Legislative Mandates

The primary goals of the center were defined in Statute 464.0195 as:

Develop a strategic statewide plan for nursing manpower in this state.
Convene various groups representative of nurses, other health care providers, business and industry, consumers, legislators, and educators.
Enhance and promote recognition, reward, and renewal activities for nurses in the state.

A companion statute, Statute 464.0196, stated that the Florida Center for Nursing shall be governed by a policy-setting board of directors. It further defined the composition of the board as 16 members to be appointed by the Governor as follows:

Four members recommended by the President of the Senate, at least one of whom shall be a registered nurse recommended by the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives and at least one other representative of the hospital industry recommended by the Florida Hospital Association.
Four members recommended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, at least one of whom shall be a registered nurse recommended by the Florida Nurses Association and at least one other representative of the long-term care industry.
Four members recommended by the Governor, two of whom shall be registered nurses.
Three nurse educators recommended by the State Board of Education, one of whom must be a director of a nursing program at a state community college.
One nurse educator recommended by the Board of Governors who is a dean of a College of Nursing at a state university.

The statute further defines the powers and duties of the board including employing an executive director, establishing committees of the board, implementing the functions of the center, and seeking nonstate funds for sustaining the center.

Florida Statute 464.019 also instructs the Florida Center for Nursing to study the administration of the Nurse Practice act, including an implementation study. The Center is charged with submitting annual reports to the Legislature evaluating program-specific data for each approved and accredited nursing education program in Florida. Nursing programs are required to comply with data requests from the Florida Center for Nursing related to this mandate.

Additional information on the statutes related to the Florida Center for Nursing can be found here.