How long do Florida APD staff have to get CPR certified?

90 days from first providing direct services, under Rule 65G-2.008(7)(d), F.A.C. The same paragraph requires the certification to be maintained current thereafter.

Can APD staff take CPR training online in Florida?

No. Rule 65G-2.008(7)(d) states that online or computer-based courses are not acceptable — the training must be provided in a classroom setting by a certified trainer.

How long does a CPR card last?

Typically two years, which is the life of the certification card rather than a period set by APD rule. The rule requires the certification to be kept current.

Training08/16/2026·6 min read

CPR & First Aid for APD Staff: the 90-Day Clock and the 2-Year One

A new hire has 90 days to get CPR and First Aid — not day one — and the rule says classroom, not online. After that the card runs a silent 2-year clock. Here's the timing, quoted from 65G-2.008(7)(d).

Among the many training records an APD group home tracks, CPR and First Aid are among the easiest to let slip — not because anyone forgets they matter, but because the clock is silent. A card sits in a binder looking fine right up until the day it isn't. And the moment it expires, that staff member is technically out of compliance until they renew.

How often is it required? Every 2 years.

Standard CPR and First Aid certifications from the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross are valid for two years from the date of the course. APD expects direct-care staff to hold a current certification, so in practice the requirement is a two-year renewal cycle keyed to each person's card date — not a calendar the whole team shares.

A new hire has 90 days — not day one

This is the half of the rule people either miss or over-correct on. Florida’s licensing rule for residential facilities, 65G-2.008(7)(d), F.A.C., says it plainly:

“A direct service provider must complete a basic first aid course, including instruction in the abdominal thrust maneuver and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and shall maintain a current certification in CPR within 90 days of providing direct services.”

The iBudget Handbook agrees — its Appendix B lists both First Aid and CPR as “within 90 days of providing services.” So a new employee without a card is not out of compliance on their first shift. They are on a 90-day clock, and the useful thing to do is book the class in week one rather than treat it as a day-one blocker or forget it until month four.

The rule says classroom

The same paragraph adds that the training “must be provided in a classroom setting by a certified trainer.” That is stronger than the usual advice to prefer a hands-on course — for a licensed Florida group home it is the rule, and a fully online CPR card does not satisfy it. Acceptable providers named in the handbook include the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the American Safety and Health Institute, EMS Safety Services, the Emergency Care and Safety Institute, and the National Safety Council.

Who needs it

The rule says “a direct service provider” — so for a typical group home, assume your hands-on care staff need it and need it unexpired. There is also a facility-level duty in the same rule that is easy to overlook: the home must ensure there is always at least one direct service provider with current CPR certification on site when residents are present. That is a scheduling question as much as a training one — a shift covered entirely by staff whose cards lapsed is a finding even if everyone is within their own renewal window.

The gotchas that actually catch homes

Online-only doesn't always count. A fully online course with no in-person skills check often won't produce a card APD accepts. Make sure the certification includes a hands-on skills component from a recognized provider.

The card date, not the class date. Track the expiration printed on the card — two years out — not just when someone "did the training." That expiration is what a reviewer looks at.
A lapse is immediate. There's no grace period on an expired card. If it lapsed last month, that staff member has been out of compliance since then — which is exactly the kind of gap an inspection surfaces.
New hires slip through. A new employee's card may already be a year old when they start, so it renews sooner than you'd expect. Log the real card date, not the hire date.

How to stay ahead of it

The fix isn't more diligence — it's tracking the expiration, not just the completion, and getting a warning before it lands. Log each person's card date once, and let a system count down the two-year clock for you and flag it while there's still time to schedule a renewal class.

Care Wizard does exactly this: log a CPR or First Aid card and it turns the person green, then yellow about 60 days before the card expires, then red the day it lapses — so the renewal gets booked before an inspector ever sees a gap. Snap a photo of the card and the AI reads the date for you.

Sources

American Heart Association — CPR/First Aid course completion cards are valid for 2 years
American Red Cross — certification validity (typically 2 years)
Rule 65G-2.008(7)(d), F.A.C. — Staffing Requirements for Residential Facilities: basic first aid including the abdominal thrust maneuver and CPR within 90 days of providing direct services, classroom instruction by a certified trainer, and at least one CPR-certified direct service provider on site whenever residents are present
APD iBudget Handbook (May 2023), Appendix B, Table 1 — First Aid and CPR rows, 'Within 90 days of providing services', with the accepted training organizations

This article is general information for Florida APD group-home providers, not legal advice or a guarantee of compliance. Rules change and vary by region — always confirm the current requirement with the cited source and your APD regional office.