Florida CNA Registry: Verify a Certification
Verify a Florida certified nursing assistant through the Florida Department of Health's Medical Quality Assurance (MQA) license verification search, linked on this page. MQA operates the state's official CNA registry, tracking certification status and any substantiated findings against nurse aides. Federal law requires nursing facilities and home health agencies to check this registry before hiring any nurse aide, so employers cannot skip this step. The lookup runs through MQA's online provider search; a dedicated phone line is not listed here, so use the contact information posted on the MQA search page itself if you need to reach someone directly.
Look up a Florida nurse aide
The official lookup shows whether a person is listed as an active nurse aide in Florida, and any finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation on record. It is free and public.
How to verify a Florida CNA
Open the official lookup
Use the Florida lookup above. It is free and public.
Search by full legal name
A certification number narrows the result fastest. Try former or hyphenated last names if nothing comes up.
Read the status and findings
Active means the listing is current. A substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation bars work as a nurse aide.
What the lookup shows
To search, you typically need the person's full legal name (and any former or maiden names help narrow results); the registry returns certification status, license number, and expiration or renewal date. It also records substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property; anyone with such a finding cannot be employed as a nurse aide. This lookup is not a full employment or criminal background check, so employers should not treat a clean result as a complete screening.
Florida registry at a glance
- Run by: Florida Department of Health (MQA)
- Training: 120 hours, 40 of them clinical
- Federal floor: 75 hours, 16 supervised practical
- Lapse rule: a listing lapses after 24 consecutive months without paid nursing work
- Not included: a registry check is not a criminal background check
What CNAs earn in Florida
Typical annual CNA pay in Florida · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
BLS OES May 2025 · CNA salary in Florida by city →
Renewal, lapses, and moving to Florida
Nurse aide certification generally follows a 24-month renewal cycle under federal rule, and it lapses if you go without qualifying paid nurse aide work during that period. Once lapsed, most nurse aides need to retest to regain active status, since certification isn't just a paperwork renewal. Aides moving to Florida from another state go through the registry's reciprocity or endorsement process rather than starting training over, though requirements can depend on where the original certification was issued. For exact renewal timing, deadlines, or reciprocity requirements in Florida, contact the Department of Health's MQA search site directly, since this page does not list a specific number.
Keep your certification active
CNA work in Florida, by the numbers
Florida employs about 96,960 certified nursing assistants, according to BLS May 2025 figures. The median Florida CNA earns $37,510 a year, or $18.03 an hour, which runs about $4,750 below the $42,260 national median. Pay has grown substantially over the past decade: Florida's median CNA salary is up 57.8% since 2015. Florida also sets its own training bar above the federal minimum: the state requires 120 hours of instruction, including 40 clinical hours, compared to the federal floor of 75 hours with at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. Nationally, the occupation is projected to add about 196,200 annual openings through 2035, even though overall employment growth is modest at 2.6%, since most openings come from turnover in long-term care and home health settings.
Registries in nearby states
Each state runs its own registry. An aide who worked in another state may be listed there too, and employers must check every state where they believe the aide has worked.
Questions about the Florida registry
- How do I look up a CNA license in Florida?
- Look up a Florida CNA through the Florida Department of Health's MQA license verification search, linked at the top of this page. Search by the person's full legal name; you can narrow results with a middle initial or former name if there are multiple matches. The result shows certification status, so you can confirm whether someone is currently certified before relying on that credential.
- I passed my CNA exam. How long until I appear on the registry?
- You're added to the registry after your exam results and required paperwork are fully processed by the state; this page can't give an exact number of days, since processing time varies. If a reasonable amount of time has passed and your name still isn't showing, contact the Department of Health's MQA office directly using the contact details on its site to check your status.
- What if I search and can't find someone?
- A search with no results isn't proof someone is uncertified; try variations first, such as a maiden name, hyphenated last name, or a different middle initial. Name mismatches are a common reason searches come up empty. If you've tried reasonable variations and still find nothing, confirm status by contacting the Department of Health's MQA office directly.
- How often does a Florida CNA certification need to be renewed?
- Nurse aide certification generally runs on a 24-month cycle under federal rule, so recertification comes up every two years. Florida's registry, run by the Department of Health's MQA office, applies the specific renewal requirements and deadlines for aides working in the state, so check directly with MQA for your exact renewal date and any state-specific steps.
- How many hours of training does a CNA need in Florida?
- Florida requires 120 hours of CNA training, 80 hours of classroom instruction plus 40 clinical hours, well above the federal floor of 75 hours with at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. Florida law also allows candidates to challenge the certification exam without completing an approved training program, though most CNAs complete the full 120-hour course.
- How do I update my name or address on the registry?
- Contact the Department of Health's MQA office directly to update your name or address on the Florida CNA registry; this isn't something you can edit through the public search tool. These updates are routine, but the exact form or process is set by MQA, so check its site for current instructions.