Florida Continuing Education
Florida requires 14 hours of continuing education every two years to keep a sales associate or broker licence active, including required Core Law and ethics and business practices content.
What counts toward your 14 hours
Florida specifies subjects, not just a total. A package that adds up to 14 hours but omits the required Core Law hours will not satisfy the renewal, which is the most common way agents find themselves short at the deadline.
Our course covers the full requirement in one place. Completions are reported to the DBPR within five business days, so you are not chasing paperwork or wondering whether it registered.
Renewal dates fall on 31 March or 30 September depending on when you were licensed. Because reporting takes a few business days, finishing in the final week of your cycle is tighter than it looks.
Florida Real Estate Continuing Education questions
What is the Florida 14-hour real estate continuing education requirement?
Florida real estate Sales Associates, Broker Associates, and Brokers generally must complete 14 hours of approved continuing education during each renewal period after their first license renewal.
The Florida Real Estate Commission, commonly known as FREC, establishes the continuing education requirements for Florida real estate licensees. The current 14-hour requirement consists of:
- 3 hours of Florida Core Law
- 3 hours of Ethics and Business Practices
- 8 hours of specialty continuing education
These requirements are the same for Florida Real Estate Sales Associates, Broker Associates, and Brokers.
Continuing education helps licensees remain familiar with changes in Florida real estate law, professional responsibilities, ethical business practices, and other subjects relevant to modern real estate practice.
Do Florida Real Estate Sales Associates and Brokers have the same 14-hour continuing education requirement?
Yes. Florida Real Estate Sales Associates, Broker Associates, and Brokers have the same 14-hour continuing education requirement after completing their applicable first-renewal education.
Unlike Florida pre-licensing and post-licensing education, which have different requirements for Sales Associates and Brokers, the continuing education requirement is identical for all three license categories.
Each applicable renewal period requires:
3 hours — Core Law
3 hours — Ethics and Business Practices
8 hours — Specialty Education
This totals 14 hours of Florida real estate continuing education. DBPR specifically states that continuing education requirements for Sales Associates, Brokers, and Broker Associates are identical.
This means a Florida Broker does not have a larger regular CE requirement simply because the license is a broker license.
What courses are included in the Florida 14-hour real estate CE requirement?
Florida’s 14-hour real estate continuing education requirement includes 3 hours of Core Law, 3 hours of Ethics and Business Practices, and 8 hours of approved specialty education.
The 3-hour Core Law course focuses on Florida real estate license law, Florida Real Estate Commission rules, brokerage and agency law, and other laws affecting real estate professionals.
The 3-hour Ethics and Business Practices course addresses ethical principles, professional responsibilities, and appropriate business practices applicable to real estate professionals.
The remaining 8 hours of specialty education may address FREC-approved subjects relevant to the modern practice of real estate. Florida law specifically allows specialty education to address contemporary real estate issues, including technology used in the real estate industry.
A licensee should make sure the selected courses provide the correct type of credit. Simply completing 14 hours of general real estate education does not necessarily satisfy the required Core Law and Ethics and Business Practices components.
When do I need to complete the Florida 14-hour real estate continuing education course?
Florida’s 14-hour continuing education requirement generally begins after a licensee has completed the education required for the first renewal and then applies during each subsequent license renewal period.
Florida real estate renewal periods after the first renewal are generally 24 months. Florida real estate licenses typically expire on either March 31 or September 30, depending on the licensee’s renewal group.
The required continuing education and applicable renewal requirements should be completed by the expiration date of the license.
Florida licensees should check their individual license information through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) rather than estimating their renewal deadline.
Completing continuing education early also provides time to verify that the completed education has been properly reflected in the licensee’s DBPR records before attempting to renew.
Do I need the Florida 14-hour continuing education course for my first real estate license renewal?
Generally, no. Newly licensed Florida Sales Associates and Brokers have separate post-licensing education requirements for their first renewal instead of the regular 14-hour continuing education requirement.
A newly licensed Florida Sales Associate generally must complete 45 hours of post-licensing education before the first renewal.
A newly licensed Florida Broker or Broker Associate generally must complete 60 hours of broker post-licensing education before the first renewal.
After the initial post-license requirement has been satisfied, the regular 14-hour continuing education requirement generally applies to subsequent renewal periods.
This distinction is important because a 14-hour Florida CE course should not be used as a substitute for required first-renewal post-licensing education.
Can I take my Florida 14-hour real estate continuing education course online?
Yes. Florida allows approved real estate continuing education to be completed through distance education, including online courses.
Both Florida law and DBPR guidance recognize approved distance-learning continuing education. This allows eligible Sales Associates, Broker Associates, and Brokers to complete their 14-hour Florida real estate CE requirement online rather than attending a traditional classroom course.
An online 14-hour CE program can provide convenient access to:
- Florida Core Law
- Ethics and Business Practices
- Specialty education
Students should make sure the course and provider are approved for Florida real estate continuing education credit.
Florida’s official DBPR Continuing Education Course Search can also be used to verify approved continuing education courses.
Is there an exam for an online Florida 14-hour real estate continuing education course?
Florida-approved distance education continuing education courses may include required end-of-course examinations as part of the course completion process.
DBPR’s published real estate education requirements distinguish between classroom and distance education and state that the 14-hour continuing education requirement may be completed in either environment. DBPR’s education guidance identifies end-of-course examinations for distance education CE courses.
Students taking an online Florida real estate continuing education course should therefore carefully follow the course provider’s completion requirements, including any required assessments or final examinations.
Completing the instructional material alone may not constitute satisfactory course completion when an examination or other completion requirement is part of the approved distance-learning course.
Once all requirements have been successfully completed, students should retain their course completion documentation and verify their education status with DBPR.
What happens if I do not complete my Florida real estate continuing education before my license expires?
A Florida real estate license that is not properly renewed by the expiration deadline can become involuntarily inactive, which may prevent the licensee from legally performing real estate services that require an active license.
Florida law provides that a license that is not renewed at the end of its license period automatically reverts to involuntarily inactive status.
The consequences become more serious the longer the license remains involuntarily inactive. A license that has been involuntarily inactive for more than 12 months but fewer than 24 months generally requires 28 hours of reactivation education. If it remains involuntarily inactive for more than two years, the license automatically expires and becomes null and void.
Because the consequences can be significant, Florida licensees should complete their CE and renewal requirements before the expiration date rather than relying on the possibility of late renewal or reactivation.
Do I still need Florida real estate continuing education if my license is inactive?
An inactive Florida real estate license does not necessarily eliminate continuing education requirements.
Florida law and FREC rules contain education requirements for both active and inactive real estate licensees. A voluntarily inactive license may still be renewed, but applicable continuing education requirements must be satisfied.
An involuntarily inactive license is different. The education required for reactivation depends in part on how long the license has remained involuntarily inactive.
For example, Florida law generally permits a license involuntarily inactive for 12 months or less to be reactivated after completing at least 14 hours of Commission-prescribed continuing education. A license involuntarily inactive for more than 12 months but fewer than 24 months generally requires 28 hours of reactivation education.
Licensees with an inactive license should verify their specific status and education requirements through DBPR before enrolling in a course.
Are Florida attorneys exempt from the 14-hour real estate continuing education requirement?
Yes. An active member of The Florida Bar in good standing is exempt from Florida’s 14-hour real estate continuing education requirement.
DBPR specifically identifies active Florida Bar members in good standing as exempt from the 14-hour continuing education requirement for Florida real estate licensees.
However, attorneys should not assume that DBPR automatically knows or has properly recorded their Florida Bar status. A licensee relying on the exemption should make sure the appropriate information has been provided to DBPR and that the exemption is reflected in the license record.
It is also important to distinguish this exemption from other Florida real estate education requirements. The Florida Bar exemption from the regular 14-hour CE requirement does not mean that an attorney is automatically exempt from every real estate education requirement.
Licensees should verify their individual renewal and education status through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation before the applicable renewal deadline.
Not sure which course you need?
Browse everything we offer by state or by type, or call and we will point you to the right one.