Concealed Carry in Florida

Yes. A person may carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm without a license if they meet the criteria for receiving and keeping a concealed weapon license under s. 790.06 (including being 21 or older and not disqualified by felony convictions, recent drug or violent-misdemeanor convictions, certain mental health adjudications, or domestic violence injunctions). A person carrying without a license must carry valid identification and show it to a law enforcement officer on demand ($25 noncriminal fine), and is subject to the same prohibited places as licensees. Effective July 1, 2023.

License to Carry a Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm, issued by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which 'shall issue' a license to an applicant who meets the listed criteria (shall-issue). Statutory age: 21 or older. The applicant must demonstrate competence with a firearm by one of several listed methods (for example, a hunter safety course, an NRA or other firearms safety course with a certified instructor, or military service), and instructors must certify live fire. Fee: nonrefundable license fee of up to $55 for a first license or up to $45 for renewal, plus the cost of fingerprint processing. Licenses are valid statewide for 7 years.

Florida honors any state's license held by a nonresident. A nonresident who is a U.S. resident aged 21 or older may carry concealed in Florida if they meet Florida's license criteria or have in their immediate possession a valid concealed carry license issued by their state of residence; the age requirement does not apply to servicemembers or honorably discharged veterans. A license from another state stays valid for 90 days after the holder becomes a Florida resident.

Licensees (and permitless carriers) may not carry into: places of nuisance; police, sheriff or highway patrol stations; detention facilities, prisons or jails; courthouses and courtrooms (judges excepted); polling places; meetings of county, school district, municipal or special district governing bodies; meetings of the Legislature or its committees; school, college or professional athletic events not related to firearms; elementary or secondary school facilities or administration buildings; career centers; the portion of a bar primarily devoted to serving alcohol; college or university facilities; airport passenger terminals and sterile areas (except encased firearms for checking); and places where federal law bans firearms. Possessing a firearm on school property, a school bus or bus stop, or at a school-sponsored event is a third-degree felony, with exceptions including a firearm kept in a vehicle under s. 790.25(4). Licensees may carry on property of religious institutions, subject to the institution's property rights.

A person 18 or older who lawfully possesses a handgun may keep it inside a private vehicle if it is 'securely encased or otherwise not readily accessible for immediate use,' but may not carry it on their person. Long guns may be carried anywhere in a private vehicle for a lawful use. Anyone authorized to carry concealed (licensed or permitless) may carry on their person in a vehicle, and licensees may carry or store a firearm in a vehicle for lawful purposes.