New Ordinance Requires Pain Clinics to Acquire Permits At its May 4th commission meeting, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners passed a 180-day moratorium on the establishment of pain management clinics in Pinellas County. The moratorium goes into effect June 6th. During the time of the moratorium, no new pain management clinics shall open for business, unless exempted within the ordinance. Furthermore, any existing pain management clinics must register with Pinellas County and obtain a permit from the Department of Justice and Consumer Services. Applications to the department must be postmarked by June 6th. Those who fail to do so may face a $500 fine or court-ordered shut down. Permit applications are available from the Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services website. Applicants must: Provide proof of having registered with the Florida Department of Health (as required by Florida statute) prior to May 7th. Provide proof that the company had been operating as a pain management clinic prior to the enactment of the ordinance. Furnish a sworn statement attesting to the truth and accuracy of the information provided. The Pinellas County moratorium on pain management clinics continues through October 1st, when standards adopted by the Florida Legislature go into effect to regulate the operation of pain management clinics. Interested parties may call the Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services at (727) 464-6200 for more information, or go online to www.pinellascounty.org/consumer.

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