This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
Sponsor
Sharief
Last action
2026-03-13
Official status
Senate - Died in Rules
Effective date
2026-07-01
Plain English Breakdown
Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.
Use of Professional Nursing Titles
Use of Professional Nursing Titles; Providing that licensed advanced practice registered nurses who hold specified degrees may use titles and abbreviations associated with those degrees in a specified manner; prohibiting such persons from holding themselves out to patients or prospective patients as a doctor in advertising without also clearly denoting their licensed profession, etc.
What This Bill Does
Use of Professional Nursing Titles; Providing that licensed advanced practice registered nurses who hold specified degrees may use titles and abbreviations associated with those degrees in a specified manner; prohibiting such persons from holding themselves out to patients or prospective patients as a doctor in advertising without also clearly denoting their licensed profession, etc.
Limits and Unknowns
This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No.
Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No.
CS for CS for SB 36
Ì600226xÎ600226
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate .
House
.
.
Bill History
2026-03-13Senate
• Died in Rules
2026-02-26Senate
• On Committee agenda-- Rules, 03/03/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building --Temporarily Postponed
2026-02-18Senate
• CS/CS by Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services read 1st time
2026-02-16Senate
• Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute) • Now in Rules
2026-02-12Senate
• CS/CS by Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; YEAS 8 NAYS 1
2026-02-09Senate
• On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, 02/12/26, 2:30 pm, 412 Knott Building
2026-02-04Senate
• Now in Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services • CS by Health Policy read 1st time
2026-02-03Senate
• Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
2026-02-02Senate
• CS by Health Policy; YEAS 9 NAYS 2
2026-01-28Senate
• On Committee agenda-- Health Policy, 02/02/26, 3:30 pm, 412 Knott Building
2026-01-13Senate
• Introduced
2025-10-06Senate
• Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Rules
2025-09-08Senate
• Filed
Official Summary Text
Use of Professional Nursing Titles; Providing that licensed advanced practice registered nurses who hold specified degrees may use titles and abbreviations associated with those degrees in a specified manner; prohibiting such persons from holding themselves out to patients or prospective patients as a doctor in advertising without also clearly denoting their licensed profession, etc.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
CS for CS for SB 36
By
the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services;
the Committee on Health Policy; and Senators Sharief, Osgood,
Davis, Rouson, and Berman
603-02824-26 202636c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the use of professional nursing
3 titles; amending s. 464.015, F.S.; providing that
4 licensed advanced practice registered nurses who hold
5 specified degrees may use titles and abbreviations
6 associated with those degrees in a specified manner;
7 prohibiting such persons from holding themselves out
8 to patients or prospective patients as a doctor in
9 advertising without also clearly denoting their
10 licensed profession; providing for disciplinary
11 action; providing an effective date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Subsections (8) and (10) of section 464.015,
16 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
17 464.015 Titles and abbreviations; restrictions; penalty.—
18 (8) Only persons who hold valid licenses to practice as
19 advanced practice registered nurses in this state may use the
20 title “Advanced Practice Registered Nurse” and the abbreviation
21 “A.P.R.N.”
22
(a)
A licensed advanced practice registered nurse
who also
23
holds a
D
octor of
P
hilosophy degree or a
Doctor of Nursing
24
Practice degree
may use the title “Doctor of Philosophy” and the
25
abbreviation “Ph.D.,” or
the title
“Doctor of Nursing Practice”
26
and the abbreviation “D.N.P.,” respectively, in a manner
27
consistent with the doctoral degree such person
holds
.
28
(b) A person authorized under paragraph (a) to use a title
29
or abbreviation
associated with a doctoral degree
in a clinical
30
setting
may not hold himself or herself out
as a doctor
to
31
patient
s
or
prospective patient
s
in advertising produced
32
directly by the practitioner, including signage or written
33
communication, using such title or abbreviation without also
34
clearly denoting his or her licensed profession
.
35 (10) A violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the
36 first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s.
37 775.083
, except for violations of paragraph (8)(a) or paragraph
38
(8)(b). Violations of paragraph (8)(a) or paragraph (8)(b)
39
constitute grounds for disciplinary action under s.
40
464.018
(1)(o)
.
41 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.