Senate President Kathleen Passidomo remains adamant that optometrists shouldn't be able to advertise themselves as doctors, but says if her priority legislation (SB 1112) doesn't pass "she's not going to lose sleep over it."
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed Passidomo's 2023 bill that she muscled through the reluctant House, which is why the Legislature once again is addressing the issue.
And once again the House is reluctant to do what Passidomo wants.
"This is a continuation of the eyeball wars," Passidomo told reporters Tuesday afternoon. "And the optometrists objected to the bill last year. We passed it; it was vetoed. They lobbied hard. They are wrong."
With just two days left in the 2024 Session, the fate of Passidomo's legislation remains in flux after the House amended the Senate bill with the language from HB 1295 instead.
Passidomo, whose late father was an ophthalmologist, spoke passionately about the bill with reporters Tuesday.
"I have a lot of constituents that are elderly. And when they go in to see someone wearing a white coat with a sign that says 'DR period and the last name,' they believe they are (seeing) a medical doctor who went to medical school. They believe they are a medical doctor who went to medical school, Passidomo said.
"So what this bill does, it basically provides in your advertising, if you will, in the information you put out, what you wear, how you talk, you should tell your patients what your degree is. I think it's wrong to infer or leave it silent that you have a degree you don't have."
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