A felon cannot get a concealed carry permit in Florida unless their firearm rights have been specifically restored through executive clemency. A felony conviction triggers an automatic, permanent ban on possessing firearms in Florida, and the state will deny any concealed weapon license application from someone under that ban. Restoration is possible but slow: you must wait at least eight years after finishing every part of your sentence before you can even apply, and firearm authority is a separate grant from the restoration of general civil rights like voting.
Why a Felony Blocks the License
Two statutes do the work here. Florida Statute 790.23 prohibits anyone convicted of a felony in Florida, in federal court, or in another state from owning or possessing any firearm, ammunition, or electric weapon. The ban takes effect automatically on conviction and never expires on its own.
Florida Statute 790.06 governs the Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL), issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). One of its eligibility requirements is that the applicant not be prohibited from possessing a firearm under 790.23. A felony conviction triggers that prohibition, so FDACS denies the application outright.
FDACS states the rule plainly on its own site: for a Florida felony, both civil rights and firearm rights must be restored by the Florida Office of Executive Clemency before you are eligible. For an out-of-state felony, that state must restore your rights. For a federal conviction, you need a presidential pardon or federal relief from firearms disabilities.
Restoring Firearm Rights Through Clemency
For a Florida felony, executive clemency is the only realistic path. The specific relief you need is called “Specific Authority to Own, Possess, or Use Firearms.” It is separate from the general Restoration of Civil Rights. Getting your right to vote back does not restore your right to own a firearm. You have to request firearm authority explicitly.
Who Qualifies to Apply
Under the Rules of Executive Clemency, you must have fully completed every part of your sentence first. That means prison, parole, probation, community control, and all fines, fees, and victim restitution. The waiting clock does not start until the last obligation is paid. From that point, you must wait at least eight years before you can file an application.
Meeting the eligibility rules does not entitle you to anything. The Board of Executive Clemency, made up of the Governor and the Florida Cabinet, decides each case at its discretion. The Governor needs the agreement of at least two cabinet members to grant relief. Clemency is a form of mercy, not a legal right.
What You Have to File
The application package must include certified copies of the charging document and the judgment and sentence for every felony conviction on your record. These come from the Clerk of Court in each county where you were convicted. You also need documentation confirming you completed your sentence and paid all financial obligations, typically a letter from the Department of Corrections or the county probation office. The application itself asks for a complete criminal history and supporting materials showing rehabilitation. Everything goes to the Office of Executive Clemency in Tallahassee.
How Long It Takes
After you file, the Florida Commission on Offender Review conducts a background investigation as the Board’s investigative arm. It reviews your history, may interview you and your references, and prepares a report for the Board. The process routinely takes several years from submission to decision. There is no expedited track. You receive the Board’s decision in writing.
Federal and Out-of-State Convictions
This is where the process closes off entirely for many applicants. Florida’s Clemency Board will not consider firearm authority requests based on federal convictions or convictions from another state. The Board’s position is that federal firearms law leaves it without the authority to restore rights lost through non-Florida convictions.
If your felony is from another state, that state must restore your rights, and each state’s process is different. Some have no process at all. If your felony is federal, you need either a presidential pardon or federal relief from firearms disabilities under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). Congress has not funded the ATF program that processes individual applications for that federal relief in decades, so in practice that route has been closed. As of early 2026, the Department of Justice has published a proposed rule that would reopen applications for federal firearm rights restoration, but the online application form is not yet available. Anyone with a federal conviction should watch the DOJ’s Office of the Pardon Attorney for updates.
Federal Law Still Applies After Florida Restores Your Rights
Even with a Florida restoration, federal law adds another layer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), it is a federal crime for anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison to possess a firearm. State law does not override this on its own.
The safeguard is in the federal definition of “conviction.” Under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20), a conviction for which civil rights have been restored does not count as a conviction for federal firearms purposes, unless the restoration expressly prohibits firearm possession. If Florida restores both your civil rights and your firearm authority without restrictions, the federal disability lifts as well. If Florida restores only your civil rights and not firearm authority, you remain federally prohibited. That is why the specific firearm grant matters so much, and why applying only for civil rights restoration is not enough for someone who wants to carry.
If Adjudication Was Withheld
Florida courts sometimes withhold adjudication on a felony charge, meaning you completed probation or other conditions but were never formally convicted. Because there is no conviction, the felony possession ban in 790.23 does not apply, and you can legally possess firearms.
For the CWFL specifically, though, a withhold still counts against you for a limited time. Section 790.06 bars a license for anyone who had adjudication withheld on a felony until three years have passed since completion of probation and all court-imposed conditions. Once that three years elapses, the withhold is no longer disqualifying, and you can apply through the normal process without needing clemency.
Applying for the License After Restoration
Once the Office of Executive Clemency issues your certificate restoring firearm authority, you apply for the CWFL the same way any other Floridian does. Applications go to FDACS, either at a regional office or through an authorized county tax collector’s office. FDACS has 90 days from receipt of a complete application to issue or deny the license.
You still have to meet every other requirement in Section 790.06:
- You must be at least 21 years old.
- You must complete an approved firearm training course that includes live fire. Acceptable options include NRA safety courses, hunter education courses, and classes taught by certified instructors at law enforcement agencies, colleges, or private training schools.
- Staff at the application site will take your fingerprints and photograph, and your background will run through state and federal databases.
- You cannot have other disqualifiers listed in the statute, including a drug conviction within the last three years, a pattern of alcohol abuse, a domestic violence injunction, or a commitment to a mental institution.
State fees for a new Florida resident application run about $97 for the license and fingerprint processing, plus a service fee that varies by location. Budget around $120 total. Training courses range from free community programs to a few hundred dollars.
Your restored felony will show up during the background check, but with the clemency certificate on file it is no longer a basis for denial. Keep a copy of the restoration certificate with your application materials, and carry it with you when you are armed. If you are ever stopped, being able to produce that document can head off a serious misunderstanding.
A Note on Antique Firearms
Florida’s definition of “firearm” under Section 790.001 excludes antique firearms. Under state law an antique firearm is one manufactured in or before 1918, including matchlock, flintlock, and percussion-cap weapons, as well as replicas, and firearms using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before 1918 that is no longer commercially available in the United States. Because antique firearms are not “firearms” under state law, the 790.23 ban does not reach them unless one is used in a crime.
Two cautions. Florida’s 1918 cutoff is more generous than the federal 1898 cutoff, so a weapon made between 1899 and 1918 could be legal under Florida law but still create federal exposure for a convicted felon. And this exception does not create any right to a concealed carry license: the CWFL covers modern firearms, and the antique carve-out has nothing to do with permit eligibility.