County Government Education (CGE) Program includes 47 hours of coursework to graduate. These hours are comprised of 32 hours (7 classes) of core courses, 9 hours of electives, and 6 hours of event-based credit, which is earned by attending one of four FAC-approved events held across the state.

While all courses are available online for convenience, in-person classes offer valuable opportunities for peer-to-peer networking and collaboration. To ensure participants benefit from this engagement, the ICG Board of Directors requires that at least two courses be completed in person to meet graduation requirements. These in-person classes are offered a minimum of three times per year at various statewide locations.

Core Classes

The program content for each Core course is designed to cover fundamental information necessary to effectively serve as a County Officials. To be certified, officials must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours of core curriculum. The Ethics, Public Records & Sunshine Laws course is NOT mandatory. Each core course is equivalent to 6 hours of credit. This program is voluntary, and everyone is automatically enrolled. Credits are allocated as events/classes are attended

Essentials of County Government
This in-depth course is designed to help officials transition into their new governing roles. Participants will gain an understanding of the wide range of topics that are important for their job including legal requirements, nature of county organization, finance and budget, and strategies for success in this role.
County Government Structure & Authority
This course looks at the authority that has been granted to counties by all sources, including the citizens. Participants will broaden their knowledge of county government form and function, of state government and how it relates to federal government, and of mandates and the impact they have on counties.
County Government Roles & Responsibilities
This course looks at the functions of county government, Participants will better understand state mandated county government services including public safety, transportation and health and human services.
Financial Management
This course provides guidance for commissioners to better manage their county’s fiscal affairs. Participants will gain a basic understanding of the state’s fiscal trends, budgeting process, revenue sources available to their counties and the what, when and how to issue debt.
Growth Management & Land Use Decisions
This course is designed to give commissioners an understanding of the history of land use planning in Florida and how we got where we are today. Participants will learn the realities of implementing comprehensive plans including how amendments, development approvals, and exceptions should be handled.
Ethics, Public Records & Sunshine Laws
(Mandatory Core Class) This course is designed to give Commissioners an understanding of Florida’s stringent laws. Participants will broaden their knowledge of ethics requirement for elected officials, understand the Sunshine Law and Public Record Law, learn about reporting requirements, and become familiar with the process of an ethics complaint. All Commissioners are required to take 4 hours of ethics each calendar year.

CGE Electives

The program content for each Elective/Specialty course is designed to cover fundamental information necessary to effectively serve as a County Official. To be certified, officials must earn a minimum of 9 credit hours of Elective/Specialty Courses. Each course within the specializations is equivalent to 1.5-3 hours of credit.