Florida Pharmacy Practice Act and Board of Pharmacy Rules
The Florida Pharmacy Practice Act (Chapter 465, Florida Statutes) sits alongside the Department of Health rules in Chapter 64B16, Florida Administrative Code. Candidates must know the division of labor: the Board of Pharmacy makes rules and recommends discipline, while the Department of Health handles licensure and prosecutes. Key statutory concepts include the definition of the "practice of pharmacy" (which now expressly includes dispensing, compounding, and patient counseling), the registered pharmacy intern and pharmacy technician categories, and the requirement that a pharmacist be physically present for a community pharmacy to operate. Traps cluster around supervision ratios and permits: questions often test how many technicians a pharmacist may supervise, when a consultant pharmacist is required (e.g., facilities such as nursing homes and ALFs), and which activities only a pharmacist may perform (final verification, counseling, compounding sterile products without extra credentialing). Watch for the distinction between a permit (issued to a business location) and a license (issued to a person). Another frequent trap is the continuing education requirement: 30 hours biennially, including specified hours in medication errors and HIV/AIDS (as the law requires), plus the live CE component. Rule of thumb: if a question describes a physical location, think permit; if it describes a human, think license. Worked example: a pharmacy wants to open a second location and staff it with one pharmacist and four technicians. You must confirm both a new site permit and compliance with the technician supervision limit before approving the plan.