Florida Statute 406.12
“Duty to report; prohibited acts”
What it means
If you become aware of a death in one of the §406.11 categories — sudden, unattended, accidental, violent, or suspicious — Florida Statute 406.12 makes reporting it your legal duty. The report goes forthwith to the district medical examiner or to a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction, and the duty applies to any person in the district where the death occurs.
Knowingly failing or refusing to report, or refusing to make prior medical information available to the investigation, is a first-degree misdemeanor. Doing either with intent to conceal the death or alter the evidence — or willfully touching, removing, or disturbing the body, clothing, or any article on or near the body without an order from the medical examiner's office — is a third-degree felony.
- Any person who becomes aware of a §406.11 death must report it forthwith to the district medical examiner or law enforcement.
- Knowing failure or refusal to report is a misdemeanor of the first degree (§§775.082, 775.083).
- Refusing to make prior medical or other pertinent information available to the death investigation carries the same penalty.
- Touching, removing, or disturbing the body or nearby articles with intent to conceal the death or alter evidence, without a medical examiner's order, is a felony of the third degree.
How it plays out
Families rarely have to invoke this section — hospitals, hospices, and law enforcement report as a matter of routine. Where we see it matter is the unattended home death: the person who finds a relative and starts tidying, moving belongings, or arranging the room before anyone official arrives. The felony applies only when the intent is concealment, but the safe course is simple — call first, touch nothing, and let the examiner's office say what happens next.
Questions people ask
