Permitless carryin Florida
Florida no longer requires a permit to carry a concealed firearm. House Bill 543 took effect on July 1, 2023, and it applies to anyone who is legally able to possess a firearm under state and federal law.
The concealed weapon license still exists, and plenty of people still hold one on purpose. This page covers what the law changed, what it left exactly as it was, and why a license can still be worth the fee.
- The law
- House Bill 543, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis
- In force since
- July 1, 2023
- License issued by
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
No permit required. Still 21 or older, still carrying valid identification, and still barred from the places firearms have never been allowed.
What House Bill 543 changed
Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 543 in the spring of 2023, and it took effect that July. It removed the requirement to hold a concealed weapon license in order to carry a concealed firearm in Florida, for people who are legally able to possess one under state and federal law.
What it did not do is change who may possess a firearm. It changed how a firearm may be carried. That distinction is the whole of the law, and it is the part most of the argument around the bill managed to skip.
The change people ask about most is the car. Carrying a firearm in your vehicle no longer depends on holding a license, provided you meet the criteria the law sets out.
Obtaining a concealed weapon license remains an option, and the state still issues them on the same application it always has. It is now a choice rather than a prerequisite.
What did not change
- You must be 21
- Permitless carry is for adults. The age threshold did not move when the licensing requirement went away.
- You must carry valid ID
- Carry identification and be ready to produce it. This is part of the law, not a courtesy.
- Some places stay off-limits
- Schools, airports and government buildings are among the locations where firearms are not permitted, with or without a license.
- Prohibited is still prohibited
- The law changed how a firearm may be carried, not who may possess one. Anyone barred from possessing a firearm under state or federal law before July 2023 is barred now.
Permitless does not mean untrained. The law changed what is required of you. It did not change what is required to carry safely.
Is a Florida license still worth having?
This is the question we now get in almost every class. The honest answer is that it depends on how you live and where you drive — but for a good number of our students the license still earns its fee.
It travels; permitless carry does not
Florida’s permitless carry law is a Florida law, and it stops at the state line. A Florida concealed weapon license is a different instrument: other states choose to recognize it through reciprocity, and that recognition is what lets a licensed Florida resident carry legally on a drive out of state.
Reciprocity is not fixed. States add and drop agreements, and each one attaches its own conditions. Check every state on your route before you leave rather than assuming last year’s answer still holds.
It makes buying a firearm simpler
A license is accepted as proof that you have already been vetted and are eligible to purchase. It also removes the three-day waiting period that otherwise applies when you buy a handgun from a licensed dealer in Florida. If you expect to buy more than once, the convenience compounds.
Some situations still turn on holding one
Florida law treats license holders differently from unlicensed carriers in a number of specific circumstances. The detail matters more than any rule of thumb we could give you here, so if a particular place or situation is the reason you are asking — your workplace, a campus, a courthouse — read the current statute or speak to an attorney rather than relying on a summary.
The application makes you train
A license application requires a certificate from a firearms course that included live fire. For a lot of people that requirement is the reason they ever sat down with an instructor, and it is the most valuable thing the process produces. The card is the paperwork; the competence is the point.
If you decide the license is worth having, our step-by-step guide to the Florida application walks through the state portal from the first screen to the fingerprint payment.
Firearm law changes, and it changes faster than most web pages do. Before you act on anything here, confirm the current requirements with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which issues the concealed weapon license. This page is general information written by firearms instructors. It is not legal advice.
Where we stand on it
The bill drew loud support and loud criticism, and we are not going to relitigate that here. What we will say is that House Bill 543 does not change the importance of firearm safety and training in the slightest. It is now legal to carry without a license in many circumstances; it has never been advisable to carry without knowing what you are doing.
Carrying a firearm is a serious responsibility. It means understanding the basics of firearm safety, knowing how to use and maintain the firearm you have chosen, and understanding the legal and ethical weight of using it in self-defense. Those are learned, and they do not arrive with the purchase.
Proper training helps people make better decisions about when and how to use a firearm, and it prevents accidents. Permitless carry gives you more freedom in how you carry. It does not remove the need to be taught.
We believe the decision to carry is a personal one, and that people should have the right to make it. We also believe that the right comes attached to a duty to handle a firearm safely and responsibly. That is the whole of our position, and it is why the classes have not changed.
Train first, then decide
A private session is one instructor, your pace, and whatever you actually want to work on — booked online in about a minute and fully refundable up to 72 hours before class.
Questions about any of this? Call us on (407) 479-3790.