Florida (FL)
On the runs: Southeast to Gulf to California
Record held: 30 fields — 20 published, 10 not published / not yet checked.
Regulator
StateFlorida
RegulatorFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services — Apiary Inspection
Regulator typeDepartment of agriculture division (dept-of-agriculture-division)
Regulator contactFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) — Apiary Inspection • Phone: 1-800-435-7352 (as published on the FDACS Apiary Inspection page). Certificate of registration copies: contact FDACS at 1-888-397-1517 (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page).
Instruments
Health / inspection certificate (florida.interstate-certificate-of-inspection · issued by the origin side)
FeeNot published / not yet checked
Validity windowNo fixed day-count validity window is published in Fla. Stat. § 586.11. The certificate must certify that the beekeeper's apiaries 'have been inspected annually in the state of origin at a time when the bees are actively rearing brood' (§ 586.11(2)(a)) — the inspection clock the statute publishes is annual, at a brood-rearing time.
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeNot published / not yet checked
What the certificate must stateThe certificate of inspection must certify that (a) the apiaries owned or operated by the beekeeper, or by the beekeeper's agents, have been inspected annually in the state of origin at a time when the bees are actively rearing brood, and (b) the honeybees meet the department's entry requirements with respect to honeybee pests and unwanted races of honeybees (Fla. Stat. § 586.11(2)). For bees in combless packages, the certificate must be accompanied by an affidavit that no honey is being used in the feed for the bees (§ 586.11(3)).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsThe certificate is issued by the state of origin and must accompany the shipment: FDACS publishes that on all shipments moving into Florida from outside the state, the certificate of inspection 'is to be issued by the state of origin' (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page). It covers all honeybees except bees in combless packages (which follow § 586.11(3)) and used beekeeping equipment (§ 586.11(1)).
Registration (florida.registration · issued by the destination side)
Fee$10 (per-year) — Registration fees are based on the total number of colonies operated by the registrant: 1-5 colonies: $10; 6-40 colonies: $20; 41-200 colonies: $40; 201-500 colonies: $70; 501 or more colonies: $100 (FDACS Beekeeper Registration). Fla. Stat. § 586.045(3) caps the registration fee and the annual renewal fee at $100; a renewal application postmarked after the anniversary date carries a $10 late filing fee (§ 586.045(1)).
Validity windowAnnual: certificates must be renewed annually on or prior to the anniversary date of the certificate; annual registration fees are invoiced 30 days prior to expiration (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page).
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeEach beekeeper having honeybee colonies within the state shall apply for certificates of inspection and registration, and for annual renewal on the anniversary date of the registration (Fla. Stat. § 586.045(1)). The department must give each beekeeper written notice and an application for renewal at least 30 days before the annual renewal date (§ 586.045(4)).
What the certificate must stateFDACS registers and inspects honey bee colonies to certify them as free or substantially free from honey bee pests of regulatory significance and free from unwanted types of honey bees; once a registration request is submitted, an inspector conducts an inspection to complete the registration. All honey bee hives must be permanently imprinted with the beekeeper's FDACS registration number, at least 1/2 inch in height, on the upper left-hand corner of the hive (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsEach beekeeper having honeybee colonies within the state applies to the department on forms supplied by the department (Fla. Stat. § 586.045(1)); every beekeeper with colonies located in Florida must register, through the FDACS online portal or by contacting a local apiary inspector (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page).
Health / inspection certificate (florida.certificate-of-inspection-outbound · issued by the destination side)
Fee$25 (per-certificate) — 'On all out-of-state movements. There will be a $25 fee per certificate issued or special inspection made plus mileage.' (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page)
Validity windowNot published / not yet checked
Notice deadlineNot published / not yet checked
Lead timeNot published / not yet checked
What the certificate must stateA certificate of inspection is required on each sale or movement of honey bees within the state unless the hives are branded with the beekeeper's registration number, and on all out-of-state movements (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page).
Origin history requiredNot published / not yet checked
Who applies / who signsCertificates are issued by FDACS apiary inspectors; FDACS inspectors certify the movement of honey bee colonies throughout the state and across Florida state lines (FDACS Apiary Inspection page).
Moving bees — the rules around the instruments
Passing throughNo pass-through exemption is published in Fla. Stat. § 586.11. All honeybees shipped or moved into Florida must be accompanied by a certificate of inspection issued by the state of origin; the only exception is for bees in combless packages, and combless packages still require a certificate of inspection plus an affidavit that no honey is being used in the feed for the bees (§ 586.11(1), (3)). Used beekeeping equipment moved into the state must likewise be accompanied by an origin certificate of inspection (§ 586.11(1)).
Border and destination inspectionFla. Stat. § 586.11(4): sheriffs and officers of the Florida Highway Patrol have the duty to enforce the provisions relating to the movement of bees and used beekeeping equipment into the state and within the state. No border-station stop or destination-inspection procedure for honeybee shipments is published in § 586.11.
County layerThe authority to regulate, inspect, and permit managed honey bee colonies is preempted to the state through the department, superseding any related ordinance adopted by a county, municipality, or political subdivision (Fla. Stat. § 586.10(1)). No county filing duty for interstate entry is published.
Recognition of other states' certificatesFlorida honors an origin state's certificate of inspection only if that state's inspection standards pass Florida's test: the certificate 'shall not be valid unless it is issued by a state in which the inspection standards are adequate to ensure the health and safety of the honeybees in this state and any other requirements deemed necessary by the department, and are at least equal to the standards for inspection of apiaries established by the department' (Fla. Stat. § 586.11(2)(b)).
Consequences, as publishedA violation of Chapter 586 is a misdemeanor of the first degree on the first offense and a felony of the third degree on subsequent offenses; following notice and hearing, the department may impose a fine not exceeding $5,000 (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page). A yard found with American foulbrood: all hives infested are destroyed by burning and all other hives in the yard are quarantined for a minimum of 30 days (FDACS Beekeeper Registration page).
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