Florida HB 1231: Final Disposition, Funeral, and Cemetery Services

Bill Text

CS/HB 1231 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to final disposition, funeral, and 2
cemetery services; amending s. 497.005, F.S.; revising 3
and providing definitions; amending s. 497.164, F.S.; 4
prohibiting solicitations of sales of final 5
disposition, funeral, and cemetery services by 6
licensees of such services under certain 7
circumstances; amending s. 497.263, F.S.; revising 8
land requirements for proposed cemeteries; amending s. 9
497.270, F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made 10
by the act; amending ss. 497.369 and 497.374, F.S.; 11
specifying educational and testing requirements for 12
licensure as embalmers and funeral directors by 13
endorsement, respectively; amending s. 497.375, F.S.; 14
revising requirements for licensure for funeral 15
director interns; amending s. 497.376, F.S.; 16
specifying educational and testing requirements for 17
licensure as both funeral directors and embalmers by 18
endorsement; amending s. 497.377, F.S.; revising 19
requirements for combination licensure as funeral 20
director and embalmer interns; amending s. 497.386, 21
F.S.; authorizing persons, establishments, and 22
facilities licensed in final disposition, funeral, and 23
cemetery services to dispose of human remains under 24
certain circumstances; amending s. 497.459, F.S.; 25

CS/HB 1231 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

revising requirements for notices to purchasers and 26
legally authorized persons of unfulfilled preneed 27
contracts; providing rulemaking authority; creating s. 28
497.6065, F.S.; requiring licensure of natural organic 29
reduction facilities; providing requirements for the 30
application for and approval of licensure; requiring 31
the Department of Financial Services, the Department 32
of Health, and the Department of Environmental 33
Protection to adopt specified rules; providing 34
requirements for licensure of such facilities, 35
including licensure on a probationary basis; providing 36
requirements for the renewal of such licenses and 37
changes to licensure; providing requirements for the 38
supervision of such facilities; requiring the adoption 39
of standards for such facilities by rule; providing 40
requirements for the practice of natural organic 41
reduction and facilities conducting such practice; 42
amending s. 497.607, F.S.; decreasing the waiting time 43
period for funeral and direct disposal establishments 44
to dispose of cremated remains; creating s. 497.6075, 45
F.S.; providing requirements for the performance of 46
natural organic reduction and reduced human remains; 47
authorizing the Board of Funeral, Cemetery, and 48
Consumer Services to adopt and enforce specified rules 49
and regulations; amending s. 627.404, F.S.; excluding 50

CS/HB 1231 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

preneed contracts from requirements that insured 51
persons apply for or consent to such contracts and 52
terms; providing an effective date. 53
54
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 55
56
Section 1. Subsections (50) through (79) of section 57
497.005, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (52) 58
through (81), respectively, subsection (22) is amended, and new 59
subsections (50) and (51) are added to that section, to read: 60
497.005 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term: 61
(22) "Cremation" means any mechanical or thermal process 62
whereby a dead human body is reduced to ashes and bone 63
fragments. Cremation also includes any other mechanical or 64
thermal process whereby human remains are pulverized, burned, 65
recremated, or otherwise further reduced in size or quantity, 66
including natural organic reduction. 67
(50) "Natural organic reduction" means the contained, 68
accelerated conversion of human remains to soil. 69
(51) "Natural organic reduction facility" means a 70
structure, room, or other space in a building or a real property 71
where natural organic reduction of a human body occurs. 72
Section 2. Subsection (6) is added to section 497.164, 73
Florida Statutes, to read: 74
497.164 Solicitation of goods or services.— 75

CS/HB 1231 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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(6) A licensee may not enter into a contract, agreement, 76
or other arrangement whereby the licensee or any licensee's 77
affiliate becomes the exclusive or sole provider of funeral, 78
burial, cremation, refrigeration, embalming, or removal services 79
for an entity that provides medical, palliative, or other end-80
of-life care and