Florida Statute §381.0098 authorizes county-approved Sterile Needle and Syringe Exchange Programs (SSEP). The Miami SHARP program at IDEA Exchange is Florida's first authorized exchange. Households may dispose of household sharps via mail-back kits or pharmacy take-back, never in regular trash.
Section 381.0098 was passed in 2019 to allow Florida counties to authorize syringe exchange programs. Miami's IDEA Exchange (SHARP), run by University of Miami Health, was Florida's first and remains the largest. Participants exchange used syringes for clean ones, naloxone, and HIV/HCV testing without arrest under §893.13(11). Households are required by FL §381.0098 and federal medical-waste rules to use rigid puncture-proof containers and either mail-back kits or pharmacy take-back; loose syringes in residential trash violate sanitary nuisance laws and risk needlestick injuries to sanitation workers.
Disposing loose syringes in regular trash creates a sanitary nuisance under FL §381.0072, with code enforcement fines up to $500, mandatory cleanup, and possible misdemeanor charges if intentional. Possession laws do not apply to SHARP participants.
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See how Miami's syringe disposal rules stack up against other locations.
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