Florida

At a Glance

Category	Details
IMLC Member	Yes
FCVS	Accepted
NP Independent Practice	Yes (engage in autonomous practice only in primary care practice, including family medicine, general pediatrics, and general internal medicine)
PA Independent Practice	No
Physician-Owned PC Allowed	No
Max NPs per Physician	No Limit
Max PAs per Physician	4

Licensure

Item	Cost
Initial License	$355
Renewal Fee	$705
Renewal Cycle	Biennial
Annualized Cost	$353
Controlled Substance Registration	No

Endorsement & Reciprocity

Not yet researched — whether this state offers license-by-endorsement or reciprocity, and its prerequisites, is being verified.

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APC Supervision

In-state requirement for supervising physicians: MD must be licensed in FL; residency not required.

Nurse Practitioners

NPs can practice independently after Primary of supervised practice in Florida.

• Maximum NPs per physician: No Limit

Physician Assistants

PAs require physician supervision in Florida.

• Maximum PAs per physician: 4

CME & Training Requirements

Requirement	Details
Total CME	Contact board
Category 1 Minimum	Contact board
Cycle	Biennial
Opioid / SUD	2 hrs/cycle
Medical Errors	2 hrs/cycle
Other	1 hr (first renewal)
Human Trafficking	Required per cycle
DEA MATE Act	8 hrs one-time (federal)
Jurisprudence Exam	Required

Fingerprint Requirements

Detail	Info
Required	Yes
FBI Check	Unknown
Method	LiveScan
Out-of-State Options	Contact board

Malpractice Insurance

• Required for licensure/practice: Yes
• Applies to: General practice: professional liability coverage of not less than $100,000 per claim / $300,000 annual aggregate; physicians with hospital staff privileges or performing ambulatory surgery: not less than $250,000 per claim / $750,000 annual aggregate. Exemptions exist for government physicians, certain inactive/limited licenses, medical school teachers, and qualifying low-volume part-time physicians; alternatives to insurance (escrow, letter of credit, self-insurance) are permitted.
• No patient compensation fund is referenced in 458.320; financial responsibility can be satisfied via insurance, escrow account, letter of credit, or self-insurance plan.

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Giving Up a License

• Status after lapse: Delinquent (then null and void if not resolved within the same licensure cycle)
• Lapse consequences: Delinquent licensee must affirmatively apply for active/inactive status and pay renewal or inactive fee plus a delinquency fee (and processing fee); failure within the same licensure cycle voids the license.
• Voluntary surrender: Available — When no investigation is pending, anticipated, or under discipline, staff may act on the relinquishment request without Board approval; it is not reported as disciplinary action. If under investigation/discipline, Board approval is required and it is reported as action against the license ("disciplinary relinquish").
• Reinstatement: An inactive license may be reactivated on application to the department, with continuing education equal to a minimum of 20 classroom hours for each year the license was inactive; the Board sets additional activation criteria by rule.
• Exit in good standing: Available — Non-disciplinary voluntary relinquishment is a distinct board-recognized status separate from "disciplinary relinquish," effectively an attestable good-standing exit; however other sources note relinquishment is generally treated as a decision not to reapply.

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Quirks & Gotchas

Fees

• Application fee:** $350 non-refundable
• Initial license fee:** $355 (some sources cite $280–$355 depending on timing)
• DEA registration:** $888 per 3-year cycle (federal, not Board-controlled, but required for controlled substance prescribing)
• Renewal fee:** ~$379 per biennial cycle

Application Requirements

• Transcripts must come via FCVS (Federal Credentials Verification Service), not directly from the school
• International medical graduates must have ECFMG certification
• International graduates require a minimum of 2 years postgraduate training in a single specialty (vs. 1 year for US/Canadian graduates)
• Official NICA form must be completed and submitted with application (NICA form)
• Any Medicaid suspension history: must be reinstated in good standing for a minimum of 5 years before Florida will license you
• Prior criminal history related to public health, Medicare/Medicaid, or controlled substances is disqualifying

Jurisprudence Exam

• Florida MD licensure does not require a separate jurisprudence exam. This is explicitly noted — unlike many states, there is no Florida-specific laws and rules exam for the MD license.

Fingerprints & Background Check

• Electronic fingerprinting via a Livescan vendor is required; results go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and are stored in the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse
• As of July 1, 2025 (HB 975), the prior exemption for physicians licensed before January 2013 was eliminated — ALL physicians now must complete electronic fingerprinting before their next renewal
• Once submitted, fingerprints are retained in the Clearinghouse — you do not resubmit at each renewal
• Critical gotcha:** Every 5 years, you must affirmatively “retain” (re-confirm) your stored fingerprints or the record auto-deletes. The Department sends 60-day advance notice. You have 30 days to act. Failure to do so triggers disciplinary action with no extension option. Check your status anytime at chai.flclearinghouse.com
• Physicians who previously completed Level II background screening do not need to resubmit initially

CME & Mandatory Training

• Medical Errors Prevention:** 2 hours mandatory, every 2-year cycle (in addition to the 40 general hours)
• Controlled Substances / Safe Prescribing:** 2 hours per cycle, required for any MD with a DEA registration
• Domestic Violence: 2 hours required every 6 years** (i.e., every third renewal cycle)
• HIV/AIDS education: 1 hour required at first renewal only**
• Human Trafficking: 1 hour, one-time** requirement
• Opioid/Substance Use Disorders (DEA-related):** 8 hours one-time, required for all DEA registrants as of June 27, 2023 — if you haven’t completed this yet, it applies to your next DEA renewal

Other Gotchas

• Licenses do not all expire on the same date. Half of MD licenses expire January 31 of even-numbered years; the other half expire January 31 of odd-numbered years. DO licenses all expire March 31 of even-numbered years.
• Florida is not a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), so there is no expedited compact pathway in or out of Florida.
• NICA is annual, not one-time.** Many applicants are blindsided by owing NICA fees immediately upon initial licensure and every subsequent year
• NICA for OB coverage is steep:** Any physician who provides obstetric backup or covers labor and delivery even occasionally may be assessed at the higher rate. Review the exemption criteria carefully at nica.com/medical-providers/exemptions
• Fingerprint 5-year retention clock is silent:** The clearinghouse does not proactively remind you until 60 days out and there is zero grace period — set a calendar reminder independently
• First renewal CME front-loading:** HIV/AIDS (1 hr) and Human Trafficking (1 hr) pile onto your first renewal cycle along with the standard 40 hours + medical errors + controlled substances. Plan accordingly
• Medicaid/Medicare exclusion history is a hard bar** — reinstatement for 5 years minimum is non-negotiable
• The NICA fee increases 3% automatically each January 1 — budget for it to climb annually
• Florida Board of Medicine — Medical Doctor
• NICA — Medical Providers
• NICA — Non-Participating Physicians
• NICA — Exemptions Researched from state board websites and regulatory sources. Verify with the board directly before applying.

Timeline

• Initial applications are supposed to be reviewed within 30 days by statute
• In practice, realistic processing is 2–6 months depending on credential complexity and any gaps
• License details appear online 24–48 hours after issuance
• Begin fingerprinting well before the 90-day renewal window — processing delays at FDLE are common and the Board will not renew a license if fingerprinting is incomplete

Resources

• Florida Board of Medicine
• FSMB State Licensure Directory
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Sources

Data compiled from state medical board websites, FSMB, and regulatory filings.

Have a correction or update? Let us know.