The Florida Board of Medicine and Board of Osteopathic Medicine have been implementing new healthcare regulations following the 2024 Legislative Session. These efforts include addressing rulemaking requests, changes to licensure, and clarifying regulatory authority in several areas.
During a February meeting, the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons and Florida Academy of Dermatology petitioned for a rule requiring medical directors of medspas to display their name, specialty certification, contact information, and locations they supervise on both the medspa’s website and in its waiting room. This request was driven by concerns about unqualified personnel providing substandard services under physicians with limited experience in this field. The boards determined that legislative action would be necessary to enact such a requirement, stating they lacked authority to promulgate the rule themselves. They agreed to send a letter supporting such legislation to the Legislature.
The Board also reviewed a petition from a physician seeking clarification on whether employing and supervising naturopathic consultants falls within the scope of medical practice. Since Florida eliminated licensure for naturopaths in 1959, there is no statutory framework for their practice. A recent bill aiming to reestablish licensure failed during the last session but will be reconsidered in 2025. The board denied the petition, finding that having naturopaths consult with patients would constitute unlicensed practice of medicine.
Another issue discussed was whether physician assistants (PAs) holding an area of critical need (ACN) license can prescribe medication under state law. The Florida Academy of Physician Assistants (FAPA) raised this question due to recent legislative changes allowing PAs into Section 458.315, F.S., which covers temporary licenses for areas of critical need. Many ACN applications came from PAs trained in Puerto Rico who are not authorized or trained to prescribe medications there; these applicants were approved with conditions including additional continuing education and passing an exam on prescribing. FAPA has requested that rules be updated so ACN-licensed PAs are prohibited from obtaining prescriptive authority unless requirements are met.
Senate Bill 7016 (“Live Healthy”) was among the significant bills passed during the session, introducing several licensure reforms:
A new Graduate Assistant Physician (GAP) limited license allows unmatched medical school graduates who have passed all required exams to provide care under direct supervision by approved physicians—each supervisor may oversee up to two GAPs and is responsible for their actions or omissions. The GAP license is valid for two years with one possible renewal year; as of now, no licenses have been issued but this is expected after Match Day in March 2025.
SB 7016 also creates a pathway for foreign-trained physicians if their postgraduate training is deemed “substantially similar” to ACGME-accredited programs—a determination currently being defined by board-drafted language recognizing ACGME-International programs as equivalent while allowing others to demonstrate similarity.
Florida has joined the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), enabling streamlined licensing across participating states without altering existing state laws or disciplinary jurisdiction. Processing compact applications began in December 2024; more details are available through both medical boards.
