Short answer: yes. If you store, prepare, display or serve food at a licensed restaurant, bar, café or other food service business in Florida, state law requires you to complete approved food safety training. Here is what the rule actually says and how to get it done.
What Florida law requires
Florida Statute §509.049 requires every public food service establishment to make sure its food service employees are trained through an approved food safety training program. The key points:
- Who: any employee responsible for storing, preparing, displaying or serving food to the public. That includes cooks, prep, servers, bartenders, bussers and dishwashers who handle food or ice.
- When: within 60 days of starting the job.
- How long it lasts: the certification is valid for three years.
- No exam: Florida's employee training standards do not include a test.
- Proof: the business must be able to show proof of training during a state inspection, including each employee's name, date of birth, training date and the approved program used.
An establishment that can't produce proof of training when asked can be fined up to $1,000.
Is it called a "card" or a "certificate"?
Both terms are used. People search for a "Florida food handler card," but what matters to an inspector is proof that you completed a state-approved program within the required time. Keep your certificate somewhere you and your employer can get to it.
Food handler vs. food manager
Employee food handler training is not the same as food manager certification. Managers have a separate requirement: an accredited exam within 30 days of being hired. See Food Handler vs. Food Manager Certification in Florida.
How to get trained
Our Employee Food Handler course is Florida-approved, takes about one hour, costs $13, and gives you a certificate the same day. It is also available in Spanish.
Training a whole team? Contact us about group enrollment.
This page is a plain-language summary of Florida Statute §509.049, not legal advice. Check with the Florida DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants for your specific situation.