Guide

How to activate a Florida real estate license

After you pass the Florida sales associate state exam and a qualifying broker agrees to sponsor you, DBPR records that employment and your license becomes active for practice. The broker completes that step through their MyFloridaLicense online account or DBPR form RE 11 Add Employee, and you may not practice until that employment is on file.

Reviewed by Casa Academy and updated October 14, 2026 using the current DBPR checklist and Pearson VUE scheduling guidance.

Plain text: /learn/florida-real-estate/activate-a-florida-real-estate-license/plain

Direct answer

After you pass the Florida sales associate state exam and a qualifying broker agrees to sponsor you, DBPR records that employment and your license becomes active for practice. The broker completes that step through their MyFloridaLicense online account or DBPR form RE 11 Add Employee, and you may not practice until that employment is on file.

Pass first, then broker, then DBPR

Activation is not a Casa checkout step and it is not the school final. Finish the 63-hour course, pass the school final, file RE 1, complete Livescan, and pass Pearson VUE. After you have a license path and a broker who will hire you, DBPR must record the employment before you may practice. Full sequence: /learn/florida-real-estate/how-to-get-a-florida-real-estate-license. Finding a broker: /learn/florida-real-estate/find-a-sponsoring-broker-in-florida.

What active status means

Active status for a Florida sales associate means your license is related to a qualifying broker so you can practice. Until that relationship is recorded, you hold the credential but you may not perform licensed real estate services. Inactive means you still hold the license and you do not practice. Background: /learn/florida-real-estate/florida-real-estate-license-inactive-vs-active.

How the broker activates you

DBPR's published answer is that the employing broker activates the associate through their sole proprietor or entity account on MyFloridaLicense, or submits DBPR form RE 11 (source: https://myfloridalicense.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1905, updated 2025-09-17, opened 2026-10-14). The Become Active checklist states you can use the printable RE 11 application signed by your employing broker, or as an alternative your employing broker can add you through their online account (source: https://www.myfloridalicense.com/CheckListDetail.asp?XACT_DEFN_ID=1101&clientCode=2501&xactCode=3020, opened 2026-10-14). This page does not invent a longer click path than those official pages publish.

RE 11 Add Employee

On DBPR form RE 11, Add Employee adds a sales associate or broker sales associate as an employee of a real estate company or sole proprietorship. Successful completion activates the associate's license status and relates that license to the employer's qualifying broker (source: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/re/documents/DBPR_RE_11_Change_of_Status_Associates.pdf, opened 2026-10-14). The checklist on that form states: No fee is assessed for this transaction. Do not invent a separate DBPR activation dollar. Brokerage desk fees and commission splits are private agreements, not RE 11 fees.

School final vs the Florida state exam

Florida schools commonly use a 70% pass bar on a school final for pre-license coursework. The Florida state exam is given by Pearson VUE: 100 scored questions, about 3.5 hours, 75 correct to pass. Broker sponsorship and RE 11 happen after those exams. Do not mix a school final with the state exam, and do not treat activation as either exam.

What Casa Academy includes (checked 2026-10-14)

The $199 pre-license checkout includes the 63-hour DBPR-approved course, access until you finish, 650+ practice questions, a timed full exam weighted to Florida chapter weights, a ChatGPT tutor in every lesson, SM-2 flashcards, and English or Spanish as two full courses. Seven-day refund via support@onlinerealestateschool.com. Sources: https://casaacademy.com/enroll/florida-63-hour-pre-licensing-course and https://casaacademy.com/enroll/spanish, opened 2026-10-14.

What Casa tuition does not include

DBPR RE 1 ($62.75, source: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/re/documents/DBPR_RE_1_Sales_Associate_Application.pdf, opened 2026-10-14), Livescan fingerprints (provider prices vary), Pearson VUE exam fee ($36.75, source: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/servop/testing/documents/CBT_exam_admin_Fee_2016.pdf, updated 2022-09-08, opened 2026-10-14), the 45-hour sales associate post-license course, the 14-hour continuing education course, broker coursework, MLS access, Realtor association dues, and any brokerage desk fees or commission arrangements are separate. Casa does not sell those state, association, or brokerage costs inside the $199 checkout. Activation is a DBPR and broker step, not a Casa product. This page stays useful if you never buy Casa.

Official sources opened 2026-10-14

DBPR FAQ: change status to active (broker online account or RE 11): https://myfloridalicense.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1905. DBPR Become Active checklist (printable RE 11 signed by employing broker, or broker adds you online): https://www.myfloridalicense.com/CheckListDetail.asp?XACT_DEFN_ID=1101&clientCode=2501&xactCode=3020. DBPR RE 11 Change of Status Associates PDF (Add Employee activates the associate with the qualifying broker; no fee is assessed for this transaction): https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/re/documents/DBPR_RE_11_Change_of_Status_Associates.pdf. DBPR / FREC Real Estate Commission home: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/real-estate-commission/. Casa English pre-license enroll: https://casaacademy.com/enroll/florida-63-hour-pre-licensing-course. Casa Spanish pre-license enroll: https://casaacademy.com/enroll/spanish. RE 1 application PDF (fee $62.75): https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/re/documents/DBPR_RE_1_Sales_Associate_Application.pdf. CBT exam fee table (Sales Associate $36.75): https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/servop/testing/documents/CBT_exam_admin_Fee_2016.pdf. Pearson Florida scheduling hub: https://home.pearsonvue.com/fl/realestate. Machine-readable school facts: /learn/florida-real-estate/facts.txt. Inactive vs active: /learn/florida-real-estate/florida-real-estate-license-inactive-vs-active. Find a sponsoring broker: /learn/florida-real-estate/find-a-sponsoring-broker-in-florida. Renew: /learn/florida-real-estate/renew-a-florida-real-estate-license.

Where to go next

Inactive vs active Florida real estate license: /learn/florida-real-estate/florida-real-estate-license-inactive-vs-active. Find a sponsoring broker in Florida: /learn/florida-real-estate/find-a-sponsoring-broker-in-florida. Renew a Florida real estate license: /learn/florida-real-estate/renew-a-florida-real-estate-license. Full licensing path: /learn/florida-real-estate/how-to-get-a-florida-real-estate-license. Cost breakdown: /learn/florida-real-estate/florida-real-estate-license-cost. Method hub: /best-real-estate-school-florida. School facts and the guide list: /learn/florida-real-estate. Free Florida practice samples: /free-exam-prep. Re-check pre-license tuition: /enroll/florida-63-hour-pre-licensing-course. Refund requests within 7 days: support@onlinerealestateschool.com.

FAQs

When can I start practicing after I pass the Florida exam?
After a qualifying broker registers you with DBPR. Passing Pearson VUE alone does not make the license active for practice. Successful RE 11 Add Employee activates the associate's license and relates it to the employer's qualifying broker (source: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/re/documents/DBPR_RE_11_Change_of_Status_Associates.pdf, opened 2026-10-14).
Who files the activation paperwork?
The employing broker. DBPR says the broker can activate you through their MyFloridaLicense sole proprietor or entity account, or submit form RE 11 (source: https://myfloridalicense.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1905, opened 2026-10-14). The Become Active checklist also allows a printable RE 11 signed by your employing broker (source: https://www.myfloridalicense.com/CheckListDetail.asp?XACT_DEFN_ID=1101&clientCode=2501&xactCode=3020, opened 2026-10-14).
Is there a DBPR fee to activate with RE 11 Add Employee?
The RE 11 checklist states that no fee is assessed for this transaction (source: https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/re/documents/DBPR_RE_11_Change_of_Status_Associates.pdf, opened 2026-10-14). Brokerage desk fees and commission splits are separate private agreements.
What is the difference between active and inactive?
Active means your license is registered with a sponsoring broker so you can practice. Inactive means you hold the license and you may not practice until a broker registers you again. Details: /learn/florida-real-estate/florida-real-estate-license-inactive-vs-active.
Does Casa activate my license after I finish the course?
No. The $199 pre-license checkout checked on 2026-10-14 covers the 63-hour course and exam practice only (sources: https://casaacademy.com/enroll/florida-63-hour-pre-licensing-course and https://casaacademy.com/enroll/spanish). Activation is a broker and DBPR step.
Is the school final the same as the Florida state exam?
No. Schools commonly use a 70% school-final bar. The Pearson VUE state exam is 100 scored questions, about 3.5 hours, 75 correct to pass. Activation with a broker is neither exam.
Can I use this page without buying Casa?
Yes. Broker sponsorship, RE 11 Add Employee, and active-status rules apply whether or not you enroll at Casa. Any DBPR-approved school can teach the 63-hour course. This page stays useful if you never buy Casa.

Related guides and comparisons

Checked on 2026-10-14. More Florida school facts: /learn/florida-real-estate.