Florida Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements
Florida nurse practitioners must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Florida Board of Nursing.
Advanced practice registered nurse licenses renew biennially, and the board splits APRNs into three renewal groups with different expiration dates. The board currently lists Group 1 expiring April 30, 2028, Group 2 expiring July 31, 2028, and Group 3 expiring April 30, 2027, so a licensee has to check which group their license sits in. A first license is usually not valid for a full two years, and in that case the nurse completes one hour of continuing education for each month the license is held rather than the full total.
Summary
Florida nurse practitioners must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Florida Board of Nursing. Advanced practice registered nurse licenses renew biennially, and the board splits APRNs into three renewal groups with different expiration dates. The board currently lists Group 1 expiring April 30, 2028, Group 2 expiring July 31, 2028, and Group 3 expiring April 30, 2027, so a licensee has to check which group their license sits in. A first license is usually not valid for a full two years, and in that case the nurse completes one hour of continuing education for each month the license is held rather than the full total. Florida also mandates specific subjects. Prevention of Medical Errors: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Florida Laws and Rules: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Recognition of Impairment in the Workplace: 2 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board. Human Trafficking: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Safe and Effective Prescription of Controlled Substances: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Domestic Violence: 2 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board. HIV/AIDS: a one-time requirement of 1 contact hour.
Florida Nurse Practitioner renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Board-specific scheduleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 24 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | A nurse certified by a health care specialty program accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification is exempt from the continuing education requirement, except for the three hour controlled substances course and the two hour human trafficking course; Courses may be taken live or as home study |
Florida runs the nurse practitioner on the same 24 hour biennium as the registered nurse, but fills most of it with named subjects and then adds prescriber and autonomous practice layers on top. The board's own subject table for APRNs sums to the 24: 16 general hours, two hours prevention of medical errors, two hours Florida laws and rules, two hours recognition of impairment in the workplace, and two hours human trafficking. Three items sit outside or alongside that total. Prescribers of controlled substances add a three hour Safe and Effective Prescription of Controlled Substances course each biennium. Domestic violence is two hours every third biennium and the board states those hours are in addition to the 24. HIV/AIDS is one hour, one time, before the first renewal. Registered Autonomous APRNs complete 10 additional hours of approved graduate level nurse practitioner or continuing medical education courses under Rule 64B9-4.020(4), and must also maintain current national certification with the relevant certifying agency to keep the autonomous designation. Note the two hour recognition of impairment course is required every other renewal, not every renewal, so the practical total varies by cycle. The board's specialty certification exemption removes the general hours but never the controlled substances or human trafficking courses.
Required CE topics for Florida nurse practitioners
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prevention of Medical ErrorsCounted within the 24 hours. Must be board approved; approved courses are listed at cebroker.com. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | Not stated |
| Florida Laws and RulesCounted within the 24 hours. Must be board approved; approved courses are listed at cebroker.com. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | Not stated |
| Recognition of Impairment in the WorkplaceThe board states the two hour course is required every other renewal, not every biennium. Counted within the 24 hours in the cycles where it applies. Must be board approved. | 2 contact hours | Periodic | All licensees | Not stated |
| Human TraffickingCounted within the 24 hours. The course does not have to be board approved but must meet the criteria in s. 464.013, F.S. Effective October 1, 2017; licensees expiring after January 1, 2019 complete it every renewal. The specialty certification exemption does not reach this course. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | s. 464.013, F.S. |
| Safe and Effective Prescription of Controlled SubstancesMust be offered by a statewide professional association of physicians in Florida accredited for AMA PRA Category 1 credit, or by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, or the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and may be taken by distance learning. The specialty certification exemption does not reach this course. The board's subject table lists the named subjects summing to 24 without this course, so a prescriber should plan on it as an addition. Corrected on review: the statute places this on every advanced practice registered nurse licensed under s. 464.012, with no condition on whether the licensee prescribes controlled substances, so it is not scoped to prescribers. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | s. 464.013(3)(b), F.S. |
| Domestic ViolenceRequired every third biennium, and the board states these hours are in addition to the 24 hours required for renewal. Must be board approved. | 2 contact hours | Periodic | All licensees | Not stated |
| HIV/AIDSA one time requirement completed before the first renewal. Must be board approved. | 1 contact hour | One time | All licensees | Not stated |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | General hours must be approved by a state or national organization empowered to accredit nursing continuing education. The medical errors, Florida laws and rules, recognition of impairment and domestic violence courses must be board approved, and approved courses are listed at cebroker.com. Human trafficking need not be board approved but must meet s. 464.013, F.S. The controlled substances course must come from one of the accreditors the board names. Hours are reported through the CE Broker tracking system. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Florida NP need to renew?
- Florida nurse practitioners must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Florida Board of Nursing. Florida runs the nurse practitioner on the same 24 hour biennium as the registered nurse, but fills most of it with named subjects and then adds prescriber and autonomous practice layers on top. The board's own subject table for APRNs sums to the 24: 16 general hours, two hours prevention of medical errors, two hours Florida laws and rules, two hours recognition of impairment in the workplace, and two hours human trafficking. Three items sit outside or alongside that total. Prescribers of controlled substances add a three hour Safe and Effective Prescription of Controlled Substances course each biennium. Domestic violence is two hours every third biennium and the board states those hours are in addition to the 24. HIV/AIDS is one hour, one time, before the first renewal. Registered Autonomous APRNs complete 10 additional hours of approved graduate level nurse practitioner or continuing medical education courses under Rule 64B9-4.020(4), and must also maintain current national certification with the relevant certifying agency to keep the autonomous designation. Note the two hour recognition of impairment course is required every other renewal, not every renewal, so the practical total varies by cycle. The board's specialty certification exemption removes the general hours but never the controlled substances or human trafficking courses.
- How often does a Florida NP license need to be renewed?
- Nurse Practitioner licenses in Florida renew every two years. Advanced practice registered nurse licenses renew biennially, and the board splits APRNs into three renewal groups with different expiration dates. The board currently lists Group 1 expiring April 30, 2028, Group 2 expiring July 31, 2028, and Group 3 expiring April 30, 2027, so a licensee has to check which group their license sits in. A first license is usually not valid for a full two years, and in that case the nurse completes one hour of continuing education for each month the license is held rather than the full total.
- What specific CE topics are required for Florida nurse practitioners?
- Prevention of Medical Errors: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Florida Laws and Rules: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Recognition of Impairment in the Workplace: 2 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board. Human Trafficking: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Safe and Effective Prescription of Controlled Substances: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Domestic Violence: 2 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board. HIV/AIDS: a one-time requirement of 1 contact hour. Citations: Human Trafficking (s. 464.013, F.S.) and safe and Effective Prescription of Controlled Substances (s. 464.013(3)(b), F.S.).
- Do Florida nurse practitioners have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates. General hours must be approved by a state or national organization empowered to accredit nursing continuing education. The medical errors, Florida laws and rules, recognition of impairment and domestic violence courses must be board approved, and approved courses are listed at cebroker.com. Human trafficking need not be board approved but must meet s. 464.013, F.S. The controlled substances course must come from one of the accreditors the board names. Hours are reported through the CE Broker tracking system.
- Is the first Florida NP renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Florida applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Autonomous APRN, Florida Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Renewal, Florida Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renewals, Florida Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensure and autonomous registration, Florida Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Fla. Stat. 464.013, Renewal of license or certificate, subsection (3)(b)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
Every hour figure was read in the board's own continuing education subject table for APRNs and on the APRN renewal page. Topic key impairment_in_the_workplace is not in the canonical list, and Florida Laws and Rules is filed under jurisprudence. The board's table lists a row of 10 hours labelled see additional information below, which its footnote ties to Rule 64B9-4.020(4) and the registered Autonomous APRN designation, so those 10 hours are described in the notes as an autonomous practice add on rather than as part of the standard 24. The named subject rows sum exactly to 24, which is why the three hour controlled substances course is described as an addition for prescribers; the board's page does not say in words whether it counts inside or outside the 24, so a prescriber should treat it as additional. This is the shared APRN rule and reaches nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists and clinical nurse specialists as well as nurse practitioners, though the autonomous registration and the nurse practitioner level course rows are specific to advanced practice roles. Record retention length and audit practice were not stated on the pages read; Florida reports hours through CE Broker rather than by submitting certificates. Correction 2026-09-08: the three hour controlled substances course had been recorded as applying to APRNs who prescribe controlled substances. Fla. Stat. 464.013(3)(b), read on flsenate.gov, applies it to every advanced practice registered nurse licensed under s. 464.012 regardless of prescribing, so applies_to is now null and the citation is recorded. Found by cross-checking against the Florida CRNA record.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Florida Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.