Private Investigator License Requirements for Florida

Florida private investigators need a Class C license.cardiogram watched threw the magnifying glass image by Aleksandar Radovanovic from Fotolia.com

According to Florida law, a private investigator must have a Class C license to practice within the state. The license allows an individual or agency to provide specified services for their clients. These include working with government agencies to determine crime or threats, find missing persons, determine the identity, conduct, actions or whereabouts of an individual, ascertain the credibility of witnesses, locate stolen property and secure evidence for civil or criminal cases.

Work Experience

Florida requires private investigators to have a minimum of two years of full-time time experience in a related field before they can become licensed. Prior experience can include employment by a federal, state, city or county law enforcement agency, such as the city or state police or the sheriff's office. Other possibilities include correctional facilities, security services and similar fields. Investigators may also earn the required experience through an investigator internship under a Florida state CC license. Applicants are must show proof of lawful employment before they can be eligible to sit for the state board exam required for licensure.

College course work and professional training can count toward the two-year work experience minimum if the applicant has successfully completed classes or a degree in the fields of criminal justice or criminology. Academic transcripts must be provided and show that the courses were taken within five years of applying for a investigator's license. Applicants can also apply some types of professional training to the minimum, such as work in law enforcement administration or successful completion of a training program provided by a government law enforcement agency. Applicants are allowed to substitute course work or formal training for up to one year of work experience.

Florida state law requires all licensed private investigators to pass the Class C examination. The three-part exam covers aspects of Florida law that concern the private investigation industry. These include business practices within the industry, as well as the legal responsibilities of both the individuals and agencies within the field. Applicants must demonstrate their knowledge of the laws and statutes that are relevant to private investigative work. The exam takes 90 to 120 minutes to complete and results are sent directly to the applicant. Once they get their exam results, they must enclose the completion certificate and results with their license application.