142 in this state. Such training shall cover the legal parameters of
143 marijuana-related activities governed by ss. 381.986 and 381.988
144 relating to criminal laws governing marijuana.
145 Section 7. Section 943.1727, Florida Statutes, is amended
146 to read:
147 943.1727 Continued employment training relating to autism
148 spectrum disorder.—The commission department shall establish a
149 continued employment training component relating to autism
150 spectrum disorder as defined in s. 627.6686. The training
151 component shall include, but need not be limited to, instruction
152 on the recognition of the symptoms and characteristics of an
153 individual on the autism disorder spectrum and appropriate
154 responses to an individual exhibiting such symptoms and
155 characteristics. Completion of the training component may count
156 toward the 40 hours of instruction for continued employment or
157 appointment as a law enforcement officer required under s.
158 943.135.
159 Section 8. Section 943.17299, Florida Statutes, is amended
160 to read:
161 943.17299 Continued employment training relating to
162 Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia.—The
163 commission department shall establish an online, continued
164 employment training component relating to Alzheimer’s disease
165 and related forms of dementia. The training component must be
166 developed in consultation with the Department of Elder Affairs
167 and must include, but need not be limited to, instruction on
168 interacting with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related
169 form of dementia, including instruction on techniques for
170 recognizing behavioral symptoms and characteristics, effective
171 communication, employing the use of alternatives to physical
172 restraints, and identifying signs of abuse, neglect, or
173 exploitation. Completion of the training component may count
174 toward the 40 hours of instruction for continued employment or
175 appointment as a law enforcement officer, correctional officer,
176 or correctional probation officer required under s. 943.135.
177 Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.