F.S. 435.12
Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse is AHCA's shared system, so participating agencies can see one screening result instead of each running their own. This is also the section three real deadlines come from: fingerprints are retained on a five-year renewal cycle, the FBI check is resubmitted every five years until prints are federally retained, and a break in service of more than 90 days sends a person back for a new national screening.
What 435.12 actually says
Every line below ends in the subsection it comes from, so you can check it against the statute rather than take our word for it.
- Fingerprints are retained on a 5-year renewal basis, with fees collected at initial submission or resubmission — 435.12(2)(a)4.
- They are resubmitted for an FBI national criminal history check every 5 years until the FBI retains them itself — 435.12(2)(a)3.
- A break in service of more than 90 days from a position requiring screening means a new national screening on return — 435.12(2)(b)1.
- A photograph is submitted with the fingerprints — 435.12(2)(a)5.
- AHCA runs it in consultation with FDLE, and both may adopt rules to implement it — 435.12(1).
Read from the Legislature's published text of Chapter 435 on 09/07/2026. The statute governs, not this page — open the source below for the full wording.
Why this one matters to a group home
Three things we track come from this one section: the five-year rescreen at (2), the 90-day break-in-service rule at (2)(b), and the 5-business-day status update at (2)(c)2., in force since 1 January 2024.
What this chapter covers
The screening rulebook every Florida care employer works from. It defines what Level 2 actually means, what disqualifies somebody, how an exemption works, and it runs the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse — including two deadlines most providers have never been told about.
Read the text
Everything above is our plain-English reading of the section, cited line by line. It is not the statute and it is not legal advice. For the exact wording, and for whether it has been amended since we read it, go to the source:
F.S. 435.12 on leg.state.fl.usOther sections in Chapter 435
- 435.01 — Applicability of this chapter; statutory references; rulemaking
- 435.02 — Definitions
- 435.03 — Level 1 screening standards
- 435.04 — Level 2 screening standards
- 435.05 — Requirements for covered employees and employers
- 435.06 — Exclusion from employment
- 435.07 — Exemptions from disqualification
- 435.08 — Payment for processing of fingerprints and state criminal records checks
- 435.09 — Confidentiality of personnel background check information
- 435.10 — Sharing of personnel information among employers
- 435.11 — Penalties
Section numbers and titles were read from the Legislature's own chapter index on 08/19/2026. This is general information, not legal advice — confirm anything that matters with a licensed professional. Care Wizard is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the Florida Legislature or APD.