To become an insurance broker in Florida, you follow the state’s agent licensing path, because Florida’s insurance code doesn’t use the “broker” title. Everyone who sells insurance in Florida is licensed as an agent and must be appointed by at least one insurer to transact business.1Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 626.112 – License and Appointment Required For most people, that means earning a 2-20 General Lines license. If your goal is to operate like a traditional broker and place coverage with insurers not licensed in Florida, you add a 1-20 Surplus Lines license on top of the 2-20.
What Florida Actually Licenses
In many states, brokers legally represent the buyer rather than the insurer. Florida doesn’t make that distinction in its licensing scheme. The 2-20 General Lines license covers property, casualty, surety, and marine insurance, which is the license you need to sell homeowners, auto, commercial, and liability policies. The 1-20 Surplus Lines Agent license, which is built on top of the 2-20, is the closest thing Florida offers to a traditional broker role, and it lets you place coverage with non-admitted carriers for risks that standard insurers won’t write.
The steps below walk through the 2-20 path first, because every would-be broker in Florida starts there. The surplus lines add-on is covered after.
Step 1: Complete Pre-Licensing Education
Before you can sit for the state exam, you must complete pre-licensing coursework through a provider approved by the Florida Department of Financial Services. The 2-20 General Lines license requires 200 hours. Coursework covers policy provisions, underwriting basics, contract law, ethics, and Florida-specific regulations.
Courses are offered in person and online, and most candidates take the online route. Your completion certificate has a limited validity window, so schedule your state exam soon after finishing rather than letting months pass.
Step 2: Submit Your Application and Pay the Fees
Applications go through the DFS MyProfile portal, which also handles renewals and compliance tracking for all Florida insurance licensees.2Florida Department of Financial Services. MyProfile Info and Tutorials You’ll upload proof of coursework, pick the license type, and provide personal information. Errors trigger extra documentation requests, so check carefully before you submit.
The baseline costs:3MyFloridaCFO. Fees and Payment Methods
- License application: $50
- License ID: $5
- State exam: $44, paid to Pearson VUE
- Fingerprinting: $49.50 for LiveScan, plus local sales tax, paid to IdentoGO
All fees are non-refundable. Plan on roughly $150 in state and vendor fees, on top of whatever your pre-licensing course costs.
Step 3: Get Fingerprinted and Pass a Background Check
Every applicant submits fingerprints and clears a criminal background check. Florida uses IdentoGO as its fingerprint vendor. You schedule online, visit a LiveScan location, and your prints go electronically to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.4MyFloridaCFO. Fingerprinting Information From there, they’re checked against state and FBI databases.5Florida Department of Law Enforcement. National Criminal History Record Check
A criminal record doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but DFS sorts offenses into tiers:6MyFloridaCFO. Applicants with Criminal Histories
- Permanent bar: capital felonies, first-degree felonies, money laundering, embezzlement, fraud in financial services transactions, and sale of unregistered securities. A conviction, guilty plea, or no-contest plea in any of these categories bars licensure permanently, no matter how old the case is.
- 15-year disqualification: felonies involving moral turpitude outside the permanent-bar list, including robbery, burglary, grand theft, forgery, arson, kidnapping, and drug trafficking. The clock starts when you complete your sentence or supervision, whichever is later.
- 7-year disqualification: all other felonies, plus any misdemeanor directly related to financial services.
DFS won’t issue a license until all related fines, court costs, and restitution are paid in full. For offenses outside those categories, the department reviews cases individually, and having court records and a written explanation ready makes the review faster.
Step 4: Pass the State Licensing Exam
Pearson VUE administers the Florida insurance exam. The 2-20 exam covers insurance principles, policy structures, contract law, ethics, claims procedures, and Florida regulations. You can take it at a testing center or in an online proctored session.
Bring two forms of ID on exam day. Your primary ID must be government-issued with a photo and signature. The secondary needs your name and either a photo or signature.7Pearson VUE. Global ID Policy 1S Results come immediately. Passing is 70% or higher.
If you fail, you can reschedule, but Florida caps retakes at five attempts for the same exam type within a twelve-month period.8Florida Department of Financial Services. Examinations Each retake is another $44. If you’ve failed more than once, consider switching pre-licensing providers or adding a practice-exam course.
Step 5: Secure an Insurer Appointment
Passing the exam and holding a license is not enough. You cannot sell insurance in Florida until an insurer formally appoints you to represent its products. Each carrier runs its own approval process, reviewing credentials, experience, and financial background, and some require additional training or set minimum production targets before granting the appointment.
Once an insurer approves you, it files an appointment request with DFS through the eAppoint system. The state charges $60 per appointment, split into a $42 base fee, $12 state tax, and $6 county tax.9Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 624.501 – Fees Working with five carriers means five appointment fees. The insurer often pays, but not always. Confirm who pays before signing anything.
More appointments mean a wider product shelf, which is the practical advantage of working independently rather than as a captive agent tied to one company.
Adding the Surplus Lines License (1-20)
If you want to operate like a traditional broker and place coverage with non-admitted insurers, you need a 1-20 Surplus Lines Agent license. This is a second-tier license: you must already hold an active 2-20 General Lines license, and you must meet one of these additional requirements:10Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 626.927 – Licensing of Surplus Lines Agent
- At least one year of full-time work for a licensed surplus lines agent, or
- Completion of a 60-hour approved course in surplus and excess lines insurance.
After meeting one of those, you take a separate surplus lines exam. Active-duty military, veterans, and their spouses are exempt from the coursework requirement but still have to pass the exam.10Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 626.927 – Licensing of Surplus Lines Agent
Surplus lines agents also typically carry a surety bond. The market is where you place hard-to-place risks the admitted carriers won’t write: high-value coastal homes, unusual commercial operations, specialty liability. If that’s your target market, budget for the extra time and cost of the two-step licensing path.
Non-Resident Applicants
If you already hold a resident insurance license in another state, you can apply for a Florida non-resident license rather than relocating. For the 2-20 or 2-15, Florida generally grants reciprocity when your home state offers similar treatment.
Non-resident surplus lines works differently. You must hold a resident surplus lines license in your home state. If your home state required a surplus lines exam, Florida waives its exam. If your home state didn’t, you take Florida’s. New York residents are not eligible for a Florida surplus lines license at all.11MyFloridaCFO. Non-resident Surplus Lines License Reciprocity
Keeping Your License Active
Florida insurance agent licenses are technically perpetual. There’s no license renewal as long as you keep at least one active insurer appointment.12Florida Department of Financial Services. Frequently Asked Questions What does renew is each insurer appointment, every 24 months during your birth month.
Continuing education runs on the same clock. For a 2-20 license, you need 24 hours every two years, due the last day of your birth month: 4 hours of law and ethics and 20 hours of electives.13Florida Department of Financial Services. Continuing Education Missing the deadline can bring fines or suspension, and catching up after a lapse is more expensive than staying current. Set a reminder six months before your birth month so you have room to finish without cramming.