Florida Senate - 2026                                      SB 36
       
       
        
       By Senator Sharief
       
       
       
       
       
       35-00001-26                                             202636__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the use of professional nursing
    3         titles; amending s. 464.015, F.S.; authorizing persons
    4         who hold specified licenses to practice professional
    5         nursing or to perform nursing services to use certain
    6         titles and abbreviations; requiring doctoral degree
    7         holders to specify their profession when using a
    8         specified title; providing an effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Present subsection (10) of section 464.015,
   13  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (11), and a new
   14  subsection (10) is added to that section, to read:
   15         464.015 Titles and abbreviations; restrictions; penalty.—
   16         (10) Only a person who holds a license in this state or a
   17  multistate license pursuant to s. 464.0095 to practice
   18  professional nursing or to perform nursing services is
   19  authorized to use the title Doctor of Nursing Practice and the
   20  abbreviation “D.N.P.,” the title Doctor of Philosophy and the
   21  abbreviation “Ph.D.,” or other titles or abbreviations
   22  authorized under his or her practice act. Doctoral degree
   23  holders must specify their profession when using the term
   24  “doctor.”
   25         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.