By Pete and Lee Whitridge
Welcome to the final days of the 2023-2025 licensure renewal period. You should have received a “Dear Licensee” notice by email if you haven’t already renewed your license, reminding you of all the specific requirements you need to complete prior to renewal.
I’ve received many questions regarding the NEW Background Screening regulations so I’ll try to clear up any confusion. There are two things to know about the new law. First, the communications from the Department are vague and unclear so don’t feel alone if you are confused! Second, all fingerprint and background screenings are valid for a full 5 years (a requirement which began in the 2014 licensure cycle.)
The NEW Law (HB 975 Background Screenings and Certifications) now authorizes the Department of Health (DOH) to review your fingerprint and background status as part of your renewal process in addition to confirming your CE Broker status. To clarify: you DO NOT have to do fingerprinting every two years. This law just allows the DOH to review your status each renewal and automatically prevents you from renewing if your retained prints (which automatically authorize a background screening) are EXPIRED.
If you are in the expired status, you will be directed the CHAI clearinghouse website to “initiate a new screening” which is in the lower right corner of your record page. You will take this printout to a Live Scan provider, pay the fee (~$100), and get a TCN (Transaction Control Number) of this transaction. You can track the posting of your print/background status by this TCN at this link: https://cchinet.fdle.state.fl.us/search/app/tcnlookup?2. Be sure to keep this number until you have determined that your prints have been recorded!
As an example of this law, many of you retained your prints and authorized another background screening in 2019/2020 and again in 2024/2025. If you did this, your prints and background screening are valid until 2029/2030. For me, I retained my prints and authorized a background screening in October 2024, and my file is valid until October 2029. This means when I renew in 2027 AND in 2029, I will meet the requirements of HB975. I will have only done one retention that is valid for 3 FULL Renewals! This will vary for everyone. I advise you to check your status at: https://chai.flclearinghouse.com to determine your own specific retention date.
It’s important that you KNOW the expiration date of your print retention. It’s a cheaper option (at present $43.88) to pay for retention of your current fingerprints than letting them expire and having to initiate a new screening. You should receive an email reminder from the CHAI system approximately a month before your 75-day window of renewal prior to expiration. You can check your status now at: https://chai.flclearinghouse.com
It has been great to see so many of you attending “in person” classes again this year and we look forward to seeing even more of you next renewal period as the COVID exemptions expire on August 31, 2025.
Learn more about Pete’s upcoming workshops:
Myofascial Components of Low Back and Leg Pain
“Big 3” – Ethics, Florida Law, Prevention of Medical Errors
Reference materials:
https://flhealthsource.gov/pdf/2025.03.25-ClearedtoCare-PowerPoint.pdf
