Earning your Florida real estate license is a milestone — but it isn't a one-and-done. Florida requires post-license education after your first cycle and continuing education every two years after that. Miss a deadline and you can be forced to start over from scratch. Here's exactly what keeps your license active, cycle after cycle.
- Your first renewal requires a state-approved 45-hour post-license course — miss it and you must retake the pre-license course and state exam.
- After that, it's 14 hours of continuing education every two years: 3 hrs Core Law, 3 hrs Ethics & Business Practices, and 8 hrs specialty.
- An inactive license can be reactivated within two years — but the CE required grows the longer it sits.
- Renew and pay fees through the DBPR (MyFloridaLicense.com), and keep every CE completion certificate.
First Renewal: The 45-Hour Post-License Course
Your initial license expires 18 to 24 months after you pass the state exam — the exact date is printed at the bottom of your license. Before that first expiration, sales associates must complete and pass a state-approved 45-hour post-license course that builds on your pre-license education.
This is the deadline you cannot miss. If you don't finish the 45-hour post-license education by your expiration date, you don't just pay a late fee — you have to start over: retake the pre-license course and pass the state exam again. Courses run roughly $150–$250, are offered online or in a classroom by approved schools and boards, and many new agents choose the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) 100 Series to satisfy it while sharpening real-world skills.
Ongoing: 14 Hours of CE Every Two Years
Once you're past that first post-license cycle, Florida shifts you to a standard continuing-education schedule: 14 hours of FREC-approved CE during each two-year renewal period. Those 14 hours break down as:
- 3 hours — Core Law
- 3 hours — Ethics & Business Practices
- 8 hours — specialty education of your choosing
CE is available online, through local boards and associations, and via approved real-estate schools. Finish your 14 hours, then renew and download your updated license from the DBPR. Keep your CE completion certificates — if credits don't transmit to the DBPR correctly, those letters are how you fix it.
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Reactivating an Inactive License
If your license goes involuntarily inactive, you generally have two years to reactivate it. After that window closes, the license becomes void and you'd have to start the licensing process over. The CE required to reactivate depends on how long it's been inactive:
- Inactive less than 12 months: complete 14 hours of continuing education.
- Inactive 12–24 months: complete 28 hours of CE, including the core-law requirement.
You reactivate by submitting your renewal notice and fee to the DBPR. Don't let a license drift — the longer it sits, the more hours it takes to bring back.
CE Deficiency Letters & Staying Compliant
The DBPR monitors CE compliance. If its records show you're short on hours for a renewal period, it sends a Continuing Education Deficiency letter. You can view your CE record on the DBPR website. Once you've completed the missing hours, mail the deficiency letter with copies of your course-completion certificates to the DBPR's Bureau of Education and Testing, and list all of your license numbers so the credits apply correctly. It's also on you to keep your mailing address current with the DBPR.
How to Actually Renew
- Know your expiration date — it's on the bottom of your license.
- Complete the required hours — the 45-hour post-license course for your first renewal, or 14 hours of CE after that.
- Renew and pay online at MyFloridaLicense.com (or by check/money order).
- Download your updated license from the DBPR once it's processed.
- Save your certificates in case you ever need to prove your hours.
The one-sentence takeaway
Finish your 45-hour post-license course before your first expiration and 14 hours of CE every two years after that — and never let the deadline slip, because in Florida a lapsed license can mean starting completely over.
The Bottom Line
Renewing a Florida real estate license is straightforward once you know the schedule: 45 post-license hours the first time, then 14 CE hours every two years, all filed through the DBPR. The agents who never sweat renewal are the ones who track their deadline and knock out their hours early — and who work at a brokerage that keeps them growing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Every two years. Your first license expires 18–24 months after you pass the exam and requires a 45-hour post-license course; after that, you renew every two years with 14 hours of continuing education.
If you don't complete the 45-hour post-license course before your first expiration, your license is not simply late — you must retake the pre-license course and pass the state exam again to get relicensed.
14 hours every two-year cycle: 3 hours Core Law, 3 hours Ethics & Business Practices, and 8 hours of specialty education.
Yes, within two years. If it's been inactive less than 12 months you need 14 CE hours; if 12–24 months, you need 28 hours including core law. After two years the license is void.