Florida requires 120 hours of CNA training — 80 hours of classroom instruction plus 40 hours of supervised clinical practice — and uses Prometric to administer the state competency exam. In Florida, the Florida Board of Nursing oversees all nurse aide certification through the Prometric CNA Registry. With over 4.5 million residents aged 65 and older (the highest percentage of seniors of any large state), Florida offers one of the most robust CNA job markets in the nation. The snowbird season (November through April) creates an annual surge in healthcare demand, and a mandatory Level 2 background screening ($51 additional fee) is required for all healthcare workers who have direct contact with vulnerable populations.
Florida law requires 120 hours of approved nurse aide training — 80 hours of classroom and laboratory instruction plus 40 hours of supervised clinical practice in a licensed nursing facility. Programs must be approved by the Florida Department of Health. Graduates must complete all hours before sitting for the Prometric CNA competency exam.
Florida requires a Level 2 background screening under the Jessica Lunsford Act (Florida Statute 435) for all healthcare workers with direct contact with vulnerable adults. This includes an FDLE state check and an FBI national fingerprint check through Livescan. The $51 fee is mandatory and results are submitted directly to the Florida Department of Health. Any disqualifying offense results in denial unless an exemption is granted.
Florida's CNA competency exam is administered by Prometric at testing centers across the state. The written (or oral) section consists of 60 multiple-choice questions with a 90-minute time limit. The clinical skills evaluation requires candidates to demonstrate 5 randomly selected skills in 30 minutes. Both sections must be passed within a 24-month window of completing training. Prometric testing sites are located in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, and other major Florida cities.
Before beginning clinical rotations at a Florida nursing facility, CNA students must provide a negative TB test (Mantoux PPD or QuantiFERON Gold) within the past 12 months and a physician's physical clearance form. Most approved programs also require current immunizations including the Hepatitis B series, MMR, Varicella, Tdap, and seasonal flu vaccine. These health requirements protect both patients and students during clinical training.
South Florida and the Miami metro area — including Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties — represent the highest-demand CNA market in the state. The region's large Cuban, Haitian, and Caribbean populations mean bilingual (Spanish/Creole-speaking) CNAs are especially valued and often command higher starting wages. Major programs include Miami Dade College (120-hour program at community college rates, ~$700-$1,200), Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, and Florida Career College locations across the region. Top employers include Baptist Health South Florida, Cleveland Clinic Florida (Weston), Memorial Healthcare System, and Kindred Healthcare facilities. Starting CNA wages in Miami-Dade average $16-$19/hour, with experienced CNAs at private hospitals reaching $22/hour. The snowbird influx from November to April significantly increases staffing demand at skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties.
Orlando and Central Florida have seen explosive healthcare sector growth driven by the region's rapid population expansion. Valencia College offers one of the most affordable and well-regarded CNA programs in Central Florida (approximately $800-$1,100 for residents). AdventHealth — one of the largest faith-based health systems in the US and headquartered in Altamonte Springs — actively recruits CNAs and offers employer-sponsored training to candidates who commit to a 12-month employment contract. Other major employers include HCA Florida Healthcare (multiple hospitals in the Orlando metro) and Orlando Health. CNA wages in Orlando average $15-$18/hour. The region's growing Puerto Rican and Latino communities also create strong demand for Spanish-speaking CNAs, particularly in home health settings. Free CNA classes through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grants are available at CareerSource Central Florida for eligible candidates.
Tampa Bay — covering Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Hillsborough/Pinellas/Pasco counties — is one of the fastest-growing healthcare markets in Florida. Hillsborough Community College and St. Petersburg College both offer state-approved CNA programs at community college rates ($600-$1,000). BayCare Health System, headquartered in Clearwater, operates 15 hospitals across Tampa Bay and is one of the region's largest CNA employers, offering competitive starting wages of $17-$20/hour with benefits. Tampa General Hospital and HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital are also major employers. The Pinellas County area has a particularly large retiree population, creating high demand for home health CNAs year-round. Staffing agencies including Maxim Healthcare and Aya Healthcare regularly fill travel CNA assignments in the Tampa Bay area at $22-$28/hour with housing stipends.
Jacksonville and Northeast Florida offer strong CNA opportunities with a lower cost of living compared to South Florida. Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) runs a well-regarded CNA program at approximately $900 for state residents. Baptist Health Jacksonville is the area's largest healthcare employer with multiple hospital campuses and affiliated skilled nursing facilities. Mayo Clinic Jacksonville employs CNAs primarily in acute care and specialty settings at wages of $18-$22/hour. The Jacksonville area has a significant military presence (Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Blount Island Command) which drives demand for CNAs in VA-affiliated facilities and military family healthcare. North Florida including Gainesville (home of UF Health Shands) and Tallahassee offer additional employment opportunities, though CNA wages are slightly lower at $14-$17/hour outside of Jacksonville proper.
Tallahassee and the Florida Panhandle represent the most affordable CNA training market in the state. Tallahassee Community College and Gulf Coast State College (Panama City) both offer CNA programs at reduced community college tuition rates ($400-$800). Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Capital Regional Medical Center are the primary healthcare employers in Tallahassee. The Panhandle region — including Pensacola, Panama City, and Destin — has a strong military presence (Eglin Air Force Base, Naval Air Station Pensacola) which supports steady CNA demand in VA facilities and military healthcare. CNA registry processing for the Panhandle is handled through the same Florida Prometric Registry as the rest of the state. CNA wages in the Panhandle average $13-$16/hour, among the lowest in Florida, but the cost of living is significantly lower than South Florida or Tampa Bay.
Search the Florida Department of Health's database of approved CNA training programs. Community colleges, vocational schools, Red Cross chapters, and some healthcare facilities offer approved 120-hour programs.
Obtain your TB test, physical examination clearance, current immunizations, and CPR/BLS certification. Complete Livescan fingerprinting for the Level 2 background check ($51). Most programs require these before clinical rotations begin.
Attend your Florida-approved program: 80 hours classroom and lab plus 40 hours supervised clinical practice at a licensed nursing facility. Full-time programs complete in 4-6 weeks; part-time programs take 8-12 weeks.
After program completion, register for both the written and clinical skills exams at Prometric.com. You'll need your program completion certificate. The combined exam fee is $117.05. Schedule at a Prometric testing center in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, or another FL city.
Take the written knowledge test (60 questions, 90 minutes, 70% to pass) and the clinical skills evaluation (5 randomly selected skills, 30 minutes). Both parts must be passed within 24 months of completing training.
After passing both exam components, Prometric notifies the Florida Board of Nursing and you are added to the Florida Nurse Aide Registry. You will receive a wallet card by mail. Processing typically takes 2-4 weeks.
Apply to hospitals, SNFs, home health agencies, ALFs, or staffing companies. Florida law allows you to work as a nurse aide candidate while awaiting full registry placement if your employer verifies exam passage with Prometric.
Florida's Level 2 background screening is one of the most thorough in the nation and is legally required for all healthcare workers who have direct contact with vulnerable adults or children under the Jessica Lunsford Act (Florida Statute 435). Unlike a standard background check, Level 2 screening involves biometric fingerprint submission to both the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the FBI for a national criminal history check.
Cost and Process: The state fee is $51, paid when you submit your Livescan fingerprints at an authorized Livescan vendor (found on the FDLE website). Many Livescan sites are located at law enforcement agencies, UPS stores, and healthcare facilities throughout Florida. Results are submitted electronically directly to the Florida Department of Health — you do not receive a copy to submit yourself.
Disqualifying Offenses: Certain criminal convictions automatically disqualify candidates, including felonies involving abuse, neglect, exploitation of vulnerable adults, sexual offenses, and violent crimes. Other offenses may be reviewed case-by-case. If disqualified, you can apply for an Exemption from Disqualification through the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), but the process takes several months.
Fingerprinting Locations: The FDLE maintains an online locator for Livescan vendors at fdle.state.fl.us. Major concentrations of Livescan sites are in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange (Orlando), Hillsborough (Tampa), and Duval (Jacksonville) counties. Most sites offer walk-in appointments and results are transmitted within 1-3 business days.
Florida employs more CNAs per capita than almost any other state, driven by the largest concentration of residents aged 65 and older in the country — over 4.5 million seniors as of 2026. The state's snowbird season (November through April) creates an annual staffing surge as snowbirds from Northern states arrive with chronic conditions requiring skilled nursing care, dramatically increasing demand at skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities throughout South Florida, Tampa Bay, and the Space Coast.
Top Florida healthcare employers for CNAs include CNA careers at AdventHealth (30+ hospitals in Florida), Baptist Health South Florida, Cleveland Clinic Florida, HCA Florida Healthcare (25 hospitals statewide), and BayCare Health System. State-wide, there are over 700 licensed skilled nursing facilities, more than 3,000 assisted living facilities, and a rapidly growing home health sector funded in part by Florida's Medicaid HCBS waiver programs.
For those interested in CNA to RN bridge programs, Florida offers strong options through the state college system. Florida State College at Jacksonville, Miami Dade College, and Hillsborough Community College all offer LPN-to-RN and CNA-to-LPN bridge programs. The Florida Board of Nursing also allows CNA work experience to count toward accelerated nursing program prerequisites at many institutions.
The Prometric CNA exam in Florida uses the same format as most other states — making Florida CNA certification highly portable for those considering CNA reciprocity to other states in the future. Florida requires 24 hours of in-service training every 2 years for renewal, which is lower than the national average and manageable through employer-provided training sessions. Understanding the full CNA requirements before enrolling ensures a smooth path from training to employment.