Florida MD CME requirements

At a glance: MD (medical doctor)

Hours

40 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

Midnight Eastern Time on January 31

Required topics

6

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

At the first renewal the Board's renewal page lists only the HIV/AIDS course, the prevention of medical errors course and, if you are DEA-registered, the controlled substance prescribing course — not the full 40 hours.

Reporting

Florida tracks CME in CE Broker. Your CME must be recorded there before you renew (s. 456.0361, F.S.); keep your certificates for at least 4 years in case of audit.

Board

Florida Board of Medicine

CME has to be earned in the 24 months before the license expires (for a January 31, 2027 expiration: February 1, 2025 through January 31, 2027). Hours do not carry over.

Deadline

• January 31, 2027

  Group 2 (odd-numbered years)

• January 31, 2028

  Group 1 (even-numbered years)

Find your Florida MD deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Prevention of medical errors2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Domestic violence Confirm with your Board2 hours · Every third renewal · Every licensee
  Section 456.031, F.S., and Rule 64B8-13.005(1)(a): 2 hours as part of every third biennial renewal, covering how many patients in your practice are likely to be victims or perpetrators of domestic violence, screening procedures for a history of being a victim or perpetrator, and how to give such patients information on, or refer them to, local resources (domestic violence centers, advocacy groups, legal aid, shelter, victim and batterer counseling, child protection). The course must be approved by any state or federal government agency, a nationally affiliated professional association, or any provider of AMA Category I or II CME; home study counts. Whether it is due this cycle depends on your renewal history — check your CE Broker transcript.
• HIV/AIDS1 hour · By the first renewal only · Every licensee
• Human trafficking Confirm with your Board1 hour · Once, by January 1, 2021 · Every licensee
  Section 456.0341, F.S.: a one-time 1-hour Board-approved course, due by January 1, 2021. The statute sets no deadline for physicians licensed after that date, and the Board's renewal page does not list it; confirm whether it applies to you.
• Prescribing controlled substances2 hours · Every renewal · Physicians registered with the DEA
  Section 456.0301, F.S., and Rule 64B8-13.005(1)(d): counts only from the providers named in the rule (17 as of June 15, 2026), even if another course carries Category 1 credit. Since July 1, 2026 the course also covers pain treatment for patients with sickle cell disease. The Board published a proposed amendment on September 24, 2026 (FAR Vol. 52/186) to add one more provider; it is not yet in effect.
• Medical marijuana qualified physician course (FMA/FOMA)2 hours · Every renewal · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  Section 381.986(3)(a), F.S.: only for physicians who want to be (or remain) qualified physicians who certify patients for medical marijuana. A 2-hour course and examination offered by the Florida Medical Association or the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, completed before being approved as a qualified physician and before each license renewal. Only the FMA or FOMA course counts; it may be taken online and costs no more than $500. The statute does not say whether it counts toward the general CME hours.

Credit that counts

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™Rule 64B8-13.005(5)(a): courses approved for AMA Category I credit or accepted for the AMA Physician's Recognition Award.
• AAFP Prescribed creditRule 64B8-13.005(5)(c) lists American Academy of Family Physicians Prescribed credit among Board-approved courses. It counts toward the 40 general hours; the mandated topics have their own rules.