(1) The Department of Health may establish by rule fee schedules for public health services rendered through the county health departments. Such rules may include provisions for fee assessments, copayments, sliding fee scales, fee waivers, and fee exemptions. In addition, the department shall adopt by rule a uniform statewide fee schedule for all regulatory activities performed through the environmental health program. Each county may establish, and each county health department may collect, fees for primary care services, provided that a schedule of such fees is established by resolution of the board of county commissioners or by rule of the department, respectively. Fees for primary care services and communicable disease control services may not be less than Medicaid reimbursement rates unless otherwise required by federal or state law or regulation.

(2) All funds collected under this section shall be expended solely for the purpose of providing health services and facilities within the county served by the county health department. Fees collected by county health departments pursuant to department rules shall be deposited with the Chief Financial Officer and credited to the County Health Department Trust Fund. Fees collected by the county health department for public health services or personal health services shall be allocated to the state and the county based upon the pro rata share of funding for each such service. The board of county commissioners, if it has so contracted, shall provide for the transmittal of funds collected for its pro rata share of personal health services or primary care services rendered under the provisions of this section to the State Treasury for credit to the County Health Department Trust Fund, but in any event the proceeds from such fees may only be used to fund county health department services.

(3) The foregoing provisions notwithstanding, any county which charges fees for any services delivered through county health departments prior to July 1, 1983, and which has pledged or committed the fees yet to be collected toward the retirement of outstanding obligations relating to county health department facilities may be exempted from the provisions of subsection (1) until such commitment or obligation has been satisfied or discharged.

History.—ss. 1, 2, ch. 69-80; ss. 19, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 3, ch. 72-323; s. 34, ch. 77-147; s. 9, ch. 83-177; s. 3, ch. 89-311; s. 22, ch. 97-101; s. 11, ch. 97-237; s. 2, ch. 2000-242; s. 153, ch. 2003-261.