Florida § 765.517 - Rights and duties at death.

§ 765.517. Rights and duties at death.

(1) The donee, pursuant to s. 765.515(2), may accept or reject an anatomical gift. If the donee accepts a gift to be used for research or education purposes, the donee may authorize embalming and the use of the body in funeral services, subject to the terms of the gift. If the gift is of a part of the body, the donee shall cause the part to be removed without unnecessary mutilation upon the death of the donor and before or after embalming. After removal of the body part, custody of the remainder of the body vests in the surviving spouse, next of kin, or other persons under obligation to dispose of the body. (2) The time of death shall be determined by a physician who attends the donor at the donor’s death or, if there is no such physician, the physician who certifies the death. After death, those physicians or the donor’s primary care physician may participate in, but may not obstruct, the procedures to preserve the donor’s organs or tissues and may not be paid or reimbursed for such participation, nor be associated with or employed by, a procurement organization. These physicians may not participate in the procedures for removing or transplanting a part. However, this subsection does not prevent a physician from serving in a voluntary capacity on the board of directors of a procurement organization or participating on any board, council, commission, or similar body related to the organ and tissue procurement system. (3) The procurement organizations, or hospital medical professionals under the direction thereof, may perform any and all tests to evaluate the deceased as a potential donor and any invasive procedures on the deceased body in order to preserve the potential donor’s organs. These procedures do not include the surgical removal of an organ or penetrating any body cavity, specifically for the purpose of donation, until: (a) It has been verified that the deceased’s consent to donate appears in the donor registry or a properly executed document of gift is located; or (b) If a properly executed document of gift cannot be located or the deceased’s consent is not listed in the donor registry, a person specified in s. 765.512(2) or (3) has been located, has been notified of the death, and has granted legal permission for the donation. (4) All reasonable additional expenses incurred in the procedures to preserve the donor’s organs or tissues shall be reimbursed by the procurement organization. (5) A person who acts in good faith and without negligence in accord with the terms of this part or under the anatomical gift laws of another state or a foreign country, or attempts to do so, may not be subject to any civil action for damages, may not be subject to any criminal proceeding, and may not be subject to discipline, penalty, or liability in any administrative proceeding. (6) The provisions of this part are subject to the laws of this state prescribing powers and duties with respect to autopsies. (7) The person making an anatomical gift and the donor’s estate are not liable for any injury or damages that result from the making or use of the gift. (8) In determining whether an anatomical gift has been made, amended, or revoked under this part, a person may rely upon the representation of an individual listed in s. 765.512, relating to the individual’s relationship to the donor or prospective donor, unless the person knows that the representation is untrue.