Florida Real Estate Continuing Education After Your First Renewal

Updated June 2026 · Reviewed by Adams, Cameron & Co.

New agents hear a lot about the 45-hour post-license course because it's the requirement standing between them and their first renewal. What gets less attention is what happens after that: continuing education doesn't end at your first renewal. It becomes a recurring requirement for the rest of your career as a licensed Florida agent.

This is different from your 45-hour post-license course

If you're newly licensed, the requirement in front of you right now is the 45-hour post-license course, a one-time requirement due before your first renewal. That's covered in full in our Florida licensing guide. This page is about what comes after that first renewal, once you're on the standard ongoing cycle every Florida sales associate stays on for as long as they hold an active license.

The ongoing requirement: 14 hours every two years

Once you're past your first renewal, Florida requires 14 hours of FREC-approved continuing education every two-year renewal cycle. This isn't a one-time hurdle. It repeats every renewal for as long as you keep your license active, so it becomes a normal part of running your business rather than a milestone you finish and move past.

How the 14 hours break down

The 14 hours aren't just any 14 hours of real estate content. They're split into three specific categories:

• 3 hours of Core Law, covering updates and fundamentals in real estate law;
• 3 hours of Ethics and Business Practices; and
• 8 hours of specialty or elective education, giving you some choice in what you study.

The Core Law and Ethics components are fixed requirements every cycle. The 8 elective hours give you room to pick topics that are actually relevant to how you practice, whether that's a specialty area you work in often or a skill you want to sharpen.

How you can complete it

Florida doesn't require you to sit in a classroom for this. You can complete the full 14 hours through distance or online education, at your own pace, or through a traditional in-person classroom course if you prefer that format. Most working agents choose online courses simply because it's easier to fit around a full schedule of showings and closings.

Why the categories are split this way

Core Law and Ethics and Business Practices aren't optional in the way the elective hours are, and that's deliberate. Real estate law changes, and licensees who've been active for years are just as capable of falling behind on a rule change as someone brand new. Requiring 3 hours of Core Law every cycle keeps every licensed agent current on the legal framework they're operating under, regardless of how long they've been in the business. The Ethics and Business Practices requirement exists for a similar reason: it's a recurring check-in on professional conduct standards, not a one-time lesson you learn once and never revisit. The 8 elective hours are where Florida gives you room to actually specialize, whether that means digging deeper into a niche you work in often or picking up a skill you know you're weak on.

Timing it around your renewal deadline

Because the 14 hours are tied to your two-year renewal cycle, the smart approach is to treat the deadline the same way you'd treat any recurring business obligation: schedule it well before it's due, not the week your renewal is about to lapse. Waiting until the last minute leaves no room for a course that takes longer than expected, a scheduling conflict, or simply life getting in the way during a busy selling season. Since most agents can complete the hours online at their own pace, there's rarely a good reason to let this slide until it becomes urgent.

This repeats for as long as you're licensed

It's worth internalizing that this isn't a requirement you eventually age out of. Whether you're two years into your career or twenty, the same 14-hour cycle applies every time your license comes up for renewal. Agents who've been active for a decade still owe the same Core Law, Ethics, and elective hours as someone on their first post-post-license renewal. Building it into a routine, rather than treating each cycle as a surprise, is what actually makes it painless over a long career.

Who's exempt

There's one specific exemption worth knowing: an active member of the Florida Bar in good standing is exempt from this 14-hour requirement. If that doesn't apply to you, plan on completing the full 14 hours every cycle like the vast majority of licensed agents do.

Why this matters more than it seems

It's easy to let continuing education become an afterthought once you're a few years into production and focused on clients and closings. But missing this requirement puts your active license status at risk heading into a renewal, which means it can affect your ability to earn commission if it lapses. A brokerage that actually tracks these deadlines for its agents, rather than assuming everyone remembers on their own, removes one more thing you have to manage yourself while you're busy running a real business.

Adams, Cameron & Co., the largest brokerage in Volusia and Flagler County since 1963, keeps agents on track for both their one-time post-license course and every ongoing renewal cycle after that, so a missed deadline never becomes the reason your license goes inactive.

Continuing education requirements, hour breakdowns, and exemptions are set by the Florida DBPR and can change. Confirm current requirements with the DBPR before your renewal deadline. This guide is educational and isn't legal advice.