Florida. State Board of Health

Article XV of the 1885 Constitution provided for the creation of the State Board of Health, but the Board was not created until the 1889 special session of the Legislature (1889, Ch. 3839, Laws). The session was called by Governor Francis Fleming when yellow fever reached epidemic proportions. The Board was given powers to investigate and prevent yellow fever, smallpox, and cholera. The Board was headed by the State Health Officer and located in Jacksonville. It could also impose coastal and city quarantines.

The State Board of Health studied health problems, administered health services programs, disseminated health information, and enforced rules concerning sanitation and communicable diseases. It also controlled the Bureau of Vital Statistics, the bacteriological laboratories, veterinary department with a State Veterinarian, and tuberculosis sanitariums. The Board became the Division of Health under the Dept. of Health and Rehabilitative Services in 1969 (Ch. 69-106, Laws).

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