Florida
Every law and rule change USCLI tracks for Florida, across the professions, on one page. Each entry links to its full write-up and official sources.
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Licensing Law Tracker
Florida licenses private investigators and agencies through the Division of Licensing of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Since 2023 Florida has moved its renewal late fee into rule, made unlawful GPS tracking a felony that can also cost a license, and let county tax collectors handle some licensing services.
Full Florida page: every change, its sources, and what has not changed (9 entries).
Volunteer armed security at places of worship exempted
Adds s. 493.6102(16), which exempts from Chapter 493 anyone who provides armed security on the premises of a church, mosque, synagogue, or other place of worship voluntarily and without pay. It reenacts s. 493.6201(4), the rule that Class C and CC…
Tracking to commit a dangerous crime becomes a second-degree felony
Amends s. 934.425(5). Unlawful tracking remains a third-degree felony, but tracking done to commit or facilitate a dangerous crime listed in s. 907.041(5)(a) is a second-degree felony.
Court-ordered tracking exempted from the tracking law
Adds exceptions to s. 934.425(4) for Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice staff tracking people in their custody, and for anyone a court order authorizes to install, place, or use a tracking device or application. The business…
Tax collectors limited to security officer applications
Carries out s. 493.6127. Appointed county tax collectors may accept new applications only for Class D security officer licenses. They may take fingerprints and photographs for applicants for any license type who applied online or by mail.
Late renewal fee set equal to the license fee
Carries out the 2023 law below. A renewal received after expiration but within three months carries a late fee equal to the license fee, and no license can be renewed three or more months after it expires. The division waives the late fee on a request made…
Officer Certification Tracker
Florida certifies officers through the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Since 2023 the State has set procedures for prosecutors’ Brady lists, barred local governments from running civilian oversight of complaint investigations, rewritten the resisting-arrest statute, and widened the moral character violations that can cost an officer certification.
Full Florida page: every change, its sources, and what has not changed (7 entries).
Sexual harassment violation broadened; relationship penalty raised
Sexual harassment as a moral character violation now follows the federal definition in 29 C.F.R. 1604.11 and no longer requires physical contact or misuse of official position. The penalty guideline for an unprofessional relationship becomes prospective…
Resisting-arrest statute rewritten; officer-force limit deleted
F.S. 776.051 now bars a person from using or threatening force to resist an arrest, a detention, or an officer performing official duties as described in 943.10(1), if the officer acted in good faith. The good-faith condition already existed; the act adds…
Local civilian oversight of complaint investigations preempted
F.S. 112.533 now bars political subdivisions, including cities, counties, and other local government units, from adopting or enforcing ordinances on investigating complaints against officers or on civilian oversight of agency misconduct investigations, so…
Introducing contraband added to moral character violations
Adds misdemeanor introduction of contraband into a correctional facility to the moral character violations that can lead to discipline, with a penalty guideline. The same package removed felony “other introduction of contraband” from the felony list in…
Line of duty death added to the Affidavit of Separation
The revised Affidavit of Separation (CJSTC-61) adds “Line of Duty Death” as a separation reason, so agencies can distinguish officers killed in the line of duty.
Forensic Science Tracker
Florida has no forensic science commission or analyst license; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement runs the state crime labs and the DNA database. Since 2023 the State has added people held on immigration detainers to the DNA database, created grant programs for rapid DNA, genetic genealogy, and private lab testing, made genetic genealogy records confidential, and given police more time on device search warrants.
Full Florida page: every change, its sources, and what has not changed (10 entries).
Device search warrants: 365-day return, no analysis deadline
Section 933.05 was restructured. A warrant for a computer or electronic device, including data on it, must be returned within 365 days. It is timely executed if the device is seized within 10 days, and the agency need not finish analyzing or reviewing the…
Child exploitation grants may pay for digital forensics
The Online Sting Operations Grant Program is renamed the Internet Crimes Against Children Grant Program (s. 943.0411), and its uses now include “investigative or digital forensics training, hardware, or software.” The act also creates the ICAC Task Force…
45 days to return warrants for devices already held
A warrant to search a computer or electronic device already in police possession had to be returned within 45 days, not the general 10 days (s. 933.05). The 2026 act replaced this rule.
Grants for DNA testing at accredited private labs
New s. 943.328 creates the Expedited DNA Testing Grant Program. Law enforcement agencies may use grants to pay private DNA labs when the needed technology is not available at state or local labs, or when expedited testing advances an investigation. The…
Unreported sexual assault kits kept 50 years
Section 943.326(3) now requires kits from victims who do not report to be kept at least 50 years. The collecting medical facility or certified rape crisis center must transfer them to FDLE within 30 days. Kits that are reported, or for which testing is…
Last updated October 19, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & Investigation