Deep state — Florida
The full Florida path for the license most new dealers need — the Independent Motor Vehicle Dealer (VI) — with every requirement cited and the Year-1 cost built from published figures, not copied from a roundup. Sellers of cars to the public start here; selling to dealers only? The path checker prices the wholesale route too.
| Requirement | Florida rule |
|---|---|
| Education | A 16-hour pre-licensing seminar at an FLHSMV-approved dealer training school is mandatory before you apply. |
| Exam | The exam is inside the approved course (the school tests you; there is no second state test). |
| Surety bond | $25,000 — Required by Fla. Stat. §320.27 — or an irrevocable letter of credit in the same amount. You pay a premium (estimated $250–$750/yr), not the bond amount. At the base 1% rate the $25,000 bond premiums about $250/yr; weaker credit prices higher. |
| Place of business | A permanent location with an office and signage; Florida does not always require a display lot, but the regional office inspects the site. |
| Renewal | Independent and wholesale licenses expire April 30. Renewal is $75 for 1 year or $150 for 2, plus a $100 delinquent fee if you file within 45 days after expiration — after that you re-apply and pay $300 again. Independent (VI) dealers certify 8 hours of continuing education every 2 years: 2 hours legal, 1 hour FLHSMV, 5 hours industry topics. |
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial dealer license (1 year) | $300 |
| State-approved pre-licensing course Market prices at FLHSMV-approved schools — Florida Dealer School charges $139, the state association FIADA charges $199. Florida sets no course price. | $139–$199 |
| Bond premium, first year (estimate) | $250–$750 |
| Estimated Year-1 license-layer total | $689–$1,249 |
This is the license layer only: state fees, course, and bond premium. Rent, inventory, garage insurance where your state requires it, and local permits sit on top and vary too much to print honestly. The total above sums exactly the lines above it.
DealerSteps is a navigation guide, not a course provider. A 16-hour pre-licensing seminar at an FLHSMV-approved dealer training school is mandatory before you apply. Take that course only from a provider on your state's official approved list — our job is everything before, around, and after it: the packet, the lot, the bond, the auctions, and your first 90 days.
One payment, yours to keep. The Playbook is a navigation guide — it is not the state-approved course (where your state requires one, it walks you to the approved providers).
Not licensed yet and still selling? Check your count first on the Florida car-sale limit page.
The license layer — state fees, the state-approved pre-licensing course where the state requires one, and the first-year bond premium — totals an estimated $689–$1,249 for the retail path, summed line by line from the published figures on this page (checked October 18, 2026). Lot rent, inventory, and insurance sit on top.
A 16-hour pre-licensing seminar at an FLHSMV-approved dealer training school is mandatory before you apply. DealerSteps is a navigation guide, not a course provider — where a course is required, take it from a provider on the state's official approved list.
$25,000 for the retail path. Required by Fla. Stat. §320.27 — or an irrevocable letter of credit in the same amount. You pay an annual premium — estimated $250–$750 — not the bond amount.