The Florida Nurse Practice Act, found in Chapter 464 of the Florida Statutes, controls who can practice nursing in Florida, what each type of nurse is allowed to do, the continuing education and reporting duties that come with a license, and the discipline the Florida Board of Nursing can impose when the rules are broken. The Board sits within the Department of Health and handles licensure, complaints, investigations, and enforcement.
Who Can Be Licensed in Florida
Florida offers two routes to a nursing license: examination for new graduates, and endorsement for nurses already licensed in another state. Both routes require an approved nursing education, a passing score on a national exam, and a background check.
Examination Route
You must graduate from a nursing program approved by the Board, accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, or approved by another state’s licensing authority and assigned an NCLEX code by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.1Florida Board of Nursing. Nursing (RN and LPN) Proof of graduation has to reach the Board before your license issues.2Department of Health, Board of Nursing, Florida Administrative Register. Rule 64B9-3.002 Qualifications for Examination
Then comes the National Council Licensure Examination. RN candidates take the NCLEX-RN; LPN candidates take the NCLEX-PN. Florida contracts with Pearson VUE to administer the test.1Florida Board of Nursing. Nursing (RN and LPN)
Every applicant also completes electronic fingerprinting for a Level II background check, which runs a state search through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a national search through the FBI. Prints go to the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, and the Department of Health reviews the results.3FL HealthSource. Background Screening FAQs Convictions involving fraud, violence, or drugs can disqualify you, though the Board reviews cases individually and sometimes grants licensure with conditions.
One change to know: as of July 1, 2025, fingerprint-based screening is required not only for new applicants but for all health care practitioners at their next renewal, and the Department will not renew until screening is complete.4FL HealthSource. Screening Requirements
Endorsement for Nurses Licensed Elsewhere
If you already hold a valid nursing license in another state, you can apply for a Florida license by endorsement rather than retake the NCLEX. Your original state’s requirements must have been substantially equivalent to Florida’s at the time you were first licensed. You also need to show you actively practiced nursing for at least two of the previous three years without any board actions against you. Once endorsed, you must complete a Board-approved Florida laws and rules course within six months and a two-hour medical errors prevention course before licensure.5Florida Board of Nursing. Nursing Licensure by Endorsement Application
Practicing Under the Nurse Licensure Compact
Florida joined the Nurse Licensure Compact in 2018 under House Bill 1061. RNs and LPNs holding a multistate license issued by another compact state can practice in Florida without a separate Florida license.6FL HealthSource. Compact This is not endorsement; you practice on your existing multistate license.
Residency is the hinge. If you move to Florida permanently, you must apply for a Florida license within 60 days, and you cannot keep practicing on your former state’s multistate license indefinitely.7Florida Board of Nursing. Announcement – New Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) Rule A Florida driver’s license, voter registration, or a federal tax return filed with a Florida address are among the documents that establish residency.
What Each License Level Can Do
Florida assigns different authority to each nursing credential, and practicing past your scope is itself grounds for discipline.
Registered Nurses
RNs assess patients, form nursing diagnoses, build and carry out care plans, administer medications, and perform procedures such as IV therapy. RNs can delegate tasks to LPNs and unlicensed assistive personnel, but the delegating nurse must use professional judgment about the task and the person receiving it, and keeps overall responsibility for the patient’s care.8Cornell Law School. Florida Admin Code 64B9-14.002 – Delegation of Tasks or Activities
Licensed Practical Nurses
LPNs work under the direction of an RN, physician, or other authorized provider. They monitor vital signs, administer medications, perform wound care, and assist with daily activities. The bright line: LPNs cannot independently assess patients or formulate nursing diagnoses.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
APRNs have the widest authority. They can diagnose, order diagnostic tests, develop treatment plans, and prescribe medications, including controlled substances, once they have completed the required pharmacology training.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 464.012 – Certification of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses In 2020, Florida allowed qualified nurse practitioners to practice autonomously in primary care settings without a physician supervision agreement. Autonomous practice requires at least 3,000 supervised clinical hours and additional coursework in differential diagnosis and pharmacology.
APRN covers several specialties. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists administer anesthesia under established protocols. Certified Nurse Midwives manage prenatal, labor, and postpartum care. Clinical Nurse Specialists provide expert consultation in areas such as psychiatric or cardiac nursing. Each specialty has its own certification requirements and practice boundaries.
Continuing Education and License Renewal
Florida requires continuing education every two years to renew your license. The Board sets the requirement at one contact hour per calendar month of the licensure cycle, which comes to 24 hours for a standard biennial renewal.10Cornell Law School. Florida Admin Code 64B9-5.002 – Continuing Education The underlying statute authorizes the Board to require up to 30 hours biennially.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 464.013 – Renewal of License or Certificate
Certain topics are mandatory inside those 24 hours. Every cycle, you must complete coursework on prevention of medical errors, Florida nursing laws and rules, and human trafficking.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 464.013 – Renewal of License or Certificate A domestic violence course is required every third renewal cycle and counts on top of the 24 hours.
APRNs with prescriptive authority owe more. Beyond the 24 hours, they must complete three hours on safe and effective prescribing of controlled substances and two hours on recognizing impairment in the workplace (every other renewal). APRNs registered for autonomous practice add 10 hours of graduate-level courses in their specialty.12Florida Board of Nursing. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Renewal
Courses must be Board-approved or accredited by a recognized national organization. Florida tracks compliance through CE Broker. If your hours are not showing in CE Broker at renewal time, the Department will not renew you.
What You Are Required to Report
The Act places affirmative reporting duties on nurses. Missing one can itself become the disciplinary matter.
Colleague Misconduct
You must report violations of the Nurse Practice Act you observe or become aware of, including impairment, unprofessional conduct, or unsafe practice by a colleague. Reports go to the Florida Department of Health, which decides whether to investigate and refer the matter to the Board.
Suspected Abuse
Nurses are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. If you know or have reasonable cause to suspect a child has been harmed, you must call the central abuse hotline immediately. Unlike many reporters, health care practitioners must give their names.13The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 39.201 Separate statutes impose similar duties for suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of elderly or disabled persons. Failing to report can carry criminal penalties.
Your Own Criminal Convictions
If you are convicted of any crime, you must report it to the Board within 30 days. This applies to any conviction, not only felonies or nursing-related offenses. Failing to disclose, or concealing a conviction on a license application, is itself a separate offense that can lead to additional discipline.14FL HealthSource. What Happens If I Did Not Disclose a Conviction on My Application
Conduct That Can Cost You Your License
The Board can discipline for a wide range of conduct. A few triggers come up often enough to be worth knowing specifically.
Practicing while impaired by drugs, alcohol, or a mental health condition is one of the most frequently prosecuted violations. A nurse found impaired on duty can face emergency suspension; the Board does not wait for a full hearing when patient safety is at immediate risk. Florida runs an alternative-to-discipline program that lets nurses with substance use disorders enter monitored treatment and recovery rather than face traditional sanctions, though participation is not guaranteed and comes with strict requirements.
Falsifying patient records, altering prescriptions, billing for services not provided, or any form of fraud can bring severe penalties. So can inappropriate relationships with patients, which the Board treats as a serious boundary violation whether or not the patient consented.
Competency failures, such as repeated medication errors, failure to follow care protocols, or ignoring physician orders, can lead to remedial education, probation, or suspension depending on severity and patient harm. The Board looks at patterns. A single honest mistake, handled transparently, is treated very differently from a pattern of carelessness.
Breaches of patient confidentiality are disciplinary offenses. Florida Statute 456.057 governs ownership, control, and disclosure of patient records, and violations bring action from the licensing authority.15The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 456.057 – Ownership and Control of Patient Records Federal HIPAA rules add another layer of potential liability.
How Discipline Works
The Board enforces the Act through the Department of Health’s Medical Quality Assurance division. When a complaint comes in, the Department reviews it for possible violations and decides whether to open a formal investigation. Complaints stay confidential until 10 days after probable cause is found; if no probable cause is found, they stay confidential permanently.16Florida Department of Health. Complaints and Enforcement
If a violation is confirmed, the Board can impose reprimand, fines, mandatory continuing education, practice restrictions, probation, suspension, or revocation. Minor infractions may result in a citation and required coursework. Serious violations involving patient harm, fraud, or repeat conduct bring harsher consequences. The Board can also impose an emergency suspension when a nurse poses an immediate threat to public safety, without waiting for the full administrative process.
You have the right to contest the findings. Under Florida’s Administrative Procedure Act, you can request a formal hearing where you can present evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and be represented by counsel. If the case involves disputed facts, it goes before an administrative law judge at the Division of Administrative Hearings before returning to the Board for a final decision.17The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 120.57 – Additional Procedures for Particular Cases
Formal disciplinary actions do not stay in Florida. The Board reports revocation, suspension, probation, reprimand, or a voluntary surrender during an investigation to the National Practitioner Data Bank within 30 days, along with any malpractice payments made on a nurse’s behalf. Hospitals and licensing boards nationwide can pull those reports.18National Practitioner Data Bank. What You Must Report to the NPDB