SB0596 • 2026

Transparency in Health Care

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Garcia
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Health Policy
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill died in Health Policy and did not become law, so the effective date of July 1, 2026, is not applicable.

Transparency in Health Care

This bill requires health care practitioners to report personal benefits received from pharmaceutical companies and establishes a public database for these reports.

What This Bill Does

Defines 'personal benefit' as any advantage received outside of patient care, including gifts, financial incentives, speaking fees, travel, research funding, free samples, or other compensation.
Requires health care practitioners to report personal benefits from pharmaceutical companies at least every three months.
Establishes uniform reporting procedures and a publicly accessible online database for these reports.
Sets guidelines for ethical practices when health care providers interact with pharmaceutical companies.
Allows the Auditor General to conduct annual audits to ensure compliance, accuracy of data, and address conflicts of interest.

Who It Names or Affects

Health care practitioners who receive personal benefits from pharmaceutical companies
Pharmaceutical companies providing personal benefits to health care providers
The public accessing the online database

Terms To Know

personal benefit: Any advantage received outside of patient care, such as gifts or financial incentives from pharmaceutical companies.
publicly accessible online database: A website where anyone can search for reports on personal benefits given to health care providers by pharmaceutical companies.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass the final stage in the legislature and died in Health Policy.
It is unclear how many health care practitioners will comply with reporting requirements.
There are no details on specific penalties for non-compliance beyond disciplinary action by boards.

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Health Policy
2026-01-13 Senate
• Introduced
2025-12-09 Senate
• Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Fiscal Policy
2025-11-19 Senate
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Transparency in Health Care; Defining the term “personal benefit”; requiring health care practitioners to report any personal benefit received from a pharmaceutical company to the Department of Health; requiring the department to establish uniform reporting procedures and a publicly accessible online database for the reports; requiring the department to establish certain guidelines for health care practitioners, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 596

By
Senator Garcia

36-00967-26 2026596__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to transparency in health care;
3 creating s. 456.0525, F.S.; defining the term
4 “personal benefit”; requiring health care
5 practitioners to report any personal benefit received
6 from a pharmaceutical company to the Department of
7 Health; requiring that such reports be updated at
8 least quarterly and include certain information;
9 requiring the department to establish uniform
10 reporting procedures and a publicly accessible online
11 database for the reports; providing requirements for
12 the database; requiring the department to establish
13 certain guidelines for health care practitioners;
14 requiring the Auditor General to perform annual audits
15 for specified purposes; providing for administrative
16 and criminal penalties; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Section 456.0525, Florida Statutes, is created
21 to read:
22
456.0525
Disclosure of personal benefits received from

23
pharmaceutical companies
.—

24
(1)

As used in this section, the term

“
p
ersonal benefit”

25
means any benefit or advantage, economic or noneconomic,

26
received outside of the context of a health care practitioner

27
patient relationship. The term includes, but is not limited to,

28
investment interests, gifts, financial incentives, kickback

29
fees, speaking fees, sponsored travel, research funding, free

30
samples, and any other form of compensation.

31
(2)

To promote transparency, accountability, and public

32
trust in health care in this state, each health care

33
practitioner shall report
to the department
any personal benefit

34
received from a pharmaceutical company. Reports must be updated

35
at least quarterly
and

include, at a minimum,
details
regarding

36
the nature, value, and purpose of
any personal
benefit received.

37
(3)

The department shall
establish
uniform reporting

38
procedures and a publicly accessible online database to maintain

39
the reports. The database must
allow
members of the public to

40
easily search by the name of a health care practitioner
or

41
pharmaceutical company and
the
type of
personal benefit

42
received
.

43
(
4
)

The department shall establish guidelines for health

44
care practitioners relating to ethical practices when engaging

45
with pharmaceutical companies.

46
(
5
)

The Auditor General shall perform annual audits to

47
monitor compliance with this section, verify the accuracy of

48
reported data, and address any conflicts of interest.

49
(
6
) A violation of this section is grounds for disci
plinary

50
action by the
applicable
board.
A second or subsequent
violation

51
of this section constitute
s
a misdemeanor of the first degree,

52
punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

53 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.