Updated October 30, 2026. Sean Orr, M.D., Florida Doctor Magazine.
Florida regulates how physicians practice through statute, Board of Medicine rules and agency action, and several of those rules changed in 2026. This page collects our coverage of scope of practice, office surgery, patient brokering, noncompetes, recording laws and licensure, with the statute or bill number for each so you can read the source yourself. We update it as the 2027 legislative session approaches.
Scope of practice
The 2026 session brought HB 693, which would let all advanced practice registered nurses practice without physician supervision, along with a bill to license naturopathic physicians. Our guide to Florida NP and PA supervision requirements in 2026 explains what current law requires of a supervising or collaborating physician, whether a physician assistant can practice independently in Florida, and how physicians can take part before these bills return. Neither became law: HB 693 passed the House and died in Senate Rules on March 13, 2026, and the naturopathic licensure bill (CS/SB 688) was vetoed on June 26, as our corrected 2026 session wrap-up explains.
Office surgery
Governor DeSantis signed HB 1175 on May 21, and it took effect July 1, 2026. Our report on Florida’s office surgery suite law explains how the law raises the immobile-patient threshold from three to six and directs the Florida Building Commission and State Fire Marshal to write office surgery suite standards by January 1, 2027, so a small procedural suite no longer has to meet full ambulatory surgical center building requirements.
Patient brokering and marketing contracts
A marketing firm that offers to fill a schedule for a percentage of the revenue it brings in is offering a contract that Florida Statute 817.505 can treat as a felony for the physician who signs it. Our analysis of the Florida Patient Brokering Act and percentage-based marketing deals walks through the 2019 amendment and State v. Kigar.
Noncompetes
Most Florida physicians now sign employment contracts with a restrictive covenant. Our guide to Florida physician noncompete clauses covers sections 542.335 and 542.336, explains why the 2025 CHOICE Act left physicians out, and lists five things to check before you sign.
AI scribes and recording consent
Florida requires the consent of every party before a conversation is recorded, and that rule applies to ambient AI scribes in the exam room. Our report on AI scribes, patient consent and felony exposure in Florida explains the risk under chapter 934 and what Florida physicians should do now.
Licensure, reporting and the Board
Many physicians still avoid mental health care because they expect it to appear on a license application. Our guide to mental health care and your Florida medical license explains what the Board of Medicine form asks and how section 456.076 and the Professionals Resource Network protect self-referral. A 2026 administrative ruling on off-duty speech and a Florida license shows how far apart an emergency suspension and a final penalty can be.
For renewal, our Florida CME requirements guide for MDs and DOs lists the hours and mandatory topics. It was corrected on Nov. 10, 2026: Florida MDs need 40 hours with the mandatory courses counted inside the total, and Group 2 MD licenses expire on January 31, 2027. New reporting duties are coming as well, and our report on Florida’s Parkinson’s disease registry covers the mandatory reporting that begins in January 2027. Our coverage of the Department of Health school vaccine rule, 64D-3.046, follows that rule as it moves.
This guide was compiled with the assistance of AI writing tools under the editorial direction of Sean Orr, M.D., who holds editorial responsibility for its content. None of this constitutes legal advice.