Florida Real Estate 14 Hour Continuing Education

The Ethics and Business Practices portion addresses general business ethics applicable to business and real estate practice.

Instruction may address approved topics such as:

• Professional judgment and ethical decision-making
• Honesty and accuracy in communication
• Duties owed to customers and clients
• Handling confidential information
• Advertising and professional representations
• Conflicts of interest
• Fair and consistent business practices
• Professional responsibility to the public and the brokerage

Course scenarios should help licensees distinguish between conduct that may be legally permissible and conduct that reflects sound professional and ethical practice.

Florida specialty education must focus on real estate issues relevant to the modern practice of real estate, including technology used in the industry. Individual specialty courses must be approved by FREC and may range from two to eight hours.

Blu Street Academy’s eight-hour specialty section should display the exact title and content of the FREC-approved specialty course. A practical curriculum may include approved instruction in areas such as:

• Current transaction practices
• Contracts and transaction documentation
• Brokerage operations
• Risk reduction and recordkeeping
• Technology and electronic communication
• Fraud and cybersecurity awareness
• Property marketing and advertising
• Working with buyers, sellers, landlords, or tenants
• Market conditions and professional business practices

Florida sales associates, broker associates, and brokers generally complete 14 hours of continuing education during each license-renewal period after their first renewal. The first renewal is governed by the applicable sales associate or broker post-licensing requirement instead. The continuing-education requirement applies to both active and inactive licensees.

Active members in good standing with The Florida Bar are exempt from the continuing-education requirement under FREC Rule 61J2-3.009.

The course is presented live online through an approved livestream classroom.

This is scheduled, instructor-led education rather than a self-paced recording. Students attend on the published dates and times using a compatible computer or device, dependable internet access, and working audio.

Florida recognizes live streaming and video conferencing as classroom delivery when instruction is presented live and students are in attendance.

Florida counts 50 minutes of live instruction as one classroom hour. Breaks, recesses, meals, technical setup, and other time not spent in instruction do not count toward the required hours.

For livestream classes, attendance credit applies only while the instructor is delivering the approved course and the student is in attendance.

Contact Blu Street Academy as soon as you know you may miss instructional time. Late arrivals, early departures, and other missed live instruction affect the amount of attendance credit earned.

For classroom and livestream continuing education, Blu Street Academy may issue satisfactory completion only when the student attends at least 90% of each approved course for which credit is awarded.

For a single approved 14-hour course, 90% attendance equals:

• 630 instructional minutes required
• No more than 70 instructional minutes missed

If the 14 hours are approved and reported as separate courses, the 90% requirement applies separately to each course component.

For classroom or livestream continuing education, satisfactory completion is primarily based on meeting the course standards and attending at least 90% of the approved instruction.

When an examination is required as part of an approved continuing-education course, a score of at least 80% is required. A student who fails must repeat the course before taking a different examination.

Blu Street Academy will identify any examination requirement in the enrollment information for the specific approved course.

Florida schools and course providers must electronically submit attendance rosters to DBPR within five business days after the course-completion date. Students are encouraged to review their DBPR account and confirm that the education has been posted.

Blu Street Academy will also provide a completion notice or certificate for the student’s records.

A license that is not renewed by the end of the license period reverts to involuntarily inactive status. DBPR states that the licensee may have up to 12 months after expiration to complete the 14 hours and pay the required renewal and late fees, but the licensee may not operate while involuntarily inactive. Additional reactivation education applies when the license remains involuntarily inactive for more than 12 months.

Candidates should confirm their license expiration date and complete the course early enough for attendance reporting and renewal processing.