The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)  licenses and regulates the private security industry in accordance with Chapter 493, Florida Statutes (F.S.).

Security services include:

• Providing bodyguard protection,
• Guarding property,
• Transporting prisoners,
• Providing armored car services,
• Assisting in prevention of theft, and
• Assisting in prevention of the misappropriation or concealment of articles of value or assisting in the return of such articles.

Any individual who performs the services of a Security Officer must have a Class “D” license.

To qualify for a license, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old. 
• Be  a citizen or legal resident alien of the United States or have been granted authority to work in this country by the Department of Homeland  Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

You must submit proof of successful completion of a minimum of 40 hours of professional training provided by a security officer school or training facility licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Exceptions:

1. If you are a currently employed law enforcement officer, correctional officer or correctional probation officer certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, a copy of your valid ID card issued by your employing law enforcement agency is sufficient to satisfy the training requirement.
2. If you have successfully completed a training program approved by the Florida Criminal Justice  Standards and Training Commission for certification as a law enforcement officer, correctional officer or correctional probation officer, a copy of your certificate of completion is sufficient to satisfy the training  requirement.
3. If you qualify for a Class “DI” security officer instructor license under Rule 5N-1.138(1)(e)-(g), Florida Administrative Code, proof of such qualification is sufficient to satisfy the training requirement.
4. If you received relevant military training or education during service in the United States Armed Forces, proof of such training or education is sufficient to satisfy the training requirement.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) licenses and regulates the private security industry in accordance with Chapter 493, Florida Statutes (F.S.).

Security services include:

• Providing bodyguard protection,
• Guarding property,
• Transporting prisoners,
• Providing armored car services,
• Assisting in prevention of theft, and
• Assisting in prevention of the misappropriation or concealment of articles of value or assisting in the return of such articles.

Only Class “C,” Class “CC,” Class "D," Class “M,” Class “MA” and Class "MB" licensees are permitted to bear a firearm, and any such licensee who bears a firearm must also have a Class “G” license.

To apply for a Class "G" license, you must be at least 21 years old.

You must be either a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident alien to qualify for a Class "G" license, and you must provide documentation confirming your citizenship status.

• If you were born in the United States, submit a copy of your birth certificate, U.S. passport, Social Security card, driver license, state-issued ID card, or voter  registration card.
• If you are a naturalized citizen, submit a copy of your U.S. passport or the official document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indicating that you are a naturalized citizen.
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, submit a copy of your Permanent Legal Resident Alien card.

An applicant for a Class “G” license must submit proof of having completed an initial course of instruction that includes 28 hours of classroom and range training pertaining to the use of firearms in connection with duties regulated under Chapter 493, Florida Statutes (F.S.).

The 28-hour course curriculum is outlined below:

This section of the course covers applicable portions of chapters 493, 775, 776 and 790, F.S., as well as civil and criminal liability issues in connection with the use of firearms.

This portion of the curriculum is intended to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical operations of a firearm  and how to handle firearms safely. A written examination of 100 questions will be administered covering the portions of the curriculum dealing with legal use and operational/mechanical training.

This segment of the training course includes practical exercises in the handling of firearms — stance, grip, sighting, etc. — as well as topics pertaining to range safety and range commands. The instructor will require students to fire 144 rounds as part of the firearms qualification for initial licensure (48 rounds of practice fire plus two cycles of 48 rounds for initial qualification). No more than eight hours of the 28 hours of training shall consist of range training.

***A Class “K” instructor can, at their discretion, administer as few as five hours of range qualification training if the student demonstrates sufficient mastery of the core principles of safe firearms handling (to include shooting a qualifying score) without the full eight hours of  range training. However, reducing the number of hours of range training will require teaching additional hours elsewhere in the curriculum so that the cumulative total of firearms training amounts to 28 hours as required by Section 493.6105(5), F.S.

To maintain licensure, the Class “G” license holder must complete                          four hours of requalifying training each year              [                                                     504.5 kB         ]       . The annual training course shall consist of a review of the curriculum  topics listed above as part of the initial training requirements to include any recent changes in the law. License holders will be required  to achieve a passing score on a cycle of fire consisting of 48 rounds. If the license holder fails to achieve a passing score after three attempts, they will be instructed to seek additional remedial training and schedule another requalification attempt at a later date.