(1) The department shall issue the appropriate license by endorsement to practice professional or practical nursing to an applicant who, upon applying to the department and remitting a fee set by the board not to exceed $100, demonstrates to the board that he or she:

(a) Holds a valid license to practice professional or practical nursing in another state or territory of the United States, provided that, when the applicant secured his or her original license, the requirements for licensure were substantially equivalent to or more stringent than those existing in Florida at that time;

(b) Meets the qualifications for licensure in s. 464.008 and has successfully completed a state, regional, or national examination which is substantially equivalent to or more stringent than the examination given by the department; or

(c) Has actively practiced nursing in another state, jurisdiction, or territory of the United States for 2 of the preceding 3 years without having his or her license acted against by the licensing authority of any jurisdiction. Applicants who become licensed pursuant to this paragraph must complete within 6 months after licensure a Florida laws and rules course that is approved by the board. Once the department has received the results of the national criminal history check and has determined that the applicant has no criminal history, the appropriate license by endorsement shall be issued to the applicant.

(2) Such examinations and requirements from other states and territories of the United States shall be presumed to be substantially equivalent to or more stringent than those in this state. Such presumption shall not arise until January 1, 1980. However, the board may, by rule, specify states and territories the examinations and requirements of which shall not be presumed to be substantially equivalent to those of this state.

(3) An applicant for licensure by endorsement who is relocating to this state pursuant to his or her military-connected spouse’s official military orders and who is licensed in another state that is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of subsection (1) and shall be issued a license by endorsement upon submission of the appropriate application and fees and completion of the criminal background check required under subsection (4).

(4) The applicant must submit to the department a set of fingerprints on a form and under procedures specified by the department, along with a payment in an amount equal to the costs incurred by the Department of Health for the criminal background check of the applicant. The Department of Health shall submit the fingerprints provided by the applicant to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a statewide criminal history check, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shall forward the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history check of the applicant. The Department of Health shall review the results of the criminal history check, issue a license to an applicant who has met all of the other requirements for licensure and has no criminal history, and shall refer all applicants with criminal histories back to the board for determination as to whether a license should be issued and under what conditions.

(5) The department shall not issue a license by endorsement to any applicant who is under investigation in another state, jurisdiction, or territory of the United States for an act which would constitute a violation of this part or chapter 456 until such time as the investigation is complete, at which time the provisions of s. 464.018 shall apply.

(6) The department shall develop an electronic applicant notification process and provide electronic notification when the application has been received and when background screenings have been completed, and shall issue a license within 30 days after completion of all required data collection and verification. This 30-day period to issue a license shall be tolled if the applicant must appear before the board due to information provided on the application or obtained through screening and data collection and verification procedures.

(7) A person holding an active multistate license in another state pursuant to s. 464.0095 is exempt from the requirements for licensure by endorsement in this section.

History.—ss. 1, 6, ch. 79-225; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 7, 17, 18, ch. 86-284; s. 1, ch. 87-240; s. 58, ch. 91-137; s. 5, ch. 91-156; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 6, ch. 96-274; s. 1104, ch. 97-103; s. 79, ch. 97-264; s. 123, ch. 2000-318; s. 96, ch. 2001-277; s. 5, ch. 2002-230; s. 9, ch. 2004-230; s. 6, ch. 2016-139; s. 28, ch. 2016-224.