Florida
| Name of Article | Specific Clauses or the Law | Scope | Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breach Notification (2014), Fla. Stat. § 501.171 | Title XXXIII
REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, INVESTMENTS, AND SOLICITATIONS Chapter 501 CONSUMER PROTECTION501.171 Security of confidential personal information.— |
Business | 2-insecurity, 8-insecurity |
| Credit Card Surcharge Prohibited (2015) | "A Florida law that prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on credit card purchases but allows a discount for cash purchases violates the First Amendment, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has ruled.501.0117 Credit cards; transactions in which seller or lessor prohibited from imposing surcharge; penalty.—"https://www.ballardspahr.com/alertspublications/legalalerts/2015-11-10-no-credit-card-surcharge
(2) A person who violates the provisions of subsection (1) is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. |
Business | 1- decisional interference |
| Title XLVI-Chapter 817-Fraudulent Practices-Section 06 Misleading advertisements prohibited; penalty | 817.06 Misleading advertisements prohibited; penalty.—
(1) No person, persons, association, copartnership, or institution shall, with intent to offer or sell or in anywise dispose of merchandise, securities, certificates, diplomas, documents, or other credentials purporting to reflect proficiency in any trade, skill, profession, credits for academic achievement, service or anything offered by such person, persons, association, copartnership, corporation, or institution directly or indirectly, to the public, for sale or distribution or issuance, or with intent to increase the consumption or use thereof, or with intent to induce the public in any manner to enter into any obligation relating thereto, or to acquire title thereto, or any interest therein, or ownership thereof, knowingly or intentionally make, publish, disseminate, circulate or place before the public, or cause, directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated or circulated or placed before the public in this state in a newspaper or other publication or in the form of a book, notice, handbill, poster, bill, circular, pamphlet or letter or in any other way, an advertisement of any sort regarding such certificate, diploma, document, credential, academic credits, merchandise, security, service or anything so offered to the public, which advertisement contains any assertion, representation or statement which is untrue, deceptive, or misleading. (2) Any person, persons, association, copartnership, corporation, or institution found guilty of a violation of subsection (1) shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. 817.41 Misleading advertising prohibited.— (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to make or disseminate or cause to be made or disseminated before the general public of the state, or any portion thereof, any misleading advertisement. Such making or dissemination of misleading advertising shall constitute and is hereby declared to be fraudulent and unlawful, designed and intended for obtaining money or property under false pretenses. (2) It shall be unlawful for any person to advertise, in any way or by any medium whatsoever, any sale as a “wholesale sale,” “below cost sale,” or terms of similar purport, unless the goods, wares or merchandise offered for sale thereby are offered by the seller at or below his or her delivered net cost price, or below the average wholesale price of such goods, wares, or merchandise. Such advertising of goods, wares, or merchandise for sale shall constitute and is hereby declared to be fraudulent and unlawful, designed and intended for obtaining money or property under false pretenses. (3) Any retailer using the term or phrase “wholesale sale,” “below cost sale,” or terms of similar purport, in connection with the sale of goods, wares, or merchandise at retail, shall, upon demand by a customer, forthwith make available, unless the same shall have theretofore been made available, to the Better Business Bureau, the Merchant’s Division of the Chamber of Commerce, or to the state attorney’s office for inspection, invoices, or shipping charges or true and correct copies thereof, of any goods, wares, or merchandise so offered for sale, described or represented, indicating the delivery net cost to the seller of the particular goods, wares or merchandise sold or offered for sale, from which the seller’s delivered net cost may be determined. The said retailer shall also and at the same time give all reasonable assistance in determining and ascertaining his or her net cost price of said goods, wares, or merchandise. The said Better Business Bureau, Merchant’s Division of the Chamber of Commerce or state attorney, upon determining the said delivered net cost, shall forthwith issue a certificate evidencing such delivered net cost, as determined, and deliver the same to the retailer for delivery or exhibition to the customer. Unless such certificate shall show a delivered net cost equal to or in excess of the advertised price, the retailer shall be presumed to have violated this law. (4) There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the person named in or obtaining the benefits of any misleading advertisement or any such sale is responsible for such misleading advertisement or unlawful sale. (5) No retailer shall knowingly and willfully advertise merchandise for sale at a special or wholesale price, in any way or by any medium whatsoever, if he or she does not have sufficient quantities of the advertised merchandise to meet the reasonably foreseeable demand, unless the fact of limited quantity and the approximate number of items is stated in the advertisement, or unless the retailer provides a means by which the consumer may obtain the advertised item at the advertised price within a reasonable time or a value equivalent thereto. (6) Any person prevailing in a civil action for violation of this section shall be awarded costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees, and may be awarded punitive damages in addition to actual damages proven. This provision is in addition to any other remedies prescribed by law. 817.4115 False, deceptive, or misleading advertisement of live musical performances.— (1) For purposes of this section, the term: (a) “Performing person or group” means a vocal or instrumental performer using or attempting to use the name of a recording person or group. (b) “Recording person or group” means a vocal or instrumental performer that has previously produced or released, or both, a commercial recording. (2)(a) A person may not advertise a live musical performance or production in this state using a false, deceptive, or misleading statement of an affiliation, connection, or association between a performing person or group and a recording person or group. (b) A person may not conduct a live musical performance or production in this state using a false, deceptive, or misleading statement of an affiliation, connection, or association between a performing person or group and a recording person or group. (3) An advertisement or the conducting of a live musical performance or production does not violate subsection (2) if: (a) The performing person or at least one member of the performing group was a member of the recording group and retains the legal right to use the name of the recording group by not having abandoned the affiliation with the recording group or its name; (b) The performing person or group is the authorized registrant and owner of a federal service mark for that person or group which is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office; (c) The live musical performance or production is identified as a “salute” or “tribute” to, and is otherwise unaffiliated with, the recording person or group; (d) The advertising does not relate to a live musical performance taking place in this state; or (e) The performance is expressly authorized in the advertising by the recording person or group. (4) Any person who violates subsection (2) commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Upon a second or subsequent violation of subsection (2), the person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine not to exceed $5,000, or both. (5) The Department of Legal Affairs or a state attorney may file a civil action on behalf of the people of this state for injunctive relief against any person or group violating subsection (2) to restrain the prohibited activity. The court may award court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the prevailing party. The court may also impose a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for each violation of subsection (2). |
Advertisement | 817.41-distortion, 817.411-distortion |
| Patient and personnel records; copies; examination | 395.3025 Patient and personnel records; copies; examination.—
(2) This section does not apply to records maintained at any licensed facility the primary function of which is to provide psychiatric care to its patients, or to records of treatment for any mental or emotional condition at any other licensed facility which are governed by the provisions of s. 394.4615. (3) This section does not apply to records of substance abuse impaired persons, which are governed by s. 397.501. (a) Licensed facility personnel, attending physicians, or other health care practitioners and providers currently involved in the care or treatment of the patient for use only in connection with the treatment of the patient. (b) Licensed facility personnel only for administrative purposes or risk management and quality assurance functions. (c) The agency, for purposes of health care cost containment. (d) In any civil or criminal action, unless otherwise prohibited by law, upon the issuance of a subpoena from a court of competent jurisdiction and proper notice by the party seeking such records to the patient or his or her legal representative. (e) The agency upon subpoena issued pursuant to s. 456.071, but the records obtained thereby must be used solely for the purpose of the agency and the appropriate professional board in its investigation, prosecution, and appeal of disciplinary proceedings. If the agency requests copies of the records, the facility shall charge no more than its actual copying costs, including reasonable staff time. The records must be sealed and must not be available to the public pursuant to s. 119.07(1) or any other statute providing access to records, nor may they be available to the public as part of the record of investigation for and prosecution in disciplinary proceedings made available to the public by the agency or the appropriate regulatory board. However, the agency must make available, upon written request by a practitioner against whom probable cause has been found, any such records that form the basis of the determination of probable cause. (f) The Department of Health or its agent, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a trauma registry and for the purpose of ensuring that hospitals and trauma centers are in compliance with the standards and rules established under ss. 395.401, 395.4015, 395.4025, 395.404, 395.4045, and 395.405, and for the purpose of monitoring patient outcome at hospitals and trauma centers that provide trauma care services. (g) The Department of Children and Families, its agent, or its contracted entity, for the purpose of investigations of or services for cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children or vulnerable adults. (h) A local trauma agency or a regional trauma agency that performs quality assurance activities, a panel or committee assembled to assist a local trauma agency, or a regional trauma agency performing quality assurance activities. Patient records obtained under this paragraph are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. (i) Organ procurement organizations, tissue banks, and eye banks required to conduct death records reviews pursuant to s. 395.2050. (j) The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Department of Legal Affairs pursuant to s. 409.920. (k) The Department of Financial Services, or an agent, employee, or independent contractor of the department who is auditing for unclaimed property pursuant to chapter 717. (l) A regional poison control center for purposes of treating a poison episode under evaluation, case management of poison cases, or compliance with data collection and reporting requirements of s. 395.1027 and the professional organization that certifies poison control centers in accordance with federal law. (5) The Department of Health may examine patient records of a licensed facility, whether held by the facility or the Agency for Health Care Administration, for the purpose of epidemiological investigations. The unauthorized release of information by agents of the department which would identify an individual patient is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (6) Patient records shall contain information required for completion of birth, death, and fetal death certificates. (b) Absent a specific written release or authorization permitting utilization of patient information for solicitation or marketing the sale of goods or services, any use of that information for those purposes is prohibited. (8) Patient records at hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers are exempt from disclosure under s. 119.07(1), except as provided by subsections (1)-(5). (9) A licensed facility may prescribe the content and custody of limited-access records which the facility may maintain on its employees. Such records shall be limited to information regarding evaluations of employee performance, including records forming the basis for evaluation and subsequent actions, and shall be open to inspection only by the employee and by officials of the facility who are responsible for the supervision of the employee. The custodian of limited-access employee records shall release information from such records to other employers or only upon authorization in writing from the employee or upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction. Any facility releasing such records pursuant to this part shall be considered to be acting in good faith and may not be held liable for information contained in such records, absent a showing that the facility maliciously falsified such records. Such limited-access employee records are exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) for a period of 5 years from the date such records are designated limited-access records. (10) The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs of employees of any licensed facility who provide direct patient care or security services; the home addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of the spouses and children of such persons; and the names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the children of such persons are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. However, any state or federal agency that is authorized to have access to such information by any provision of law shall be granted such access in the furtherance of its statutory duties, notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection. The Department of Financial Services, or an agent, employee, or independent contractor of the department who is auditing for unclaimed property pursuant to chapter 717, shall be granted access to the name, address, and social security number of any employee owed unclaimed property. (11) The home addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs of employees of any licensed facility who have a reasonable belief, based upon specific circumstances that have been reported in accordance with the procedure adopted by the facility, that release of the information may be used to threaten, intimidate, harass, inflict violence upon, or defraud the employee or any member of the employee’s family; the home addresses, telephone numbers, and places of employment of the spouses and children of such persons; and the names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the children of such persons are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. However, any state or federal agency that is authorized to have access to such information by any provision of law shall be granted such access in the furtherance of its statutory duties, notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection. The licensed facility shall maintain the confidentiality of the personal information only if the employee submits a written request for confidentiality to the licensed facility. |
Health | 39.3025(1)-disclosure, (4)-disclosure, (7)(a)-disclosure |