Florida Department of Law Enforcement

This plan outlines the State of Florida's comprehensive approach to fatality management in mass casualty incidents. It focuses on identifying methods for medical examiners to acquire support assets for deceased identification and proper final disposition. The plan addresses mortuary surge capacity and details service responses for a range of disasters, including natural events and man-made incidents. Its five primary functions encompass Command/Control, Recovery, Morgue operations (postmortem processing), Victim Information (antemortem processing), and Identification confirmation. It coordinates efforts across local, state, and federal agencies, including the Florida Medical Examiners Commission and various support teams, to ensure efficient and respectful management of human remains during emergencies.

Key discussion items included the election of a Chairman, a presentation on the Sunshine Law, and informational updates covering MEC and DME appointments and reappointments, 2025 reports on drugs in deceased persons, and the 2024/2025 Coverdell Status Update. The agenda also featured discussions on the Unidentified Deceased Initiative and a Legislative Update covering Senate Bill 54 and Senate Bill 188. The Commission nominated a candidate for District 8 Medical Examiner, received the Organ Procurement Organization Annual Report, and reviewed and modified proposed changes to 11G rules related to upcoming legislation and biometric procedure updates. An update on the Public Health Medicolegal Death Investigation Data Optimization Initiative and an FDLE forensic update regarding genetic genealogy processing were also presented. Other business included an update on emerging drug trends and the release of a new Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons Dashboard.

The Medical Examiners Commission meeting included discussion of MEC and DME appointments and reappointments, the District 8 Medical Examiner vacancy, 2025 reappointments/assessments for Districts 8-14 & 25, and annual and interim reports on drugs in deceased persons. The agenda also covered the 2025 Coverdell Grant Proposals, a legislative update, presentations from Seminole and Lake Counties, mass fatality plans/FEMORS, organ procurement organization annual reports, emerging drugs updates, the 2025 FAME Educational Conference, and a discussion on public records requests related to the new HIPAA law. Additionally, Lake and Seminole Counties jointly requested a redistricting of Medical Examiner Districts 5 and 24.

The meeting included introductions of a new MEC Staff Member and a new MEC Attorney. Updates were provided on MEC appointments, the District 8 Medical Examiner Vacancy, the 2024 Interim and Annual Drug Reports, the 2024 Annual Workload Report, and the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program Status. The Commission reviewed reappointment nominations for District Medical Examiners and discussed an Unidentified Deceased Initiative, including a cold case identification. A presentation was given on Othram forensic laboratories and funding options for law enforcement officers and medical examiners. An update on emerging drug trends was provided, and the Department of Health discussed a new project to improve medical examiner's data collection and reporting.

The meeting covered updates on MEC and DME appointments and reappointments, the District 8 Medical Examiner vacancy, and the 2024 and 2025 drug and workload reports. Legislative updates included discussions on SB 54 concerning the use of substances affecting cognitive function and SB 188 regarding medical examiners' duties. The Unidentified Deceased Initiative and the Public Health Medicolegal Death Investigation Data Optimization Initiative were also discussed. Updates were provided on FDLE forensics and emerging drugs, including the Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons Dashboard. Additionally, updates were given on disaster death reporting, the Florida FIGG grant, and the Fatality Management Response Plan. The 2025 FAME Conference was also mentioned.