Skip to content
State Cert Guide

Independent guide, not a government agency. We earn commissions on some links.

How many CE hours does a nurse need to renew in Florida?

If you hold a Florida RN or LPN license, Florida lists 24 hours of continuing education for renewal. Sixteen are general hours. The rest are required topics, like medical errors and Florida laws and rules. Courses can be live or home study. Your first renewal works differently.

By State Cert GuideChecked against the sources listed below.Report a mistake

The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
The renewal requirement is 24 hoursThe RN page lists 24 hours for renewal. Domestic violence hours are extra.
Verified. Florida Board of Nursing · Registered nurse renewal (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Agency
Florida Board of NursingIt approves the providers for the mandatory courses, except the 2-hour Human Trafficking course.
Same source and date as above
Valid for
Florida licenses run in two-year bienniumsFlorida licenses run in two-year cycles it calls bienniums. A short first license needs 1 hour per month.
Same source and date as above
Online accepted
All courses can be live or home studyFlorida's RN renewal page states this in a note under the provider rule.
Same source and date as above
General hours
16 general hours with approval from a state or national nursing CE accreditorFlorida's RN renewal page lists them first in its table of required hours.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check what applies to you. If you hold a Florida RN or LPN license, Florida lists 24 hours of continuing education for renewal. Each cycle is a two-year biennium.

  2. Step 2. Pick courses that count. The general hours must carry the approval of a state or national organization that accredits nursing CE. The required courses must come from a provider the Florida Board of Nursing has approved, except the human trafficking course. Courses can be live or home study.

  3. Step 3. Take 16 general hours. Add 2 hours on medical errors and 2 hours on Florida laws and rules. Every other renewal, add a 2-hour course on recognizing impairment in the workplace. Every renewal, add the human trafficking course. Every third biennium, add a domestic violence course. Its hours are extra, beyond the 24.

  4. Step 4. Plan your first renewal. If an exam gave you your license this biennium, you skip the general hours. You still need 2 hours of medical error, 2 hours in Florida laws and rules, 2 hours of recognizing impairment in the workplace, 2 hours of human trafficking and 1 hour of HIV/AIDS.

Before you pay

We haven’t confirmed a course price or a fee. Before you pay, ask who approved the course. Required topic courses need Florida Board of Nursing approval, except human trafficking. General hours need the approval of a state or national body that accredits nursing CE.

Questions

Does a specialty certification replace the hours?

It can replace CE. A nurse certified by a health care specialty program that the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification accredits is exempt from CE. The exemption does not apply to the 2-hour human trafficking course. You have to report the certification to the Department’s tracking system, which runs on CE Broker.

Is the HIV/AIDS course a one-time requirement?

Yes. The Board lists HIV/AIDS as a one-time requirement before the first renewal. You do not repeat it at later renewals.

What if I was licensed by endorsement?

If you were licensed in the current biennium and took the exam in another state within it, you are exempt from the general hours too. You still need the same required topics as a nurse licensed by exam, including 2 hours of human trafficking and 1 hour of HIV/AIDS.

What if my license was not issued for a full two years?

You complete 1 hour of CE for each month that you hold the license. An initial license issued for less than 24 months needs 1 hour for each month it was valid, and those hours must include the required topics. Ask the Board how that combines with the first-renewal exemption before you count your hours.

What to do next

Start with the Florida Board of Nursing page on registered nurse renewal. LPNs have a matching page. Check your own license dates there before you pay for a course.

floridasnursing.gov

Sources we read