Professional Opticians of Florida

Renew Your Florida

Opticians License:

Are You Renewal Ready?

Professional Opticians of Florida encourages all Opticians to renew their license before December 31, 2018.

As many of you know, on October 7, 2018, Governor Rick Scott issued an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in Florida, for Hurricane Michael.

The Florida Department of Health, in accordance with Executive Order number 18-276 and Executive Order number 18-277, has therefore extended license expiration deadlines for Opticians (December 31, 2018) to midnight on June 30, 2019. Unless another extension is granted, any active license not renewed before this time will go into a delinquent status.

Please do not wait until the last minute to renew your Florida Opticianry License.

Click here to renew today!

To look and see your best, a Licensed Optician is your Vision Expert

Professional Opticians of Florida have dedicated themselves to enhancing the competency of opticians, advancing the profession of opticianry, for the purpose of dispensing the best vision possible to the citizens of Florida.

Professional Opticians of Florida

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

November 2018

Once again, POF held an exceptional education event at Vision Preview in Weston, FL. We had over 600 attendees, 40+ vendors, and provided over 60 hours of outstanding education! We continued our new after-hours tradition ‘Opticians After Dark’ and much fun was had by all. Thanks again to Vince Cottone for hosting karaoke and a special thanks to our vendors for providing the many prizes for our karaoke participants.

Having the Florida Board of Opticianry meeting held in conjunction with our education event was such a great opportunity for those of us who have not attended one previously to do so at this meeting. Peggy Slattery has decided to retire after many years of selfless service to our profession and I thank her for her dedication to Opticianry and wish her a blessed and happy retirement. Congratulations to John Girdler for being elected as the new Chairman of the Florida Board of Opticianry. I look forward to what the future holds for our currently licensed and our future Opticians in Florida.

With Peggy’s retirement, upcoming term expirations, and a vacant ‘Consumer’ member position, the Florida Board of Opticianry is in need of applicants to serve. By applying for a position on the board, you have the perfect opportunity to make a difference for your profession and help shape the future of Opticianry in Florida. Get your application process started at http://flhealthsource.gov/board-members.

As we have been stressing all year, the end of our continuing education biennium is upon us, so any Optician that hasn’t yet met the 20-hour CE requirement must do so before December 31st. The great news is that POF is still providing opportunities throughout the state to help you meet your CE requirements, so check out your local chapter’s upcoming education. Additionally,

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Dear Optical Family,

As most of you are aware, Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 10) near Mexico Beach, Florida, a small town located on the Florida Panhandle. The storm was a dangerous Category 4 hurricane.

POF has approved and will be moving forward with hurricane relief for our optical brothers and sisters in the Panhandle. While we do not know what exactly the needs are yet; we will be working to tackle something that has not been done on this scale before. These needs will not be felt tomorrow or even next week but months or even a year from now.

We have heard from many in the optical community wishing to donate optical related items necessary to opticians who were impacted by this devastating hurricane. POF is securing a climate-controlled storage facility to store any donated items; we will then reach out to those in need to distribute the donations and assist optical owners, doctors, and our fellow opticians in getting their stores running again. We are also in the process of opening a contribution bank account where all funds donated will go directly those affected. We will be in need of your time and your donations to make this unprecedented relief effort a reality.

Donations are being accepted immediately with any POF president or board member. Donations will also be accepted in Weston, FL during Vision Preview 2018, Friday, November 2- Sunday, November 4th. Spread the word, share our Hurricane Relief and Recovery Facebook and let's all gather to help those in need. Think outside the box, offer what you can, we will stand together.

This is not just a relief effort this is the beginning of a movement. We are #opticianproud

Hurricane Relief & Recovery - Professional Opticians of Florida Facebook Page