There are multiple Florida Agencies and Laws
Our NRFSP® Certified Professional Food Manager™ Exams are approved and accepted by either agency for Food Manager Certification. The information here should help you decide which regulations apply to your business.
Depending on the type of Food Establishment, you may have differing agencies and rules applying to your Food Manager Certification requirements. If you are a Public Lodging and Food Service Establishment (such as a Hotel or Restaurant) licensed by the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, please refer to Chapter 509 below.
Establishments licensed by the Division of Food Safety should refer to Section 5k-4.021 of the Florida Adminstrative Code below.
If you are unsure of your requirement to have a Certified Professional Food Manager on premises, contact your local Health Department or your licensing agency.
Division of Food Safety licensed entities
Section 5k-4.021 (PDF), Florida Administrative Code requires all food establishments, including mobile vendors licensed by the Department, to have a Certified Food Manager. For more information please read the Florida State Certified Food Manager Guide (PDF).
2007 Florida Statutes regarding Food Manager Certification for DBPR licensed entities
Chapter 509, Part 1 Public Lodging and Food Service Establishments
509.039 Food service manager certification.--
It is the duty of the division to adopt, by rule, food safety protection standards for the training and certification of all food service managers who are responsible for the storage, preparation, display, or serving of foods to the public in establishments regulated under this chapter. The standards adopted by the division shall be consistent with the Standards for Accreditation of Food Protection Manager Certification Programs adopted by the Conference for Food Protection. These standards are to be adopted by the division to ensure that, upon successfully passing a test, approved by the Conference for Food Protection, a manager of a food service establishment shall have demonstrated a knowledge of basic food protection practices. The division may contract with an organization offering a training and certification program that complies with division standards and results in a certification recognized by the Conference for Food Protection to conduct an approved test and certify all test results to the division. Other organizations offering programs that meet the same requirements may also conduct approved tests and certify all test results to the division. The division may charge the organization it contracts with a fee of not more than $5 per certified test to cover the administrative costs of the division for the food service manager training and certification program. All managers employed by a food service establishment must have passed an approved test and received a certificate attesting thereto. Managers have a period of 30 days after employment to pass the required test. The ranking of food service establishments is also preempted to the state; provided, however, that any local ordinances establishing a ranking system in existence prior to October 1, 1988, may remain in effect.
History.--s. 24, ch. 92-180; s. 4, ch. 93-53; s. 2, ch. 2002-299.