Welcome

The Florida Animal Control Training Commission (FACTC) is a curriculum development and training provider for Florida animal control officers, cruelty investigators, and shelter staff. FACTC is the primary provider of the state-mandated certification training requirement for animal control officers prescribed by Chapter 828.27(4)(a)(1) Florida Statutes. Our services include:

• State certification training for animal control officers
• Continuing education training for animal control officers
• Animal cruelty investigator training
• Animal shelter technician certification training
• A registry of state-certified animal control officers and certified shelter technicians

If you are seeking an opportunity to start a new career as an animal care and control professional, FACTC can connect you to the most modern, proven training courses that develop professional animal control officers, cruelty investigators, and shelter technicians. We invite you to join a select group that professionally serves more than 22 million Florida residents and their animals.

Our Mission

The Florida Animal Control Training Commission’s mission is to help ensure that the citizens of Florida are served by well-trained animal care and control professionals. Through excellent training programs and great public service, our state-wide focus and efforts help government agencies produce and retain competent, reliable employees.

Our Vision

To transform every animal care and control agency within the state of Florida into world-class public service centers.

Our Core Values

The Florida Animal Control Training Commission is a curriculum development and training institution that focuses on providing high-quality training programs for animal care and control professionals. Our core values are:

• Focus. Always produce the highest-quality training programs that meet the agency’s needs.
• Accountability. We do our part, as expected, without excuses.
• Professionalism. We demonstrate competence and skill in everything we do.
• Support. We are always available to help in any way we can.
• Integrity. We do the right thing, even when no one is watching.
• Teamwork. Working together, we can overcome the status quo and achieve greatness.

Types of Training Available

Florida ACO Training Commission Priorities

The Florida Animal Control Officer Training Commission is composed of five areas: animal control officer certification training, animal cruelty investigator certification training, shelter technician certification training, professional standards development, and continuing education training.

Animal Control Officer Certification Training

All animal control officers in the state of Florida are required to complete a 40-hour certification class as prescribed under Chapter 828.27(4)(a)(1) of the Florida Statutes. In 2021, the American Animal Cruelty Investigations School (AACIS) developed a modern training program that was approved as required by Florida law. This program is the

is the primary provider of animal control officer certification training for the State of Florida and currently provides the most up-to-date training curriculum. With more than 20 training locations, AACIS provides convenient and timely certification training for all 67 counties in the state of Florida.

Animal Cruelty Investigator Certification Training

AACIS reports animal control officer certification records directly to FACTC to maintain a statewide registry of certified animal control officers. Animal control officers certified through AACIS will automatically have their training information sent to FACTC, whereas animal control officers certified under the Florida Animal Control Association must manually submit their training records to FACTC through a portal in this website.

Continuing Education Training

Florida Statute 828.27(4)(a)(4) requires that in order to maintain valid certification, every two years each certified Animal Control Officer Wade must complete four hours of post certification continuing education training. Such training may include, but is not limited to, training for animal cruelty investigations, search and seizure, animal handling, courtroom demeanor, and civil citations. FACTC helps agencies keep their officers up-to-date on continuing education by providing and promoting qualifying training opportunities across the state.

Certification Standards

Every certification course offered by the Florida Animal Control Training Commission is developed using Instructional Design Systems. This system ensures that courses are directly related to the job tasks performed by the student. This is accomplished by performing a job task analysis and then matching the curriculum to the job through a series of learning objectives and behavioral outcomes. The result is high-quality, relevant training that maximizes a students retention of the course material.