At a glance
Adult subject — e.g., a spouse
Your own minor child
As a parent you generally have broad authority to monitor your own minor child — especially on a phone, computer, or vehicle you own or provide. The gray area is recording the child's conversations with other people, where wiretap law and the “vicarious consent” doctrine come in and outcomes vary — and if you're co-parenting, custody orders and the other parent's rights matter. Those are marked “seek legal advice.”
General (any subject)
Recording & consent
Florida is an all-party consent state. Under Fla. Stat. § 934.03 you must have the consent of everyone to a private conversation before recording its audio. Recording a private conversation without all-party consent is a third-degree felony (up to five years), and the person recorded can also sue for civil damages.
Licensed private investigators get no exemption — the all-party rule applies to them too. Conversations in public with no reasonable expectation of privacy can be recorded without consent. The federal overlay still applies.
Fla. Stat. § 934.03Recording law enforcement
Recording on-duty police in public is protected by the First Amendment — the Eleventh Circuit, covering Florida, has recognized the right — as long as you don't physically interfere. Recording officers openly in public isn't a private conversation under the wiretap statute.
GPS & vehicle tracking
Florida has a specific tracking statute: Fla. Stat. § 934.425 makes it a crime to install or use a GPS tracker or tracking app on someone without their consent. There are exceptions — you may track a vehicle you own, and a parent may track a minor child — but placing a tracker on another adult's car without consent is a criminal offense, not a gray area, and can be charged as a felony.
Fla. Stat. § 934.425Private-investigator licensing
Florida requires a state license to work as a private investigator, under Chapter 493, administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Both the agency and each investigator must be licensed — a Class “C” license covers the individual investigator and a Class “A” license the agency.
Fla. Stat. Ch. 493 · Regulator: FDACSOut-of-state investigator reciprocity
Florida has reciprocity agreements (administered by FDACS) with several states — as of this review: Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia. An out-of-state investigator can follow a case that originated in their home state into Florida for a limited time (generally 30 days per case; 15 for Tennessee), without soliciting new clients or opening a Florida office. Confirm the current list and terms with FDACS.
Hidden cameras in private areas
Secretly using or installing a camera to view or record someone who is dressing, undressing, or privately exposing their body, where they reasonably expect privacy, is video voyeurism in Florida (Fla. Stat. § 810.145) — a third-degree felony for a first adult offense, higher for repeats. Hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, changing areas, and hotel rooms are off-limits.
Fla. Stat. § 810.145Cameras in your own home / nanny cams
You can put cameras in your own home, including nanny cams in common areas. The limits: don't aim a camera at a space a guest, tenant, or worker would reasonably treat as private (a bathroom, or a live-in caregiver's bedroom) — that risks the video-voyeurism felony — and remember audio follows the recording law. Because Florida is all-party, capturing others' private conversations on a hidden mic can be unlawful even at home.
Fla. Stat. §§ 810.145, 934.03Doorbell & outdoor cameras
A doorbell or outdoor camera covering your own porch, yard, or the street is fine — no reasonable expectation of privacy in public view. Trouble starts if you point a camera into a neighbor's window or fenced yard, or capture their private conversations (all-party audio). Aim at your property, not through someone else's walls.
Workplace & employee recording
Because Florida is all-party, recording a workplace conversation generally needs everyone's consent. Secretly recording conversations you're not part of is a felony-level interception. Employers who monitor email or work systems should give clear notice, and federal workplace rules can apply.
Fla. Stat. § 934.03Drone surveillance
Florida has a dedicated drone-privacy law: the Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act (Fla. Stat. § 934.50) bars using a drone to record images of privately owned property or its owner where there's a reasonable expectation of privacy. A violation is a first-degree misdemeanor, and distributing the footage bumps it to a felony. General flight and filming from public vantage points remain legal; FAA rules govern the airspace.
Fla. Stat. § 934.50 · FAA airspace rulesNeed this handled the right way in Florida?
A licensed Florida investigator knows these lines and how to gather evidence that holds up. A directory to match you with one is on the way.
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General legal information only, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Statutes and their interpretation change; entries may be incomplete or outdated. We disclaim all warranties and any liability for reliance on this page. Confirm the current law at the official Florida Codes and consult a licensed Florida attorney before recording, tracking, installing cameras, or gathering evidence.