How to become a state trooper in Florida
The Florida Highway Patrol (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles) hires state troopers under the title State Trooper. New state troopers start at $62,400 a year. You must be at least 19.
Pay
| Starting salary | $62,400 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | — |
FHP recruiting site: $62,400 on graduating the FHP Academy; $60,000/yr as a Basic or Transitional Recruit during the academy ($4,166.67/month; the FAQ page instead says recruits are paid $5,000/month with full room and board). Additions: $5,000 non-Florida-certified bonus; $5,000/yr for working in Broward, Dade, Monroe or Palm Beach or for living and working in listed high-cost counties; $8,000 for living and working in Monroe County; Criminal Justice Incentive Pay, $1,300 uniform allowance, degree incentives. No official top-of-range figure found.
Source:[beatrooper.com]
Pay for this work across Florida
Federal survey figures for police and sheriff's patrol officers in Florida, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from the state's own pay scale above.
| People in this work | 43,630 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $51,330 |
| Median pay | $74,470 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $98,190 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]
Requirements
- Minimum age: 19
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen (naturalized citizens welcome; naturalization documents required)
- Age 19 or older
- Plus one of: 1 year of sworn or non-sworn law enforcement experience, 2 years of active military service, 2 years of public contact experience, or 30 semester (45 quarter) college hours
- Valid driver's license
- Corrected vision of 20/30 in each eye, normal color vision, 140-degree field of vision
- Weight within height/weight standards or proportionate to height
- Willing to serve anywhere in Florida
Source:[beatrooper.com]
Hiring process
- Online application
- Criminal Justice Basic Abilities Test (CJBAT) and Physical Abilities Test (PAT)
- Credit check
- Polygraph and psychological screening
- Background investigation with medical and vision exams, drug screen and fingerprinting
- Colonel's review and employment decision
- Offer of employment and FHP Training Academy
Source:[beatrooper.com]
Entrance exam
Florida Criminal Justice Basic Abilities Test (CJBAT). Score valid four years. Former certified officers, holders of an associate degree or higher, and honorably discharged veterans may be exempt.[beatrooper.com]
Academy
29 weeks, paid. Basic Recruit Class is 29 weeks for candidates without a Florida CJSTC certificate; Transitional Recruit Class is 8 weeks for certified officers. Recruits live at the academy (weekends off-grounds allowed) with room and board provided.[beatrooper.com]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan, Special Risk Class (initially enrolled on or after July 1, 2011)
- Benefit formula: 3.00% x years of special risk service x average final compensation (average of the eight highest fiscal years' earnings)
- When you can retire: Vested with 8 years of special risk service and age 55, or 25 years of special risk service regardless of age
- Social Security: yes, you also pay in
Employee contribution 3.00% (FY 2026-27). FRS states Social Security coverage is required for all members. FRS Investment Plan (defined contribution, 1-year vesting) is an alternative.
Source:[frs.fl.gov]