Florida CAM License Renewal Checklist: CE Hours, Categories and Deadlines

September 29, 2026 by Sally Machart
Florida CAM License Renewal Checklist: CE Hours, Categories and Deadlines

Reviewed and updated August 2026

Florida community association manager (CAM) licenses expire September 30 of every even-numbered year. 

For the current renewal cycle, a CAM generally must complete the HOA continuing education requirement and pay the renewal fee before midnight Eastern time on September 30, 2026. 

The exact CE path depends on whether the manager serves homeowners’ associations and whether an exemption applies.

Use this Florida CAM license renewal checklist to organize the process. Then confirm your individual requirements in your Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) online account before renewing.

Florida CAM renewal checklist at a glance

  • Confirm that your license is active and review the requirements shown in your DBPR account.
  • Determine whether a first-renewal or long-tenured-licensee CE exemption applies.
  • Identify whether your requirement is the standard 15 hours or the HOA-serving 17-hour path.
  • Reconcile completed courses against every required subject category.
  • Verify that each course and provider are approved for Florida CAM renewal credit.
  • Finish all required coursework before the renewal deadline.
  • Confirm that completed credits appear in your record and retain your certificates.
  • Make sure your online profile accurately reflects any HOA management service.
  • Renew online and pay the fee displayed in your account before the deadline.
  • Save the confirmation and verify that the renewed license status is correct.

 

 

Step 1: Check your license and renewal record

Start with the license record tied to your individual CAM license – not a firm license, a real-estate license, or a board-member education record. 

DBPR states that individual CAM licenses expire September 30 of even-numbered years and that renewal notices are sent by email when the renewal period opens, generally 90 to 120 days before expiration.

Log in early enough to resolve a missing license link, outdated email address, incorrect employment information, or unexpected requirement. If your license is inactive, delinquent or otherwise outside a routine active renewal, do not assume the standard checklist fully describes your situation. 

Follow the status-specific instructions in your account or contact DBPR.

Step 2: Determine whether a CE exemption applies

Two exemptions may materially change the checklist.

First-renewal exemption

DBPR says a CAM initially licensed for 24 months or less before renewal is exempt from CE for the first renewal. Its FAQ clarifies that “more than 24 months” means 24 months plus one day. A licensee using this exemption still needs to complete the applicable renewal process and pay the required fee.

Ten-year active-license exemption

Florida Statutes section 455.2124 requires a CE exemption for a renewal period when an individual:

  • holds an active license
  • has continuously held that license for at least 10 years
  • has no disciplinary action imposed on the license

DBPR advises eligible licensees to verify the exemption through their online account or the state’s online licensing portal. For an HOA-serving CAM, DBPR also states that this exemption covers the additional HOA-specific and recordkeeping CE requirement.

Do not self-certify an exemption based only on a personal date calculation. Confirm how DBPR has applied it to the individual license record.

Step 3: Decide whether you need 15 or 17 hours

Most Florida CAMs begin with a 15-hour biennial CE framework. A CAM who provides management services to a homeowners’ association has an additional subject-specific requirement that DBPR currently implements as a 17-hour total.

Standard 15-hour CAM path

The standard minimum consists of five three-hour components:

  • 3 hours of legal update
  • 3 hours of insurance and financial management
  • 3 hours on operation of the community association’s physical property
  • 3 hours on human-resources topics related to community association management
  • 3 hours of additional instruction in an eligible management or administration subject

Each instructional hour is 50 minutes. The courses must be approved for Florida CAM renewal credit.

HOA-serving CAM path: 17 total hours

Florida Statutes section 468.4337 requires a CAM who provides management services to an HOA to complete at least 5 hours per biennial cycle that specifically pertain to HOAs, including at least 3 hours related to recordkeeping. DBPR’s current FAQ says affected managers must complete at least 17 total hours.

That does not mean every CAM needs 17 hours. The trigger is providing community association management services to a homeowners’ association. For a deeper explanation, see Florida CAM continuing education: 15 or 17 hours? 

Step 4: Reconcile hours by category – not just by total

A transcript showing 15 or 17 total hours is not enough if a required subject is missing. Create a simple category audit before the deadline:

  • Legal update – 3 hours: Confirm the course carries the correct Florida CAM legal-update credit.
  • Insurance and financial management – 3 hours: Confirm the category assignment in the course record.
  • Operation of physical property – 3 hours: Confirm the category assignment in the course record.
  • Human resources – 3 hours: Confirm CAM-related HR content and category credit.
  • Additional/elective instruction – 3 hours: Confirm the subject is eligible CAM management or administration instruction.
  • HOA-specific education – at least 5 hours for HOA-serving CAMs: Confirm the content specifically pertains to HOAs.
  • HOA recordkeeping – at least 3 of the HOA-specific hours: Confirm that the recordkeeping component is identifiable.

Some HOA-specific study may also fit a standard category, but managers should not invent their own overlap calculations. Use the approved course information and the way the credit is reflected in the DBPR record. When the classification is unclear, ask the approved provider or DBPR before relying on the course.

For the broader framework, review Florida CAM continuing education requirements.

Step 5: Verify courses before enrolling

Course approval is a licensing requirement, not a marketing detail. Search DBPR’s official CE database and confirm:

  • the provider name and license number
  • the course title and course number
  • the approved subject category
  • the number of credit hours
  • the approval or expiration information shown
  • whether the course satisfies the HOA-specific or recordkeeping component when that is your purpose

A course can be valuable professional development without counting toward CAM renewal. General HOA webinars, HOA board-member certification, prelicensure instruction, and real-estate CE should not be treated as CAM credit unless DBPR’s records support that conclusion. Use the detailed guide to DBPR-approved Florida CAM continuing-education courses before registering.

Step 6: Complete coursework before September 30

For the 2026 cycle, DBPR states that CE and the renewal fee must be completed before midnight Eastern time on September 30, 2026. 

A past emergency order extended the 2024 deadline after hurricanes, but that does not create a standing grace period. Use the date DBPR publishes for the current cycle unless the department issues a new order.

Avoid placing the final course on the final day. A technical problem, missed attendance requirement, or delayed correction can turn a manageable issue into a licensing problem.

Step 7: Preserve proof and confirm credit posting

Keep each completion certificate with the course name, provider, date, hours, category and identifying numbers. Then compare those records with the education history available through DBPR.

If an expected course is missing or categorized differently, contact the provider promptly. Saving a certificate does not by itself guarantee that the course satisfies a particular category, but it gives the provider and licensee a concrete record for resolving discrepancies.

Step 8: Update HOA-service information

DBPR instructs CAMs who provide management services to HOAs to update their online account so the license record reflects that service. The department’s guidance specifically refers to checking the applicable HOA box in the online profile.

That profile detail matters because the HOA-specific requirement applies based on the services the manager provides. Review the account for accuracy instead of waiting for the renewal screen to reveal a mismatch.

Step 9: Renew online and pay the displayed fee

Once CE and account information are in order, complete the online renewal and pay the fee shown for your license and status. 

Official pages can display different fee information depending on license status, timing and page updates, so use the current amount presented in the official renewal workflow rather than relying on an older article or saved screenshot.

DBPR says notices are provided by email and encourages online renewal. If you renew by mail, allow enough time for delivery and processing and follow the current official instructions exactly.

Step 10: Save the confirmation and verify your status

Download or capture the renewal confirmation, payment receipt and renewed license information. Then use DBPR’s license-search tool to verify that the public record reflects the expected status and expiration date.

If the record does not update as expected, contact DBPR while your certificates, confirmation, and payment details are easy to retrieve.

A practical 90-, 60- and 30-day plan

This timing is an operational recommendation, not a statutory schedule.

About 90 days before expiration

  • Confirm access to the DBPR account and check the license status
  • Review whether an exemption appears
  • Determine the 15- or 17-hour path
  • Inventory completed credits by category

About 60 days before expiration

  • Enroll in any missing approved courses
  • Resolve ambiguous category or HOA-recordkeeping credit
  • Update email, employer, firm, and HOA-service information as applicable

At least 30 days before expiration

  • Complete remaining courses
  • Confirm credit posting and retain certificates
  • Submit the renewal, pay the required fee, and save the confirmation

Common Florida CAM renewal mistakes

Counting hours without checking categories

A manager may have enough total hours but still lack legal update, human resources or another required component.

Assuming every HOA course earns CAM credit

Useful training is not automatically DBPR-approved continuing education. Verify the course and provider in official records.

Confusing board education with CAM education

Florida HOA and condominium directors have separate education obligations. Completing director training does not automatically renew a CAM license, and CAM CE does not automatically fulfill a director’s statutory education requirement.

Missing the HOA-specific rule

An HOA-serving CAM who plans around only the standard 15-hour categories may miss the 5 HOA-specific hours, including 3 hours of recordkeeping, and the resulting 17-hour total described by DBPR.

Assuming an exemption without checking the account

Date calculations and absence of known discipline are not substitutes for confirming the exemption in the state record.

Waiting for the final day

Renewal can depend on course completion, reporting, account access, and payment. Leave time to correct problems.

Final check before you submit

Before renewing, answer yes to each question:

  • Does my DBPR account show the correct license and status?
  • Have I confirmed whether an exemption applies?
  • Do I know whether my path is 15 or 17 total hours?
  • Does every required category appear in my completed record?
  • If I serve HOAs, have I confirmed at least 5 HOA-specific hours, including 3 in recordkeeping?
  • Were the courses approved for Florida CAM renewal credit?
  • Have I preserved completion certificates?
  • Is my HOA-service information accurate?
  • Have I completed CE and payment before the published deadline?
  • Did I save confirmation and verify the renewed status?

Use this checklist alongside the complete guide to Florida CAM continuing education requirements, and recheck DBPR’s current renewal page before every biennial cycle.

Frequently asked questions

When does a Florida CAM license expire?

Individual Florida CAM licenses expire September 30 of every even-numbered year. The current cycle ends September 30, 2026.

How many CE hours does a Florida CAM need?

The standard requirement is 15 hours per biennial cycle. DBPR says CAMs providing management services to HOAs must complete at least 17 total hours, including at least 5 HOA-specific hours and at least 3 of those in recordkeeping, unless an exemption applies.

Do newly licensed CAMs need CE for their first renewal?

DBPR says licensees initially licensed for 24 months or less before renewal are exempt from CE for that first renewal. Confirm the exemption and remaining renewal requirements in the individual account.

Is there a CE exemption for experienced CAMs?

Section 455.2124 provides an exemption for a renewal period when the license is active, has been held continuously for at least 10 years, and has no disciplinary action imposed. Verify the exemption in DBPR’s system.

Can I take any online HOA class for CAM credit?

No. Only education approved for the relevant Florida CAM credit should be relied on for license renewal. Confirm the provider, course, hours, and category in DBPR’s official search.

Does HOA Start provide or report Florida CAM continuing education?

No. HOA Start and Member Shine are not represented here as DBPR-approved CAM continuing education providers. They do not award or report statutory CAM credit through this article. This content is an educational resource for understanding and organizing the renewal process.

Official sources for more information:

This article provides general educational information and is not legal, licensing, or compliance advice. Requirements can change, and individual license status matters. Confirm current requirements with DBPR or a qualified adviser.

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