Florida SB 36: Use of Professional Nursing Titles

Bill Text

36 
Use of Professional Nursing Titles 
2026-02-16T10:36:59Z 
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. 
Committee Substitute 2 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c2 

 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 Doctor of Philosophy 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 patients or prospective patients 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.