The Commission's legal authority for investigations and hearings is provided by which Florida Statute?

• A. F.S. 120
• B. F.S. 475 Part 1
• C. F.S. 455
• D. F.S. 61J2

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that the Commission’s power to investigate and conduct hearings comes from the general regulatory framework that governs professional boards in Florida. Florida Statutes Chapter 455 provides the authority for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the boards it oversees to investigate complaints, conduct disciplinary investigations, issue subpoenas, preside over or participate in formal hearings, and impose actions such as fines, license suspensions, or revocations. This chapter sets up the due-process structure and the procedural backbone for how investigations and disciplinary hearings are carried out across regulated professions.

Among the other statutes, one represents general procedural rules for agency actions that apply to many proceedings (but does not grant the Commission its investigative power on its own). Another focuses on the licensing and regulation of specific professions (which the Commission may implement under broader authority) but does not define the overarching investigative and hearing powers by itself. The remaining statute is related to administrative practices but does not provide the primary basis for the Commission’s investigative and hearing authority in broad terms.

So, the correct reference is Florida Statutes Chapter 455, the provision that establishes the Commission’s authority to investigate and hold hearings.