“The email about fingerprinting for my Florida renewal is a scam, there's no new requirement”

What nurses hear

"That email saying I need fingerprints before my Florida renewal is a phishing scam. I was already fingerprinted when I got licensed, and there's no new rule."

The reality

Both halves are wrong, and the truth is more annoying: the requirement is real AND scammers are impersonating it. Florida's HB 975 (passed in 2024) requires health care practitioners, nurses included, to complete an electronic fingerprint background screening. Nurses licensed before July 1, 2025 must complete it by their first renewal on or after that date, and the Department of Health cannot renew a license until the screening is done. Your fingerprints from initial licensure usually do NOT count: the DOH can only reuse prints that a Clearinghouse-compliant Livescan provider entered into the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse within the last five years, and even then reuse is not guaranteed. At the same time, the DOH has published a fraud alert about scam emails posing as the Department. The distinguishing test, in the DOH's own words: practitioners "will never receive unsolicited calls or emails from the Department where personal information is requested, payments are demanded, or threats against your license are made." So do not click links in a surprise email. Instead, start your screening yourself through the Clearinghouse Applicant Initiated (CHAI) system at FLHealthSource.gov/Background-Screening, or call the DOH at (850) 488-0595 to confirm any notice.

Why this one spreads

• The DOH's own fraud alert confirms scam emails about license status are circulating, so real screening notices and fakes look alike in the same inbox.
• Nurses were fingerprinted at initial licensure, so a second screening at renewal feels redundant and therefore fake.
• Vendor blogs spread stale or conflated numbers (the $43.25 retention fee quoted as the screening cost, old FBI fees, wrong deadlines), which makes official notices look inconsistent with what nurses read online.

The nuance that survives

• Timing matters twice: complete the screening within 90 days of your license expiration date (results also go stale, so do not screen many months early).
• Prior prints only help if a qualifying agency entered them into the Clearinghouse within the last 5 years, and the DOH still calls reuse 'possible', not automatic. Check your status in the CHAI system before paying for anything.
• Fingerprint RETENTION is its own 5-year cycle, separate from license renewal. Renewing retention costs $43.25 inside a window that opens 75 days and closes 15 days before the RETENTION expiration date (not your license date). Miss it and a fresh screening costs nearly double.
• The screening cost varies by Livescan provider (the FDLE and FBI portion is $36, the provider adds its own service fee). The DOH does not publish one flat price.
• A short list of professions is exempt (EMTs, paramedics, pharmacy interns, registered pharmacy technicians, radiologic technologists). Nurses are not on it.

Sources

Florida DOH, background screening requirements and CHAI steps

Last verified: 2026-07-22

Florida DOH fraud alert on emails impersonating the Department

Last verified: 2026-07-22

Florida DOH background-screening FAQs (prior prints, costs)

Last verified: 2026-07-22

Florida Board of Nursing, HB 975 screening requirement

Last verified: 2026-07-22

Frequently asked questions

Is the fingerprint requirement for Florida nurse license renewal real?

Yes. HB 975, passed in 2024, requires Florida health care practitioners including RNs, LPNs, and APRNs to complete an electronic fingerprint background screening. Nurses licensed before July 1, 2025 must complete it by their first renewal on or after that date, and the DOH cannot renew the license until it is done.

How do I know if a DOH email about my license is real or a scam?

Apply the DOH's own test: the Department never sends unsolicited emails that request personal information, demand payment, or threaten your license. Do not click links in a surprise email. Verify by logging into the official licensee portal, starting your screening yourself at FLHealthSource.gov/Background-Screening, or calling the DOH at (850) 488-0595.

Do the fingerprints from when I first got licensed count?

Usually not. The DOH can only reuse prints that a Clearinghouse-compliant Livescan provider entered into the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse within the last five years, and even qualifying prints are not an automatic pass. Most nurses renewing for the first time under HB 975 need a new screening. Check your status in the CHAI system first.

How much does the fingerprint screening cost?

It varies by Livescan provider. The FDLE and FBI processing portion is $36, and each provider adds its own service fee. The $43.25 figure you may see online is a different thing: the every-5-years fee to keep already-retained prints active in the Clearinghouse.

When should I get fingerprinted for my renewal?

Within 90 days of your license expiration date. Screening results are only good for about 90 days relative to the application, so doing it many months early can backfire. Doing it at the last minute risks your renewal being blocked while results process.

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