With the continued population growth in Florida — currently one of the three fastest-growing states in the nation — the Florida real estate market remains strong. Of course, if you’re the proud owner of an active Florida real estate license, you already know this, right?
So, let’s talk about what it’s going to take for you to stay in the good graces of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), specifically in terms of maintaining an active real estate license.
To that end, we’ll cover how long a Florida real estate license will last, what the consequences are for letting an active real estate license lapse, and what requirements must be met in order to renew a real estate license.
How Long Does a Florida Real Estate License Last?
The length of your first renewal period will vary between 18 and 24 months, depending on when you passed the state exam and got your initial license. If in doubt about when you need to renew, fear not — the expiration date appears right there on your license.
Subsequent renewal periods after your first successful renewal will always be 24 months.
The Importance of Those Florida Real Estate License Renewal Deadlines
Renewing your Florida real estate license on time is critical — particularly so with your initial license renewal!
Fail to Renew and Start Over from Scratch!
If you fail to complete your required post-licensing education during your first renewal cycle, your license becomes null and void.
That means you must retake your entire pre-licensing course, pass the course exam, and retake the state exam! Can you imagine having to start completely over because you missed your first renewal deadline? That’s too painful to think about.
Fail to Renew and Get Deactivated!
It gets only slightly better if you miss the renewal deadline for subsequent license renewal periods.
If you don't complete your required continuing education (CE) courses within your subsequent renewal periods, your real estate license will expire.
You won't be able to practice real estate until you complete your continuing education courses and renew your license. You’ll be sitting on the sidelines, watching your competitors close deals and earn commissions. That’s gotta burn!
Education: The Key to Renewing Your Florida Real Estate License
The DBPR does not extend renewal deadlines for incomplete real estate coursework. For that reason, we recommend enrolling in your post-licensing and continuing education courses three to six months before your license expiration date.
This should give you plenty of time to complete the coursework, pass the course test, and submit your completion records to the DBPR. It can take the DBPR a week or two to review your proof of course completion.
Your First Florida Real Estate License Renewal
During your first renewal period, you need to complete 45 hours of what is known as post-licensing real estate courses. You’ll learn about such things as:
Ethics
Law
Valuation
Contracts
Financing
Property management
The actual topics can vary slightly from one real estate school to the next, but as long as the courses are approved by the DBPR, they'll count toward your renewal education requirements.
Your Subsequent Florida Real Estate License Renewals
During each subsequent renewal period, you’ll need to complete 14 hours of continuing education real estate courses. These courses include:
Three hours of legal updates
Three hours of ethics and business practices
Eight hours of specialty credits (also referred to as elective courses)
How to Enroll in Real Estate Courses for Your Florida Real Estate License Renewal
Any state-approved real estate school can offer a Florida real estate course online as long as the course is approved by the DBPR before being offered to students.
You can use the DBPR’s Continuing Education Course Search to find a qualified course provider. It lists both 45-hour post-licensing courses and 14-hour continuing education courses. Most schools will allow you to enroll online, and many give the option of enrolling by phone as well.
Why Use Aceable for Your Florida Post-licensing Education
Like the other real estate schools that you’ll find through DBPR’s Continuing Education Course Search portal, Aceable is state-approved. Unlike other schools, Aceable doesn’t simply present online learning as an option — it’s the ONLY way they teach. Aceable was created with the online student in mind.
What you’ll get from Aceable are bite-sized lessons that let you work on your phone, tablet, or computer, allowing you to save your progress and switch between devices seamlessly as you go. Interruptions are expected — you are a working professional, after all — and you can jump right back into the lesson when you’re ready (after closing a sale, perhaps?).
Aceable’s easy-to-understand presentations and engaging interactivities will keep you from getting bored while you fulfill your educational requirements.
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, details about Aceable’s Florida Post-licencing Education courses are just a click away.
How to Renew a Florida Real Estate License
Once your post-licensing or continuing education real estate courses are complete, the hard part of renewing your Florida real estate license is over. From there, you simply need to renew your Florida real estate license online via the DBPR portal.
There you have it. You achieved the dream of a career in real estate. And now you know what to do to keep that dream alive.
Updated 8/10/23