HB 1283 - Florida Hospital Patient Protection Act

• Establishes mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in health care facilities, with specific ratios ranging from 1:1 in trauma/operating rooms to 1:6 in well-baby nurseries depending on unit type and patient acuity.

• Prohibits mandatory overtime, averaging of staffing levels, and layoffs of support staff to meet nursing ratios; requires only direct care registered nurses to relieve other nurses during breaks and absences.

• Mandates written staffing plans developed by chief nursing officers with input from direct care nurses, annual evaluations using acuity-based patient classification systems, and public posting of staffing requirements and actual staffing levels on each unit.

• Establishes professional practice standards requiring direct care nurses to perform patient assessments, create care plans, and act as patient advocates; prohibits use of video surveillance as substitute for direct nurse observation and limits use of technology that constrains nursing judgment.

• Provides whistleblower protections allowing nurses and patients to refuse unsafe assignments without retaliation, establishes a toll-free hotline for reporting violations, and authorizes civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation against facilities that fail to comply.