(1)(a) A district medical examiner shall be appointed by the Governor for each medical examiner district from nominees who are practicing physicians in pathology, whose nominations are submitted to the Governor by the Medical Examiners Commission. The term of office of each district medical examiner shall be 3 years. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall be for the unexpired portion of the term.

(b) A physician member of the Medical Examiners Commission shall be eligible to serve as a district medical examiner upon approval by the Governor.

(2) The district medical examiner may appoint as many physicians as associate medical examiners as may be necessary to provide service at all times and all places within the district. Associate medical examiners shall serve at the pleasure of the district medical examiner. The district medical examiner shall file an affidavit with the supervisor of elections in the county in which she or he resides assuring that associate medical examiners have no conflicting financial interests or clients represented before agencies pursuant to s. 112.3145.

(3) District medical examiners and associate medical examiners shall be entitled to compensation and such reasonable salary and fees as are established by the board of county commissioners in the respective districts.

(4) District medical examiners and associate medical examiners may engage in the private practice of medicine or surgery, if licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459, insofar as such private practice does not interfere with their duties as prescribed herein.

(5) District medical examiners and associate medical examiners are public officers for purposes of s. 112.313 and the standards of conduct prescribed thereunder.

(6) The Governor may suspend a medical examiner for violation of s. 406.11(2)(b).

(7) The Medical Examiners Commission may temporarily suspend a medical examiner who is unable to carry out the duties of a medical examiner by reason of the use of alcohol, drugs, narcotics, chemicals, or any other type of material. The commission shall reinstate the medical examiner if the medical examiner shows the commission that he or she is under appropriate treatment or in an appropriate program addressing the use of alcohol, drugs, narcotics, chemicals, or any other type of material and is again capable of carrying out the duties of a medical examiner.

History.—ss. 4, 5, ch. 70-232; s. 3, ch. 72-392; s. 2, ch. 81-89; s. 68, ch. 83-218; s. 2, ch. 87-359; s. 2, ch. 90-169; s. 27, ch. 97-103; s. 1, ch. 98-253.