I am desperatley trying to find someone to talk to that is a licensed home baker in the state of Florida. My bussiness (thank God) is growing and I do not want to work 'illegaly' anymore...
I have looked for the rules and regulations posted on the Department of Agriculture website, but those are not very clear and I feel that I would benefit a lot from talking to someone that has gone through the process. It seems to me that Florida has SO MANY ways of not letting someone work from home.
Thank you so much to you all!!
Marcela

I don't believe there are any legal home bakers in Florida.

the best thing for you to do is to call the health department and they may give you some helpful directions. dont say, i have a business, say that you are interested in finding out...or you may jinx yourself. but they can tell you if you need to have a commercial kitchen, a separate entrance renovated home kitchen, etc.

sorry i cant offer better help, but if you love it, just keep at it and find what will work. if you do it legally, you'll benefit more from all the tax breaks.

No home baking allowed in Florida

I own a custom wedding cake biz in central Florida and any home baker is doing so illegaly. Also, most wedding venues will only refer "legal" bakers so as not to run into liability issues. If they recommend someone who isn't "legal", they could be held as liable as the baker themselves (mostly food safety I'm referring to). Didn't know if the wedding area was what you wanted to get into but if so, being legal is the way to go.
Roberta

Your best bet is to call the Dept of Agriculture. They are the ones that regulate our business in this state. They will send a package to you and the lady I spoke to was really nice and answered all my questions. You are not allowed to bake from home. You can however convert a garage or add an attachment to your home and make it a commercial kitchen but you can't be able to access the kitchen from your home. You are supposed to have a bathroom in that space also but I was told sometimes they will overlook that if you are the only person working there.

But those are the state requirements. I found a problem with my city ordinance that doesn't allow my type of business in a residential area. So I would check with your city zoning department to make sure they will give you a license before you start converting a garage or something.

HTH

Marcelita, Hi!!The website for the dept of ag is awesome.
Google fl dept ag, or type doacs.state.fl.us/ Then select - licensing, permits, regulations
select - bakers
scroll down to frequently asked questions #4, cook or prepare food at home. That will answer your questions.
Also, under question #2 select "minimum construction standards" to find out what you need for a licensed facility. And cocorum21 is correct on checking with your local zoning office, city & county offices, too. I am a licensed shop in SW Florida, Port Charlotte to be exact, (Roberta where are you?)
Marcelita, send me an email or PM if I can help you further. CindiM

CindiM,
I am in Mount Dora/Eustis area, about 45 minutes north of Orlando.
Roberta

Thank you SO much for all of your comments. I really appreciate your help!
Marcela