Division of Hotels and Restaurants

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This page contains helpful information about a particular profession or business. To apply for a specific business or professional license either using our Online Services or to apply using a paper application, click this APPLY link (or use the APPLY button on the navigation menu above). To renew or maintain a license, click this RENEW/MAINTAIN link (or use the RENEW/MAINTAIN button on the navigation menu above). If you have questions or need further assistance, please call the Customer Contact Center at 850.487.1395.

MISSION: Protect the health and safety of the public by providing the industry with quality inspections and fair regulation.

The Division of Hotels and Restaurants (H&R) licenses, inspects and regulates public lodging and food service establishments in Florida under Chapter 509,Florida Statutes (FS). The mission of the division is to protect the health and safety of the public by providing the industry with quality inspections and fair regulation. The division also licenses and regulates elevators, escalators and other vertical conveyance devices under Chapter 399, FS. The division is organized into the following units:

• Director's Office, responsible for policy and administration
• Bureau of Sanitation and Safety Inspections, including seven district offices and the Office of Program Quality
• Bureau of Field Services, including Offices of Compliance and Licensure
• Bureau of Elevator Safety
• Hospitality Education Program
  

Last fiscal year, the division conducted more than 140,000 public food service and lodging establishment inspections; cited over 750,000 violations of sanitary standards in public food service and lodging establishments; completed upgrades to field inspection hardware and software; implemented a risk-based inspection format for food service inspections; and continued to implement enterprise-wide re-engineering project to improve future operating efficiencies and enhance inspection procedures. For more information about the division, see our annual reports.