How to Get a Broker’s License in Florida: Course, Exam, and Costs

To get a broker’s license in Florida, you need at least 24 months of active experience as a licensed sales associate, a 72-hour pre-licensing course from a state-approved school, and a passing score on the Florida broker exam administered by Pearson VUE. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) handles the application, background check, and license issuance. Most candidates spend between $400 and $700 before holding an active license, and the whole sequence rewards attention to detail: a wrong form or a missed deadline can push the finish line back by months.

Who Qualifies

Florida Statutes Section 475.17 sets the baseline. You must be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and have a valid Social Security number for background screening and tax reporting.¹

The real hurdle is experience. You must have held an active real estate sales associate license for at least 24 months during the five years immediately before you apply. That time can be earned under one or more licensed brokers in Florida or in another U.S. state, territory, or foreign jurisdiction. Government employees who performed real estate duties on salary for at least 24 months during the preceding five years also qualify, and so do people who held a valid broker license in another jurisdiction for the same period.¹

Time with an inactive license does not count. The DBPR verifies your license history directly. And if you were a Florida sales associate during that five-year window, you must also have completed the sales associate post-licensing education before you can step up to broker.¹

One boundary worth noting: if you or your spouse is an active-duty servicemember who relocated to Florida on military orders, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act may let you practice under an existing out-of-state real estate license without going through the full Florida process. Your license must be current, in good standing, and free of pending investigation or discipline. You will need proof of military orders, a notarized affidavit, and a marriage certificate if you are the spouse.²

Finish the 72-Hour Pre-Licensing Course

Before you can sit for the state exam, you must complete FREC Course II, a 72-hour pre-licensing program prescribed by the Florida Real Estate Commission. It covers appraising, investment analysis, financing, and brokerage management operations, and it must be taken through a FREC-approved provider.³

At the end of the course, you take a school-proctored exam and need a 70% to earn your completion certificate.³ Fail, and FREC rules generally require a 30-day wait before a second attempt on a different version of the test. Fail twice, and you retake the entire 72 hours from the beginning. Most schools follow the two-attempt structure, so take the first sitting seriously.

Your completion certificate is generally valid for two years. If it expires before you pass the state exam, you repeat the course.

File the Broker Application and Get Fingerprinted

The correct form for a new broker license is the DBPR RE 2, the Broker Application. Do not confuse it with the RE-11, which is used to activate or transfer a sales associate or broker associate license. The RE 2 is available through the DBPR online licensing portal or as a PDF on MyFloridaLicense.⁴

The application asks for your full personal history: prior criminal convictions, any professional license denials or disciplinary actions, and your complete license history so the state can verify the 24 months. Accuracy matters more than people expect. The DBPR cross-references your disclosures with federal databases, and inconsistencies can trigger a denial rather than a correction request.

Before you submit, complete electronic fingerprinting through a state-approved Livescan vendor. Give the vendor the DBPR ORI number (FL920010Z) so results route correctly. Fingerprinting typically runs $50 to $80. The application itself carries a processing fee; confirm the current amount on the DBPR site when you file, since fees adjust periodically.

Pass the State Broker Exam

Once the DBPR reviews your application and background check, you receive an Authorization to Test. That is your green light to schedule the exam with Pearson VUE, the state’s testing partner.⁵

The broker exam has two parts: a national section on general real estate principles and a Florida section on state statutes and rules. You need 75% or higher to pass. Results appear on screen immediately. The fee is $36.75 per attempt, paid to Pearson VUE.⁵ Bring two forms of valid ID.

Activate the License

Passing the exam does not put you to work. Your license sits inactive until you file activation paperwork. You have two paths. File form RE-13 to register as a broker if you plan to open and operate your own brokerage. File form RE-11 to activate as a broker associate if you plan to work under another broker’s firm while holding a broker-level license. The DBPR typically updates your status in the online portal within a couple of business days.⁴

Complete Post-Licensing Education Before Your First Renewal

This is the step new brokers most often botch. Your first renewal period runs 18 to 24 months from the date your license is issued. During that window, you must complete 60 hours of broker post-licensing education, including required exams.⁶ Miss the deadline and your license becomes null. You would then have to redo the application and exam process from scratch.

After the first renewal, the license renews every two years, with 14 hours of continuing education per cycle. The biennial renewal fee is $36.⁶

Mutual Recognition for Out-of-State Licensees

Florida has mutual recognition agreements with ten states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. If you hold a current, active license in one of these states, you can qualify for a Florida license without repeating the full education and experience requirements.⁷

Two catches. You cannot be a Florida resident when you apply, and you must have earned the out-of-state license through that state’s own education and exam process rather than through reciprocity with a third state. You still have to pass a 40-question Florida-specific law exam with a score of at least 75% (30 of 40).⁷

What It Costs

The total depends on the school you pick and how many exam attempts you need. Budget for:

Pre-licensing Course II (72 hours): $200 to $500 depending on provider and format
Fingerprinting: $50 to $80
Broker application (DBPR RE 2): approximately $91.75, subject to change
State exam at Pearson VUE: $36.75 per attempt

Most candidates spend $400 to $700 before holding an active license. That excludes the 60-hour post-licensing course required before your first renewal, which typically runs another $100 to $300. Retakes add up fast, since each failure means another fee and possibly repeating coursework.

If You Plan to Open Your Own Brokerage

Many people get a broker license specifically to run their own firm, and Florida imposes trust account obligations the moment you handle other people’s money. Any deposit, check, or funds you receive in connection with a real estate transaction must go immediately into an insured escrow or trust account at a bank, savings and loan, credit union, or title company with trust powers. You must be a signatory on every escrow account, though if your brokerage has multiple broker licensees, one can be designated as signatory. You may keep up to $1,000 of your own funds in each escrow account to cover bank fees, and no more.⁸

Federal rules apply too. Brokers handling residential transactions involving federally related mortgage loans must comply with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, which prohibits kickbacks and unearned referral fees. You cannot pay anyone for referring settlement service business to you, and you cannot accept payment for referring business to someone else. The definition of “thing of value” is broad and includes discounts, trips, and payment of another person’s expenses.⁹

Federal fair housing law creates direct liability for brokers. If one of your agents engages in discriminatory conduct and you knew or should have known, you are personally liable for failing to take prompt corrective action.¹⁰ For properties built before 1978, brokers must ensure sellers and landlords provide buyers and tenants with lead-based paint disclosures, a lead hazard information pamphlet, and a 10-day inspection window.¹¹

1
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 475.17 – Qualifications for Practice
2
U.S. Department of Justice. 2025 Update – Portability of Professional Licenses
3
Legal Information Institute. Florida Admin Code 61J2-3.008 – Pre-licensing Education for Broker and Sales Associate Applicants
4
MyFloridaLicense.com. DBPR RE 2 Broker Application
5
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Real Estate and Appraiser Fact Sheet
6
MyFloridaLicense.com. Real Estate Education Requirements
7
MyFloridaLicense.com. Real Estate Commission – Mutual Recognition States
8
Legal Information Institute. Florida Admin Code 61J2-14.010 – Real Estate Broker
9
eCFR. 12 CFR 1024.14 – Prohibition Against Kickbacks and Unearned Fees
10
eCFR. Part 100 – Discriminatory Conduct Under the Fair Housing Act
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S. Code 4852d – Disclosure of Information Concerning Lead Upon Transfer of Residential Property