The Florida Public Personnel Association, Inc. (FPPA) certifies and recertifies qualified members as Florida Public Personnel Professionals. In 1996 the Association began accrediting public personnel professionals for having attained a status of training and education relating directly to the public sector.

Qualifications for certification as a Public Personnel Professional are as follows:

-                     Current FPPA membership, employed in a public sector personnel capacity with either agency or individual membership.

- Attendance at three (3) of the past five (5) FPPA Annual Conferences. These conferences are held each summer (usually late July) at different locations throughout the state. The FPPA Annual Conference is an intensive 2-½ day program of seminars and workshops on a variety of current issues of interest to public human resources/personnel professionals.

- Attendance at one 12-hour FPPA Academy. The FPPA Academy is a very intensive 1-½ day program normally held during the weekend immediately preceding the Annual Conference. The objectives of the FPPA Academy are as follows:

- Encourage the development of professional skills
- Enhance the role of FPPA as the leading public personnel professional association in the state of Florida
- Recognize the professional accomplishments of FPPA members

The Academy is intended to provide a broad overview of a variety of topics, and it is not intended that a member will attend the Academy each year. Therefore, attendance at only ONE Academy may be counted toward the accreditation requirement.

- Attendance at 24 hours of other FPPA approved training. This training may be any combination of the following:

-         12-hour pre-Conference workshops. These training courses are very intensive workshops on topics of wide interest held concurrently with the Academy, normally during the weekend preceding the Annual Conference.   In previous years, topics have included job classification, compensation, recruitment, public records/government in the Sunshine State, Employee Benefits, testing and evaluation. It is intended that members will choose to attend one of the offered pre-Conference workshops in years that they do not attend the Academy.

-         FPPA Regional Workshops. Each year the FPPA Executive Board pre-approves hours to be awarded for attendance at various regional workshops held throughout the state. Typically a 6-hour regional workshop will be approved for three (3) hours toward accreditation.

Qualifications for re-certification as a Public Personnel Professional are as follows:

-         Current FPPA membership.

-         Maintain a current FPPA Certification as a Public Personnel Professional for three (3) years.

-         Attendance at one (1) of the past three (3) FPPA Annual Conferences. Attendance at 12 hours of FPPA approved training. This training may be any combination of the following:

o       12-hour pre-Conference workshops.

o       FPPA Regional Workshops

Recertification is valid for three (3) years.  After the completion of two (2) recertification periods, certification will be retained without further requirements.

For additional information concerning the FPPA Academy or the accreditation process, please contact the FPPA Academy Director: 

Academy Director
Portia Spencer, PPP, SPHR
Compensation and Benefits Manager
City of Delray Beach
100 NW 1st Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33444
Phone: 561.243.7154
FAX: 561.243.7082
E-mail: spencer@ci.delray-beach.fl.us