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How to become a certified mediator in Florida

Legal facts checked against Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators and Florida Statutes · Edited by Jeff Zorn

Last reviewed Oct 7, 2026Updated Oct 7, 2026 6 min readEditorial policy

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To become a Florida Supreme Court certified mediator, you must be at least 21, show good moral character, and earn the points required for the type of certification you want. For county, family, circuit court, and dependency certification, that means 100 points from a Florida Supreme Court certified training program, your education, and mentorship on real cases. You then apply to the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, which reviews applications, and you must pass a fingerprint background check.

This is general information, not legal advice. It covers Florida only. The rules can change, so check the current rules before you enroll in a course.

Who sets the rules

The Florida Supreme Court sets certification standards in the Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators.1 State law directs the Supreme Court to set minimum standards for mediator qualifications, certification, conduct, discipline, and training. It also lets the Court charge fees for certification and renewal.2

The Florida Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) is part of the Office of the State Courts Administrator.3 Before approving a new or renewal application, the DRC reviews it to see whether the applicant appears to meet the good moral character standard.3

The certification types

Florida certifies mediators by case type:1

  • County court: civil cases in county court.
  • Family: family and divorce issues.
  • Circuit court: circuit court matters other than family matters.
  • Dependency: child welfare cases, as defined in the juvenile rules.
  • Appellate: cases on appeal. You must already be certified as a circuit court, family, or dependency mediator and complete a certified appellate training program.

Each type is separate. Being certified in one type does not, by itself, certify you in another.

Basic requirements for everyone

For any of the five types, you must be at least 21 years old and of good moral character.1

The 100-point system

For county, family, circuit court, and dependency certification, you need 100 points.1 Here is what each type requires at a minimum.

County court

You need at least a high school diploma or GED and 100 points, including:1

  • 30 points for a Florida Supreme Court certified county court mediation training program
  • 10 points for education
  • 60 points for mentorship

There are two other routes. A currently certified circuit court mediator qualifies for county certification. A currently certified family or dependency mediator qualifies by earning 30 mentorship points in county court cases, under a certified county mediator, in the two years before applying.1

Family, circuit court, and dependency

Each requires at least a bachelor's degree and 100 points, including:1

  • 30 points for a Florida Supreme Court certified training program in that area
  • 25 points for education, or 20 for education plus 5 for mediation experience, or 20 for education plus 5 for a graduate certificate in conflict resolution
  • 40 points for mentorship

Those three pieces add up to 95. The rules' committee notes explain that you need 5 more points from mentorship, higher education, mediation experience, or the miscellaneous categories to reach 100.4

Education points

Education points go only to your highest degree completed, and honorary degrees don't count:4

Highest education Points
High school diploma or GED 10
Associate degree 15
Bachelor's degree 20
Master's degree 25
Master's degree in conflict resolution 30
Doctorate (for example, Ph.D., J.D., M.D., Ed.D., LL.M.) 30
Ph.D. from an accredited conflict resolution program 40

You can earn 5 more points for finishing a graduate-level conflict resolution certificate program at an accredited institution.4

Mediation experience points

A Florida Supreme Court certified mediator earns 1 point per year for each year they mediated at least 15 cases of any type, over a consecutive five-year period. Any mediator, certified in Florida or not, can instead earn up to 5 points for conducting at least 100 mediations over a consecutive five-year period.4

Miscellaneous points

You can earn up to 5 points in each of these categories:4

  • A current license or certification in any U.S. jurisdiction in psychology, accounting, social work, mental health, health care, education, law, or mediation
  • Conversational ability in a foreign language, shown by one of the listed tests or credentials, or approval as a sign language interpreter
  • A mediation training program of at least 30 hours that is certified or approved by a jurisdiction other than Florida
  • Current certification as a mediator by the Florida Supreme Court

Certified training programs

Each main certification type requires a training program certified by the Florida Supreme Court for that type of case. For example, family certification requires a certified family mediation training program, and circuit certification requires a certified circuit court program.1 A course from another state does not replace this. At most, a 30-hour program approved by another jurisdiction can earn 5 miscellaneous points.4 Florida's ADR rules committee has authority to set training standards for certified programs.5

Mentorship

Mentorship is where you learn from real cases. Under the rules:4

  • You earn 10 points for each mediation session you observe.
  • You earn 15 points for each mediation you conduct under supervision.
  • The mediations must be the type of case you want to be certified for.
  • You must complete your observations or supervised mediations with at least two different mentors.

For example, a family applicant who needs 40 mentorship points could observe four family mediation sessions, or mix observations and supervised mediations.

Good moral character and background check

No one can be certified without satisfactory evidence of good moral character.6 Under the rules:6

  • An applicant convicted of a felony is not eligible until their civil rights are restored.
  • An applicant serving felony probation is not eligible until probation ends.
  • Other conduct is weighed using factors such as how recent and serious it was, evidence of rehabilitation, and the applicant's candor.

Florida law also requires every applicant for mediator certification to undergo a security background investigation, including submitting fingerprints. The applicant pays any vendor fee and the state and federal processing fees.2

Be accurate on your application. A certified mediator can be decertified for knowingly and willfully giving incorrect material information on any mediator application.6

Applying through the DRC

Applications go to the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, which reviews them before approval.3 If the DRC has questions about an applicant's good moral character, it may ask for more information, and it can send the application to a review committee.3

We don't list the application fee here. State law lets the Supreme Court set certification and renewal fees,2 but we could not confirm the current amounts from an official page we were able to read. Ask the DRC for the current fee schedule.

After certification: renewal and continuing education

Certification is not permanent. Florida's rules refer to renewal applications, fees, and continuing education requirements that certified mediators must keep meeting.7 The ADR rules committee sets the continuing mediator education requirements and the renewal procedures.5 Check the DRC for the current hours and deadlines.

Certified mediators must also:

  • Tell the DRC within 30 days of a change of address or legal name.8
  • Report certain criminal convictions to the DRC in writing within 30 days.9
  • Follow the ethics rules for certified and court-appointed mediators.1

The DRC also runs a public Mediator Search, where people can look up mediators by name, type, circuit, or county.10 For how certification looks from the client's side, see how to choose a mediator. For the national picture, see how to become a mediator.

For the rules Florida mediators work under in family cases, see the Florida divorce mediation guide, and for how certification matters to clients in other states, see do I need a mediator certified in my state?

To see how certified mediators are listed by area, browse our Florida directory or get matched.

Frequently asked questions

Who certifies mediators in Florida?

The Florida Supreme Court, under the Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators. The Florida Dispute Resolution Center, part of the Office of the State Courts Administrator, reviews applications.

Do I need a college degree to be a Florida mediator?

For county court certification you need at least a high school diploma or GED. For family, circuit court, and dependency certification you need at least a bachelor's degree.

How many points do I need?

County, family, circuit, and dependency certification each require 100 points. Points come from certified training, education, mentorship, and in some cases mediation experience or other credentials.

How does mentorship work?

You earn 10 points for each mediation session you observe and 15 points for each mediation you conduct under supervision, in the type of case you want to be certified for. You must work with at least two different mentors.

Can I be certified with a criminal record?

It depends. Florida's rules say an applicant convicted of a felony is not eligible until civil rights are restored, and someone on felony probation must wait until probation ends. Other conduct is reviewed case by case.

Sources

  1. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rules 10.100 and 10.200 (eff. Jan. 1, 2025) — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  2. Fla. Stat. § 44.106 (2026) — https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/44.106 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rules 10.720(d) and 10.800(a), (c) — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rule 10.105 and Committee Notes (2023 Revision) — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  5. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rule 10.140 — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩ ↩2

  6. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rule 10.110 — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rule 10.850(a) — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩

  8. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rule 10.120 — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩

  9. Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, Rule 10.130 — https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/1998036/file/FRC&CAM_01.2025%20ADA.pdf ↩

  10. Florida Dispute Resolution Center, Mediator Search — https://drc.flcourts.org/ ↩

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