Florida is one of a handful of states that license mold work, and the rules shape how a job in Tallahassee should run. They live in Chapter 468, Part XVI of the Florida Statutes, administered by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and they split the trade into two licensed roles: the mold assessor, who inspects, samples and writes the protocol, and the mold remediator, who does the removal. The full text is linked at the bottom of this page.
The practical effect for a homeowner: ask for a license number from anyone who tests or remediates mold above a small area, and expect the tester and the crew to be different companies.
The 10-square-foot line
The statute's definitions of mold assessment and mold remediation exclude very small areas, the definitions in s. 468.8411 cover mold growth of greater than 10 square feet, so anything at or under that size falls outside the licensing law. Below that line a homeowner, a handyman or a cleaning service can deal with it, and for a bathroom ceiling that is often the right call. Above it, the work falls under the licensing law: the person doing it needs the state license, the training in water, mold and respiratory protection that comes with it, and the insurance the license requires.
Ten square feet is about a three-foot by three-foot patch. Mold in a wall cavity, a crawl space or an attic is nearly always above it, and growth you can see on one side of a wall is usually larger on the other.
Assessor and remediator: two companies
Section 468.8419 bars a mold assessor from performing remediation on a property it assessed within the previous twelve months, and it bars referral fees in both directions between assessors and remediators. The point is independence: the company that decides how much mold there is should not be the company paid by the square foot to remove it. There is one exception, for Division I construction contractors certified under Florida's contracting law, who may assess and remediate the same property; the licensing board may require their remediation contract to disclose your right to request competitive bids.
In practice that means a serious job has two appointments: the assessor's visit, which ends in a written protocol with photos, moisture readings and lab results, and the crew's visit, which prices that protocol. This line books both, separately, and takes nothing from either for the referral.
What a written protocol contains
A protocol names the rooms and the square footage of affected material, says what comes out and what is cleaned in place, specifies containment and air filtration, states the moisture source and what must be fixed, and sets the clearance criteria for the post-remediation test. A crew can price it without guessing, an adjuster can compare it to the invoice, and a buyer's inspector can read it at a closing.
Insurance: caps and causes
Florida homeowners policies commonly limit mold-related coverage to $10,000 per policy period, sometimes with a higher limit for an added premium, and they tie coverage to the cause. Mold that follows a covered sudden and accidental event, a burst supply line or storm damage to the roof, is usually inside the policy up to the cap. Mold from long-term humidity, condensation, a slow leak or a roof that should have been repaired is usually excluded as maintenance. Read the mold endorsement on your own policy; the wording varies by carrier.
Two habits help a claim: call the carrier as soon as the water event happens, before the mold, and keep the drying crew's daily readings and photos. Claims for drying are far easier than claims for remediation a month later.
Renters and landlords
Florida's landlord-tenant law (s. 83.51) requires landlords to comply with building, housing and health codes and to keep the structure and plumbing in good repair, which covers the leaks and failed air conditioning that cause mold, even though the statute does not use the word. A tenant's leverage is the written notice, dated and kept. An inspection report with lab results settles most disputes about whether the problem is real and who caused it.
Official pages
The links under Local resources on the home page go to the Florida Statutes for Chapter 468, Part XVI, the Florida Department of Health's mold page, and the EPA's guide to mold and moisture in the home.
Questions we get about this
How do I check a mold remediator's license in Florida?
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation runs a public license lookup; search by the company or the individual's name and the license type. A crew that will not give you a number to look up has answered the question.
Does a home inspector's mold note count as an assessment?
No. A general home inspection can flag suspected mold, but a mold assessment under Florida law is done by a licensed mold assessor with sampling and a written protocol. For a purchase, the inspector's note is the reason to book the assessor.