Find a Licensed Private Investigator in Florida

01Why Floridians hire investigators

When a Florida matter needs a licensed investigator

Most Florida requests start with a question someone cannot answer without help. A father in Hillsborough County believes the other parent is not following the time-sharing schedule in their parenting plan. A Broward County property manager suspects a vendor is billing for work never done. A daughter in Jacksonville is worried that a new acquaintance is pressuring her widowed mother in Sarasota to change her estate plan. A carrier in Orlando doubts a claimant who reports a disabling injury but posts photos from a boat. Each needs facts collected lawfully and reported in a form that holds up.

Florida regulates that work closely under Chapter 493 of the Florida Statutes. Private investigation covers obtaining information about crimes, a person's identity, conduct, reputation or whereabouts, the credibility of witnesses, missing persons, lost property and the causes of fires and accidents, along with securing evidence for court. Anyone who does that work for pay, or advertises it, must be licensed. The first decision is therefore whether the person you are considering holds a current Florida license and has handled your type of matter in your part of the state.

• Family law: dissolution of marriage, parenting plans and time-sharing
• Civil litigation: locating witnesses, statements and asset research
• Insurance and workers' compensation claim reviews
• Business matters: employee theft, vendor fraud and due diligence
• Elder concerns: documenting exploitation or undue influence for counsel

02Licensing

How licensing works for a private investigator in Florida

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services licenses investigators through its Division of Licensing under Chapter 493, Florida Statutes. Section 493.6201 sets up the license classes. A Class A license is issued to a private investigative agency for one location, with Class AA licenses for branch offices. An individual investigator holds a Class C license, and an intern working under a sponsoring Class C or manager licensee holds a Class CC license. Agencies must be run by a licensed manager, often a Class MA.

The structure ties individuals to agencies. Section 493.6201(4) says Class C and Class CC licensees must own or be employees of a Class A agency, so an investigator cannot simply work under their own name without an agency behind them. Florida also defines both a private investigator and a private investigative agency to include anyone who, for consideration, advertises as providing private investigation, and it defines advertising broadly to include any public notice or solicitation that makes known regulated services are available for consideration.

Agencies must include their agency license number in print and directory advertising under Section 493.6111. Section 493.6120 makes it a crime to engage in licensed activity without the required license, and Section 493.6118 lists grounds for discipline, including employing or contracting with unlicensed people and soliciting business for an attorney in return for compensation. For a client, the lesson is simple: check the individual and the agency, and match the numbers to your contract. General information is on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services site.

03Legal limits

What licensed Florida investigators can and cannot do

A Florida license allows investigative work for hire. It does not grant police powers. A licensed investigator cannot arrest anyone, search property, force a witness to talk or enter a gated community or private land without permission. The most important limit for many clients is recording. Florida is an all-party consent state: Section 934.03 makes it a third-degree felony to intercept a wire, oral or electronic communication unless every party has given prior consent, with narrow exceptions. In-person conversations are protected where the speaker reasonably expects privacy, so a secret recording of a private talk can be a crime even when you are part of it.

Tracking is restricted too. Section 934.425 makes it a third-degree felony to knowingly install a tracking device or tracking application on another person's property, or to use one to follow their location, without consent. Consent is presumed revoked once a spouse files for dissolution or either person seeks a protective injunction. The statute's business exception expressly does not cover a private investigator working for someone else unless it would apply to that client, and a vehicle owner or lessee exception has its own limits.

Stalking under Section 784.048 reaches willful, repeated following or harassment that causes substantial emotional distress, which is why professional surveillance is planned around a lawful purpose, kept proportionate and logged carefully. Federal law adds limits on pretexting for financial and phone records and on driver record access. The investigator you are matched with can explain how these rules shape the plan, and an attorney can confirm how they apply to your situation before you rely on any evidence.

• Generally lawful: observing and photographing from public places
• Restricted: recording a private conversation without every party's consent
• Restricted: tracking devices or apps on another person's property without consent
• Not allowed: posing as police or pretexting for bank or phone records

04Regions

Why local knowledge matters across Florida

Florida stretches roughly 800 miles from Pensacola to Key West by road, and the regions run very differently. South Florida's three big counties, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, form one continuous metro with dense condo towers, gated communities and heavy traffic on I-95. Tampa Bay links Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco, and Central Florida around Orlando is built on tourism, health care and fast suburban growth along I-4. Jacksonville is consolidated with Duval County and covers more land than any other city in the lower 48 states.

The Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River is mostly on Central Time, which matters when planning surveillance or calls from the peninsula. Southwest Florida around Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples has large seasonal populations, so a subject's routine in February may look nothing like the routine in August. Rural counties in the interior and the Big Bend are sparsely populated, and the Keys are reached by a single highway. Hurricanes can scatter people and records for months after a storm.

Two federally recognized tribes have reservations in Florida: the Seminole Tribe of Florida, with land at Hollywood, Big Cypress, Brighton and elsewhere, and the Miccosukee Tribe in the Everglades west of Miami. Jurisdiction on tribal land can differ from the surrounding county, so an investigator working nearby should raise it early and let your attorney advise. Florida requests sent to Delator Group are matched by county, and any part of a case in Alabama or Georgia needs a separate referral.

05Pricing

How Florida investigators usually price their work

Each investigator sets and quotes their own fees, and the right structure depends on the assignment. Surveillance and field work are usually billed hourly, often with a minimum per day so a short assignment still covers the drive. Mileage or travel time is common outside the investigator's home area, and some assignments need two investigators or two vehicles to follow a subject through heavy South Florida or Orlando traffic. Database searches, certified records and parking or toll costs are commonly billed as expenses.

A retainer before work starts is standard, with time billed against it and any balance settled at the end. Some investigators quote a set price for narrow tasks, such as a single records search or a defined background summary. Ask what the quote includes, how often you will hear from the investigator, whether report writing and video editing are billed separately and what happens if the subject stays home on the planned day. Florida agencies must put their license number on print advertising, so compare it with the contract.

06Before the first call

How to prepare for a first conversation with an investigator

The best first calls are short and focused. Write a sentence or two describing what you need to learn and what you will do with the answer. If a case is already filed, have the case number, the circuit and county, your attorney's name and any hearing dates ready, along with the parenting plan or injunction if one exists. For a person, gather the full name, date of birth if known, addresses, vehicles, employer, a recent photo and a typical weekly schedule, including any seasonal moves.

Expect questions back. A licensed investigator will want to confirm that the goal is lawful and will decline work that looks like an attempt to locate or harass someone who has good reason to stay hidden. They may also explain what cannot be done in Florida, such as secretly recording a private conversation. Tell them about weapons, prior violence or protective injunctions that could affect safety. Accurate facts lead to an accurate quote. When you are ready, send a short request with the county and the goal.

• Your goal in one or two sentences
• County and city where the activity happens
• Names, birth dates, addresses and vehicles you already know
• Case number, circuit, parenting plan or injunction, if any
• Budget range and any firm deadline

Cities

Top 20 cities in Florida for private investigator requests

These are Florida's 20 largest cities by the Census Bureau's July 2025 population estimates, with the county each sits in. Several large cities, including Port St. Lucie, St. Petersburg and Cape Coral, are not county seats, so their court cases are heard elsewhere. Give a street address or ZIP code with your request so the right circuit is clear.

Counties

Top 20 Florida counties for investigator requests

Florida has 67 counties, each with a county court and a clerk of the circuit court who keeps official records. Counties are grouped into 20 judicial circuits for felony, family and larger civil cases. The 20 below are the most populous by July 2025 Census Bureau estimates, with the circuit each belongs to noted for convenience.

Investigation types

Investigations licensed Florida investigators handle

These are the request types Delator Group most often refers to licensed Florida investigators. Each investigator decides which work to take and how to carry it out. The descriptions below explain what the work generally involves under Florida law, so you can describe your need clearly when the investigator gets in touch with you.

• SurveillanceA licensed investigator observes and video-records activity from public places, keeps a timed log and writes a report, avoiding audio capture of private conversations under Florida's all-party consent law.Learn more
• Time-sharing and custody investigationsInvestigators document a parent's compliance with a parenting plan, who is present and conditions during time-sharing, giving a family lawyer evidence for a modification or enforcement hearing.Learn more
• Infidelity investigationsFlorida is a no-fault divorce state, but adultery can still bear on alimony and on spending of marital assets. An investigator gathers lawful observations an attorney can evaluate.Learn more
• Locating peopleInvestigators locate witnesses, debtors, heirs and lost relatives through public records, licensed data sources and field checks, within federal limits on phone and financial records.Learn more
• Background researchInvestigators review court, property, corporate and licensing records. Reports used for employment, tenant or credit decisions fall under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and require a consumer reporting agency.Learn more
• Asset searchesInvestigators trace real property, corporations, vessels, vehicles and recorded liens through county and state records to support equitable distribution, collections or enforcement of a judgment.Learn more
• Insurance and workers' comp claimsFor carriers, employers and defense counsel, investigators compare claimed limitations with observed activity, canvass for witnesses and verify employment, all from lawful public vantage points.Learn more
• Elder exploitation concernsInvestigators document contact patterns, property transfers and financial changes around a vulnerable adult, giving an attorney or guardian facts to evaluate and, where appropriate, report to authorities.Learn more

How matching works

How investigator matching works in Florida

1. 01

   Send your request

   Use the contact form or call. Describe what you need, the county and city, any deadline and how you want to be reached. Keep sensitive details brief until you speak with the investigator.

2. 02

   Request review

   Delator Group reviews the request for completeness and a lawful purpose and may ask a short follow-up about the county, timing or court involvement before it is referred.

3. 03

   Referral to a Florida investigator

   The request is referred to an independent investigator who holds a Florida Class C license through a licensed agency and works in or near the county involved.

4. 04

   The investigator contacts you

   The investigator calls or emails, discusses scope and lawful methods, quotes their own fee and, if you decide to proceed, signs a written agreement with you directly.

5. 05

   You verify and decide

   Before signing, look up the investigator's Class C license and the agency's Class A license in the Division of Licensing's online search. You are never obligated to hire.

Licensing

How Florida licenses private investigators

Florida licenses the agency, the manager and the individual. A private investigative agency needs a Class A license for each location, run by a licensed manager. Each investigator needs a Class C license and must own or work for a Class A agency, while interns hold a Class CC license under a sponsor. Agencies must print their license number in print and directory ads. Confirming the Class C and Class A licenses online takes a few minutes and protects you.

Before you hire

What to check before you hire an investigator in Florida

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Nationwide

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