How to Become a Broker in Florida
This guide covers how to upgrade your Florida sales associate license, or the equivalent real estate license from another state, to a Florida Broker license.
Here are the Florida state regulators you need to know about:
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) is the agency charged with licensing and regulating businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, such as cosmetologists, veterinarians, real estate agents and pari-mutuel wagering facilities.
Under the umbrella of the DBPR is the Division of Real Estate (DRE), which is responsible for the examination, licensing and regulation of over a quarter of a million individuals, corporations, real estate schools and instructors.
The Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) consists of seven members appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. They administer and enforce the real estate license law by passing rules to enable it to implement its statutorily authorized duties and responsibilities.
A broker is a person who, for another, and for compensation or in anticipation of compensation, appraises, auctions, sells, exchanges, buys, rents or offers, attempts or agrees to appraise, auction, or negotiate any sale, exchange, purchase, or rental of business enterprises or any real property or any interest in or concerning the same or who advertises the same.
- Verify that you meet the experience requirements
- Submit your initial application
- Complete the 72 hours of pre-licensing education
- Pass the state exam
- Complete your application
From start to finish, it will take about 4 weeks to 6 weeks.
Basic Requirements
- You must be 18 years or older, and have a high school diploma, or equivalent.
- Applicants must have a valid social security number.
1. Verify that you meet the Experience Requirements
There are 3 different ways to satisfy the experience requirement:
- If you’ve been registered as an active sales associate for at least 24 months during the preceding 5 years under one or more brokers
- If you’ve held a current and valid real estate sales associate’s license for at least 24 months during the preceding 5 years in the employ of a governmental agency for a salary and performing the duties authorized in Chapter 475, F.S.
- If you’ve held a current and valid real estate broker’s license for at least 24 months during the preceding 5 years in any other state, territory, or jurisdiction of the United States, or in any foreign national jurisdiction.
You will need to provide evidence of your experience with a current certification of license history from the state you are claiming experience from. The history must contain your initial license exam type, current license status, disciplinary information, and how many valid months within the preceding five years.
2. Submit the Initial Application
You must first setup an online account using the Online Service, where you will be able to upgrade your current sales associate license. You can also choose to mail in your application.
If you are out-of-state, there will be two additional “Broker out-of-state” and “Mutual Recognition Agreement” options available.
3. Complete the Education Requirements
Broker applicants must complete 72 hours of approved pre-license education.
After you get your broker’s license, you will need to complete an additional 60 hours of post-license education. However, you are given up to two years after receiving your broker’s license to complete this.
The certificates for any course that you complete are valid for two years. If you don’t turn them in and apply with the two years, then you will have to re-take the courses.
Note: If you have a Florida Sales Associate license and want to upgrade to a broker’s license, you will still need to complete the 45 hour sales associate post-license course.
Special Exemptions
- If you are a member of the Florida State Bar, then you are exempt from the pre-licensing course, but you will still need to take the post-licensing course.
- If you have a bachelor’s or master’s degree with a major in Real Estate, then you are exempt from all pre-license and post-license requirements
4. Pass the State Exam
The DRE has contracted with the testing company called Pearson VUE for its state exams. You can find a location near you and their availability here.
Once you have your candidate ID#, you can make a reservation for your exam. You don’t have to wait to receive a letter of confirmation or authorization.
The broker exam will test on your knowledge, understanding and application of real estate law, real estate principles and practices, including appraising, finance, investment and brokerage management and real estate mathematics.
You have 3.5 hours to answer 100 multiple choice questions. The passing score is 75% or higher. The results will be reported immediately after you finish. The state exam fee is $36.75.
Here are the available Test Center locations: Orlando, St. Petersburg, Boynton Beach, Coral Gables, Oakland Park, Ormand Beach, Fort Myers I, Fort Myers II, Lake Mary, Gainesville, Melbourne, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Miami, Lakeland, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Doral, Tampa, Hollywood, Ft. Lauderdale II.
If you fail the exam, Pearson VUE will allow you to review the questions that you missed within 21 days of your examination date. There is a $35 Review Fee.
5. Complete your Application
If you haven’t done so already, you will also need to get your fingerprints taken at any Live Scan provider that has been approved by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
They will need this to run a federal criminal background check with the FBI.
The DBPR recommends that you do this at least 5 days prior to submitting your final application. This allows sufficient time for the FDLE to process your fingerprints and submit the results.
After you receive the results of your background check, simply go back to your online account on the DBPR’s website and complete your application. You will need to pay the application fee of $91.75.
After they approve your application, your license status will be “Inactive.”
To activate your license, there’s one last step. You will need to complete and submit the DBPR RE 13 Broker Transactions form.