DOT SAP Evaluation in Florida — 16 Providers Listed
Florida's trucking runs on I-95 and I-75 down the two coasts, I-4 across the middle between Tampa and Daytona, and the Turnpike, with ports at Jacksonville, Miami, Port Everglades and Tampa. Lakeland and the I-4 corridor hold the state's big distribution centers, and produce, fuel and building materials move year-round. Below are 16 listings for Florida, 8 of which say on their own website they perform DOT SAP evaluations, with offices in Miami (3), Boca Raton and Brandon. The other 8 listings are for treatment or testing, which you may need later in the process, not for the evaluation itself.
Florida does not write its own SAP rules; no state does. The evaluation, the education or treatment plan, the follow-up evaluation and the observed return-to-duty test come from 49 CFR Part 40 and apply identically in every state. What Florida controls is the license: the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles downgrades the CDL of a driver in prohibited status, as every state has been required to do since November 18, 2024 (FMCSA), and reinstates it once the Clearinghouse shows “not prohibited.”
Video evaluations count in Florida. The rule that allows them (49 CFR §40.291) is federal, and the only state question is whether the SAP's license reaches a driver sitting in Florida; ask before you book. A SAP across the line in Georgia and Alabama is also an option, in person or by video, under the same licensing question. The one step that always needs a collection site is the observed return-to-duty test; everything up to it can often be done from home.
Drivers who move fast are often back in 2–3 weeks, and the one step you control is when you start.
⚡ Call (256) 900-1864 — Find a SAP TodayHow to get your CDL back in Florida
Losing the license and getting it back are two different processes run by two different bodies. The prohibition is federal — it lives in the FMCSA Clearinghouse and only moves when your return-to-duty steps are reported there. The license itself is Florida’s, and Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles acts on what the Clearinghouse tells it. Neither one can be talked into moving early, which is why the only thing that actually shortens this is starting the evaluation sooner.
What Florida says, in its own words
- “When notified of prohibited status, the department shall downgrade the commercial driver license within 60 days after the department’s receipt of such notification.” source
- “A person may request an informal hearing, but it must be requested no later than 20 days after the person receives the notice of the downgrade.” source
- “Where a person was erroneously identified as prohibited, reinstatement occurs without payment of the reinstatement fee, as expeditiously as possible.” source
Florida is the one state here that writes a deadline into statute for you: 20 days from the notice of downgrade to request an informal hearing. That window is short and it runs from the notice, not from the day you open the envelope. A hearing is the route for a record that is wrong — mistaken identity, or a violation that is not yours — and the statute says an erroneous identification is reinstated with no reinstatement fee. It is not a route around a violation that is genuinely yours; that still takes the return-to-duty process.
The order it has to happen in
- Get evaluated by a DOT-qualified SAP. This is the only step you can start today, and every other date on this page counts from it. The SAP must meet the credential rules in 49 CFR 40.281 — a regular counselor or your family doctor cannot do it.
- Finish the education or treatment the SAP prescribes. The SAP decides what and how much; nobody else can shorten it, and a second opinion from a different SAP is not permitted (§40.293).
- Pass the return-to-duty test, observed, arranged through an employer or C/TPA rather than booked by you (§40.305).
- The negative result is reported to the Clearinghouse and your status changes to “not prohibited.” This is the moment Florida is waiting for — nothing you file with the state before this point moves anything.
- Reinstate the commercial privilege with Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (Florida Statutes § 322.591). Ask what it costs and what you must bring before you drive to an office; fees and transaction types vary and are set by the state, not by us.
Full federal detail: the DOT SAP program, step by step · what the evaluation costs and why
DOT SAP providers in Florida
$79 DOT Physicals at Gulf Coast Health Tampa✓ SAP services confirmed★ 5 (351 reviews)
SAP Evaluations - Phoenix Therapeutic Solutions, P.A.✓ SAP services confirmed★ 5 (5 reviews)
What a SAP evaluation costs in Florida
As published on each provider's own site. Confirm when you call.
- Shoreline Medical Addiction Treatment: Initial SAP evaluation $350, follow-up $200 source
- $79 DOT Physicals at Gulf Coast Health Tampa: DOT Physical Exams $79, Pre-Employment Physicals $49, Drug Testing $49 source
- DOT/NON DOT SAP Program: Evaluations start at $110 with a 4-payment plan option, per the site source
- Return‑to‑Duty Professionals – DOT SAP Provider: Initial SAP Evaluation $375, Follow-Up Evaluation $175 source
Video SAP evaluations in Florida
Permitted under DOT rules (how remote evaluations work).
Florida offices that say they also see drivers remotely:
- Shoreline Medical Addiction Treatment: Virtual appointments statewide in Florida via secure video conference source
- SAP Services Now: Offers virtual, in-office, and on-site SAP appointments around Jacksonville, Orange Park, the Beaches, and St. Augustine source
- Return‑to‑Duty Professionals – DOT SAP Provider: Telehealth evaluations offered nationwide where permitted source
- DotSap-Raise: Services offered in-person in Miami and virtually source
Languages and hours
- Return‑to‑Duty Professionals – DOT SAP Provider: Services offered in English and Spanish source
- DotSap-Raise: Spanish-language version of the site available source
- SAP Services Now: Initial appointments stated as available within 24-48 hours source
- DotSap-Raise: Office hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm; weekends by appointment request source
Other substance-use services in Florida
Their sites do not say they perform SAP evaluations — useful for treatment or the return-to-duty test.
- Accredited Drug Testing — Sanford
- National Drug Screening — Melbourne
- BoardPrep Recovery — Tampa
- South Florida Intervention for Drug & Alcohol Addiction — Boca Raton
- Addictions Training Institute — Weston
- Broward County Substance Abuse — Fort Lauderdale
- USDOT Substance Abuse Professional SAP Evaluations — Ormond Beach
- Kay Allen LMHC - DOT SAP Substance Abuse Professional — Orlando
SAP offices across the state line
Confirmed SAP offices in neighboring states:
- Alcohol and Drug Evaluations The Diversion Center — Marietta, GA
- Marietta SAP Evaluations — Marietta, GA
- Alabama Wellness and Recovery Services, LLC — Bessemer, AL
- Christopher Gerhart, LLC DOT SAP Evaluations — Huntsville, AL
After the evaluation: the DOT SAP program, step by step · carriers that hire SAP graduates
← Delaware · Georgia → · All 50 states