Florida Physician (MD) CME

HOW MANY CME HOURS DO FLORIDA PHYSICIANS NEED?

• Florida physicians need 40 hours of continuing medical education every two years ( Florida Administrative Code 64B8-13.005 — Continuing Education for Biennial Renewal ). You may complete all 40 hours online with an on-demand Complete Florida CME Physician Package

• Florida splits physicians into two renewal groups on a fixed biennial cycle: License Renewal Group 1 expires January 31 of even-numbered years, and Group 2 expires January 31 of odd-numbered years. A physician can confirm their assigned group through the Board's license verification system. CME hours don't carry over between biennial cycles ( Florida Board of Medicine — Medical Doctor Renewal ).

WHICH CME TOPICS ARE REQUIRED FOR FLORIDA PHYSICIANS?

Every physician must complete 2 hours on the prevention of medical errors and 2 hours on domestic violence , the latter due once every third biennium (every six years), both drawn from the same 40-hour total. Every physician must also complete a one-time 1-hour HIV/AIDS course before their first renewal ( Florida Administrative Code 64B8-13.005 ).

Florida also enacted a one-time 1-hour human trafficking awareness course requirement in 2019, but it was a specific deadline, not an ongoing renewal requirement: licensees who already held a Florida medical license had to complete it once, by January 1, 2021. The statute contains no provision requiring it of physicians licensed after that date, so it does not apply to current first-time licensees or to anyone renewing today ( Florida Statutes § 456.0341 ; Florida Department of Health — Human Trafficking Continuing Education FAQ ).

Physicians holding a DEA registration must additionally complete a Florida Board of Medicine Approved 2 hours of controlled substance prescribing CME , counted within the same 40-hour total rather than on top of it ( Florida Administrative Code 64B8-13.008 — Requirement for Continuing Education Course on Prescribing Controlled Substances ), plus a one-time 8-hour DEA MATE Training on Opioid or Substance Use Disorder , per the federal MATE Act — not a Florida Board mandate ( DEA Diversion Control Division — MATE Act Training FAQ ).

DO NEWLY LICENSED FLORIDA PHYSICIANS NEED CME FOR THEIR FIRST RENEWAL?

Yes, including the one-time HIV/AIDS course, which must be completed before a physician's first renewal ( Florida Administrative Code 64B8-13.005 ).

DOES THE FLORIDA BOARD OF MEDICINE AUDIT CME RECORDS?

Yes. Physicians report completed courses through the CE Broker tracking system, which the Board uses to verify compliance at renewal ( Florida Board of Medicine — Medical Doctor Renewal ).

SOURCES

Last verified by AchieveCE Compliance Team: September 11, 2026

• Florida Board of Medicine — Medical Doctor Renewal

• Florida Administrative Code 64B8-13.005 — Continuing Education for Biennial Renewal

• Florida Administrative Code 64B8-13.008 — Requirement for Continuing Education Course on Prescribing Controlled Substances

• Florida Statutes § 456.0341 — Requirements for Instruction on Human Trafficking (historical, one-time 2019–2021 deadline)

• Florida Department of Health — Human Trafficking Continuing Education FAQ (historical, one-time 2019–2021 deadline)

• Florida Department of Health — Health Care Public Data Portal (Licensee Data Download)

• DEA Diversion Control Division — MATE Act Training FAQ