Breaking News: Governor DeSantis Vetoes Naturopathy Legalization Bill, Keeps Naturopathy a Felony in Florida

Dear Advocates of Natural Medicine:

It’s with a heavy heart that we share the breaking news that Governor DeSantis has vetoed CS/SB 688, meaning naturopathy – a holistic health philosophy and profession – will remain a felony in Florida, as it has been since 1959.

In 1927, Florida was one of the first states in the nation to recognize naturopathy and license naturopathic doctors. In 1959, the state stopped issuing new licenses for the profession, but kept the regulation of naturopathy in place. Since 1959, practicing naturopathy or naturopathic medicine of any kind has been a class-three felony in Florida, resulting in a near total ban on the profession. Even in recent years, the Florida Department of Health has investigated clinics who simply had the word "naturopathy" associated with their business.

This legislative session, the Florida Legislature passed a remarkable bill that would deregulate, decriminalize, and legalize naturopathy in the state, which would allow naturopaths and traditional naturopaths to identify and work freely in the state without fear of breaking the law. It also would reinstate the license for naturopathic doctors, allowing them to practice naturopathic medicine under a limited scope of practice.

CS/SB 688 passed the Florida Legislature in March by a wide, bi-partisan margin, passing with a vote of 33-3 in the Senate, and 85-22 in the House.

This bill would finally end this 67-year blemish on Florida’s history, and bring the state into alignment with the health freedom values that Florida claims to represent. However, today Governor DeSantis vetoed the bill.

His veto overrides the Florida Legislature and the thousands of patients calling for greater healthcare options – especially for more options for natural and alternative medicine in the state. The Governor’s veto letter says that Floridians already have enough access to natural remedies. If that’s true, why did Floridians send thousands of emails and letters of support to the Legislature and the Governor’s office this year encouraging passage of the bill?

His letter also states that CS/SB 688 could create more regulation and bureaucratic hurdles than we already have. But that’s impossible. Florida law since 1959 is the ultimate regulatory hurdle, as it completely bans naturopathy from existing in the state.

His veto letter also criticizes there being no accredited naturopathic medical schools in the state, something that’s unlikely to change while the profession remains a felony, but would change promptly upon passage of the bill. In fact, two schools wrote letters to Governor DeSantis in recent weeks informing the Governor and his staff that they would pursue opening a naturopathic medicine program in Florida as soon as he signed the bill into law.

Legislative champions of the of CS/SB 688 supported it because it:

• Helps to address the growing physician shortage in Florida.
• Has no state budgetary impact: does not cost the state money to implement.
• Gives Floridians more freedom of choice in their health care.
• Addresses a growing desire amongst Floridians for natural and alternative modalities in medicine.
• Deregulates a field which has had a near total regulatory ban since 1959.
• Allows naturopaths of all kinds to describe their education, background, and services without fear from the state.

In the Governor’s Veto Letter for the bill, he stated: “Florida leads the nation in advancing medical freedom and access to care.” We agree with his stated commitment to health freedom. But how can continuing to criminalize naturopathy be considered a victory for health freedom? How can continuing to felonize a holistic and natural health philosophy and modality be a win for freedom?

Stay tuned for further updates.

Yours in health,
FNPA