Florida Senate - 2016                                     SB 742
       
       
        
       By Senator Hutson
       
       
       
       
       
       6-00538-16                                             2016742__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to certificates of public convenience
    3         and necessity for life support or air ambulance
    4         services; amending s. 401.25, F.S.; requiring, rather
    5         than authorizing, county governing boards to adopt
    6         ordinances that provide standards for the issuance of
    7         certificates of public convenience and necessity for
    8         basic or advanced life support or air ambulance
    9         services; specifying subjects of standards; providing
   10         an appeal process; providing a standard for issuance
   11         for denied applications for certificates of public
   12         convenience and necessity; providing an effective
   13         date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Subsection (6) of section 401.25, Florida
   18  Statutes, is amended to read:
   19         401.25 Licensure as a basic life support or an advanced
   20  life support service.—
   21         (6) The governing body of each county shall may adopt
   22  ordinances that provide reasonable standards for the issuance of
   23  certificates of public convenience and necessity to provide for
   24  basic or advanced life support services or and air ambulance
   25  services, including, but not limited to, standards regarding
   26  trained personnel staffing, equipment, and response times to
   27  life support calls. In developing standards for certificates of
   28  public convenience and necessity, the governing body of each
   29  county must consider state guidelines, recommendations of the
   30  local or regional trauma agency created under chapter 395, and
   31  the recommendations of municipalities and independent special
   32  fire control districts within its jurisdiction. If the county
   33  denies an application for a certificate of public convenience
   34  and necessity to provide basic or advanced life support services
   35  or air ambulance services pursuant to this chapter, the
   36  applicant may appeal the decision by filing a writ of certiorari
   37  with the circuit court with jurisdiction over the county. The
   38  county shall award the requested certificate if the record in
   39  the proceeding on the writ demonstrates that the applicant will
   40  provide a level of service superior to that of the current
   41  county provider, as measured by the county standards for the
   42  issuance of the certificates, and at equal or less cost.
   43         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.