Regulated Industries and Utilities committee advances Senate Bill 367 to scale back Certificate of Need rules

The Regulated Industries and Utilities committee voted to advance Senate Bill 367 on a voice vote after hearing public testimony and a presentation endorsing deregulation of Certificate of Need (CON) rules.

A public commenter who identified himself as Ronnie described being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nine and a half years ago and testified that "the speed of the service and the access to the service that I received are the reason I'm still here," saying he was "a 100% for" the bill if it keeps or improves access for cancer patients. The comment was delivered during the committee's public-comment period.

Amy McGuire, who identified herself as an executive director of a think tank and said she spent 25 years in health-care administration, told the committee that phased CON deregulation in Florida since 2019 encouraged construction of hospitals and ambulatory-care facilities, expanded outpatient surgical capacity and attracted private capital. "We've had more outpatient surgical capacity, which improves healthcare access," McGuire said. She added that deregulation also fostered partnerships between rural hospitals and other providers and that workforce flexibility matters for expanding access.

During questioning, a committee member identified in the transcript as Chairman Kautzer asked whether deregulation in Florida led to facility closures, particularly in rural areas. McGuire said she could supply more detailed data but recalled "a lot more collaboration" and that several rural hospitals were able to expand access; she did not provide specific, independently verifiable examples of closures or cite a study during the hearing.

Committee members discussed stakeholder positions and reported mixed views from hospital interests. A motion to "do pass" on Senate Bill 367 was made and seconded and the committee took a voice vote; the record as read in the transcript notes "we got 2 opposed" and that the motion passed. The transcript does not record a full roll-call tally or identify the member who formally moved or seconded on the official motion in an unambiguous way.

The committee chair closed by reminding members of a committee dinner scheduled for Monday, March 9, and said the panel will meet again Monday at noon; the chair said that would likely be the last meeting of the year before adjourning.

Why it matters: CON laws regulate where and when new health facilities or services can open, and changes to those rules can affect private investment, hospital competition, access to outpatient services and rural-provider viability. At the hearing, proponents argued deregulation would expand capacity and investment; questions from members focused on potential effects for rural hospitals and the need for more precise data on closures and local impacts.

What the record shows and what it does not: McGuire presented experience-based assertions about Florida since 2019, including a claim that "16,000 people left Florida for Georgia last year" (presented as her recollection); that number and other quantitative claims made during testimony were offered without supporting documents in the hearing transcript and are not independently verified in the committee record. The voice vote advanced the bill; the committee transcript records two members as opposed but does not provide a complete roll-call tally or a clearly identified mover and seconder in the printed record.