TALLAHASSEE — House Bill 1209 passed the Florida House floor Wednesday in a 114-1 vote. HB 1209 will officially codify the current practice regarding vaccinations throughout retail pharmacies in Florida.

“We thank Representative Kaylee Tuck and her colleagues in the Florida House for working to ensure that all Floridians have access to needed vaccines,” said Scott Shalley, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation. “HB 1209 will allow Florida pharmacists and pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians to continue to serve our Florida communities through and beyond the pandemic.”

The bill amends portions of current state statutes to align with the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act. Under the present PREP Act, registered pharmacy technicians are authorized to administer vaccines.

Pharmacy technicians undergo rigorous training per guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The legislation requires pharmacy technicians to undergo specific training as approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy in consultation with the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine. The completion of the training program will authorize registered pharmacy technicians to continue to administer specified vaccines to those aged 18 years or older.

HB 1209 will now be submitted to the Florida Senate in messages.

About the Florida Retail Federation

The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers - the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.