Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health is the state agency tasked with safeguarding and improving the health of all individuals living in or visiting Florida. It carries out a broad portfolio of public‑health responsibilities that include maintaining vital records such as birth and death certificates, operating the statewide immunization registry, and conducting surveillance and control of infectious diseases ranging from seasonal influenza to emerging threats like COVID‑19. The department also oversees environmental health programs, ensures the safety of food and water supplies, and provides licensing and inspection services for hospitals, nursing homes, and other health‑care facilities. In addition, it manages specialized initiatives such as maternal and child health programs, chronic disease prevention efforts, and outreach campaigns that promote healthy behaviors and preventive care. These services are administered from a central headquarters in Tallahassee and delivered through a network of county health offices that extend the agency’s reach into every community across the state.

As part of Florida’s Executive Branch, the department operates under the direction of the Governor and receives its funding from state appropriations, federal grants, and fees associated with certain permits and services. Its statutory authority gives it a distinctive regulatory role, allowing it to enforce public‑health laws, coordinate emergency responses, and set standards for clinical laboratories and health‑care providers. The agency’s core competencies encompass epidemiology, vital‑statistics administration, and public‑health laboratory science, which together support routine health monitoring as well as rapid outbreak investigations. The ransomware incident reported on June 1 2024, claimed by the RansomHub group, underscored the department’s dependence on information‑technology systems for vital‑statistics functions, temporarily halting the issuance of birth and death certificates in several counties while state officials worked with law enforcement to assess the breach and reinforce cyber‑defenses. This event fits within a wider context of cybersecurity challenges confronting Florida’s governmental entities, reflecting ongoing efforts to improve resilience and address leadership turnover within the agency’s cyber‑security infrastructure.