How to Become a Speech Therapist in Florida

With a combination of young immigrants and older retired people making up its population, Florida has a particularly high concentration of the kinds of residents that often need speech and language therapy. Whether it’s offering coaching to kids with speech impediments or helping elderly stroke victims recover their communication capacity, demand is strong for SLPs (Speech-Language Pathologists) here.

Florida has begun offering incentives to encourage aspiring speech-language pathologists to take jobs in the state’s school system. The Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services offers an SLP tuition support program to provide financial assistance to cover the cost of a master’s degree for those who agree to work in a Florida public school for a minimum of two years in exchange for every academic year of tuition support. For a two-year master’s program, this means committing to four years of practice within the school system.

Speech language pathologists are not only in high demand in the state’s public school system, but they also fill critical roles in Pre-K early intervention, healthcare and rehabilitation centers. It’s no surprise that in 2023, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Florida had the fifth highest employment level of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the nation.

Like other states, Florida requires that speech therapists have a license to maintain high standards of treatment. Your SLP license will be issued once you have qualified through education, supervised professional experience and examination.

Follow these steps to become a speech therapist in Florida by earning your SLP license through the Florida Board of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology:

	Complete a Master’s Degree at Minimum in Speech Therapy (Speech-Language Pathology)
	Complete 9 Months of Post-Graduate Professional Experience Through a Clinical Fellowship Program
	Pass the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis Examination
	Become Licensed and Begin Your Career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Florida
	Maintain SLP Licensure by Completing Continuing Education Requirements

Step 1. Complete a Master’s Degree at Minimum in Speech Therapy (Speech-Language Pathology)

To meet Board requirements for licensure, you must earn a master’s or doctoral degree with an emphasis in speech-language pathology through a program that includes a 300-hour clinical practicum.

While online programs accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) have become the preferred option for many aspiring SLPs, Florida is also home to five campus-based SLP graduate programs. Students have plenty of choices for getting a solid education in the field regardless of their choice.

Admissions and Prerequisites

If you don’t already have an undergraduate degree in communicative sciences and disorders, you’ll be required to complete additional prerequisite courses before beginning the graduate program. Standard prerequisites that establish a foundation for graduate-level coursework include:

• Clinical Phonetics
• Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing Mechanism
• Introduction to Audiology
• Science of Language
• Speech and Language Development in Children

SLP graduate programs tend to be highly selective, so make sure to put your best foot forward. Most graduate programs will require you to submit at least two letters of academic reference, and admissions departments look for exceptional undergraduate GPAs and high GRE scores.

Clinical Practicum and Graduate Courses

In Florida, you must complete a supervised clinical practicum of at least 300 clock hours, 200 of which must involve direct work in the area of speech-language pathology in order to qualify for licensure.

CAA-accredited programs include 400 hours of practicum, which is also the amount required for a national CCC-SLP credential from ASHA.

SLP license candidates in Florida are required to have an education in speech-language pathology that consists of at least 75 semester hours total, 36 of which must be in graduate-level courses.

Graduate-level core courses typically include:

• Articulation and Phonology Disorders
• Speech and Swallowing Disorders
• Alternative and Augmentative Communication
• Motor Speech Disorders
• Language Development and Disorders in School-Aged Children
• Professional Issues in Communicative Sciences and Disorders
• Dysphagia in Adults and Children
• Phonological Analysis of Normal and Disordered Speech
• Multi-Cultural Issues in Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Electives can include:

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication
• Interdisciplinary Case-Based Dysphagia Management
• Craniofacial Anomalies
• Language and Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Approaches to Natural Language
• Communicative Science and Disorders Research Colloquium

To be eligible for licensure through the Florida board, you’ll also need to complete one hour of HIV/AIDS education and two hours in Prevention of Medical Errors through Florida Board-approved providers. This is coursework that is typically conducted outside your graduate program, so double-check to make sure you get it in before making your application.

Step 2. Complete 9 Months of Post-Graduate Professional Experience Through a Clinical Fellowship Program

The Florida Board requires SLP license candidates to complete 9 months of professional experience in a hands-on setting with patients. You’ll be under direct supervision by a state-licensed SLP as part of a post-graduate clinical fellowship.

In order to legally perform the therapy tasks that you will practice in your clinical fellowship, however, you will need to obtain a provisional speech-language pathologist license in Florida first. These are available to graduates from qualified educational programs, with the required practicum experience covered, and are good for up to 24 months while you complete your fellowship. They are also issued quickly, typically in less than a week once your application is complete.

A full-time fellowship consists of 30 hours per week for 36 weeks, while a part-time fellowship consists of at least 15 hours per week for 72 weeks.

You and your supervisor will work together to ensure you cover the required competencies of SLP therapy, including on-site observations as you assess, diagnose, and treat patients. You’ll also work with families to develop treatment plans and go through all the required record-keeping and administrative steps required of professional SLP practitioners.

Step 3. Pass the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis Examination

As the final qualification for licensure through the Florida Board of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, you must pass the National Speech and Pathology Exam.

You can register for the test through Praxis any time after completing your clinical fellowship. You can schedule it at any of the test centers located throughout Florida, or arrange to be remotely proctored at home for an online test.

In preparation for the exam, you might want to review the Praxis Information Bulletin for test-taking information. To cover the 132 questions you’ll encounter, it’s also a good idea to check out the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis Study Companion.

The computer-based speech-language pathology test covers the following topics:

• Fluency
• Voice
• Speech and production
• Resonance
• Motor speech
• Cognitive aspects of communication
• Augmentative and alternative communication
• Hearing
• Feeding and swallowing
• Receptive and expressive language
• Social aspects of communication, including pragmatics

The test is scored on a 100-200 score scale, and the required minimum score to become licensed is 162. You’ll have Praxis send your scoring information directly to the Board.

Considering CCC-SLP Certification

After passing the national exam, you may also choose to apply for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) credential through American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The CCC-SLP is NOT a requirement for licensure in Florida, but many SLPs find it helpful to have the credential when seeking employment or starting an independent practice.

When applying for the credential, you’ll be required to send ASHA an official graduate transcript and provide proof of completion of a clinical fellowship by submitting the Clinical Fellowship Report Rating Form. You’ll also have to submit your Praxis exam scores, although the passing grade is identical to Florida state requirements.

Step 4. Become Licensed and Begin Your Career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Florida

Once you’ve received your results from the national exam, you’ll be qualified to apply for full licensure through the Florida Board.

Applications are made online through the Florida Health Medical Quality Assurance website.

There are two paths to licensure:

• By Evaluation of Credentials: This is the most common route to licensing, for anyone who has just completed their degree and required professional experience placement. You’ll need to have your clinical supervisor submit evaluation forms and documentation of your experience directly to the state, and have your test scores and educational transcripts sent to the Board.
• By MOBILE Endorsement: This is a relatively new path open to SLPs who have been practicing the profession for at least three years of the proceeding four. To be eligible, applicants need to hold a license in good standing without any disciplinary actions in the preceding five years from a state with a licensure scope similar to Florida’s. You’ll need to provide proof of unencumbered SLP licensure as well as your Praxis exam scores.

It usually takes about thirty days to be notified of the status of your application and to be registered as licensed.

Finding Your First Job as a Licensed SLP in Florida

Of course, licensing is really just the first step in building a significant career for yourself. Florida has options opening up all the time. Many of them are in the educational system, testing and treating kids with various speech impediments.

If you participated in the Florida SLP incentive program, your career would begin in a Florida public school, as per your agreement with the state.

Outside of the school system, there are dozens of differently opportunities to find work as an SLP as well.

Did you have a good working relationship with your clinical fellowship provider? If so, the clinic may be interested in hiring you. Many clinics prefer to hire SLPs who have completed clinical fellowships with them.

You may also consider starting your own business in order to practice independently. Being your own boss can be scary and takes on administrative and marketing work as well as speech therapy, but brings great rewards in terms of flexibility and picking your own patients.

As an independent practitioner, you can set your own schedule, develop a tailored approach to working with clients, or choose to serve a specialized population of patients.

There are hundreds of hospitals, clinics, and rehab centers in Florida that require the services of SLPs, too. A few of these employers include:

• Renewal Rehab
• Speech Rehab Services
• Jupiter Medical Center
• Miami Children’s Hospital
• Saint Mary’s Medical Center
• University of Florida

Once you’re licensed, you may also seek specialty certifications through ASHA. These certifications can be extremely helpful, especially for positions in specialty clinics. For instance, practices that focus on treating child language disorders will probably prefer to hire CCC-SLPs who hold an additional certification in that specialty.

Step 5. Maintain SLP Licensure by Completing Continuing Education Requirements

In order to keep your license current, you must renew it every two years through the Florida Board. Licenses expire on December 31^st of every odd numbered year. You’ll receive a mailed notice at least 90 days before your license expires, at which time you can renew it online. Each renewal requires an $80 fee.

During each two-year licensing period, you’ll be required to complete a total of 30 approved continuing education hours. The hours must include:

• 18 hours of clinical-related CEs
• 10 hours of non-clinical-related CEs
• 2 hours of CEs on medical error

If you were initially licensed within six months of the expiration date for licenses, you’re exempt from fulfilling any CE requirements in your first renewal period.

You may also gain CEs through the following methods:

• A maximum of 5 hours per biennium for being a presenter or moderator of approved continuing education hours
• A maximum of 5 hours per biennium may be earned as an instructor of a graduate level course
• A maximum of 2 hours per biennium may be earned in a non-paid directed clinical experience

You’ll be responsible for tracking your CEs through this online system. The system also lists which courses the Florida Board approves.

Some of those are from the Florida Association of Speech Language Pathologists & Audiologists. The organization exists in order for SLPs in the state to network with each other and explore new educational opportunities. The Association holds annual conventions and provides continuing educational opportunities for SLPs. Some of the topics they’ve covered in conventions include feeding tubes, boosting the development of emergent literacy, speech apps, and obstructive sleep apnea.

Speech-Language Pathology Salary in Florida

Florida’s SLPs earn an average of $92,770 per year or $44.60 an hour. That’s higher than the national average. The state brings high demand with high salaries.

Those numbers only go up the more time you spend in the profession. More experienced speech-language pathologists towards the high-end of salary figures earn upwards of $114,340, or $54.97 per hour.

Salaries for SLPs are increasing throughout the country, and Florida is no exception. In Florida, the average salary increased by 16% over the seven-year period leading up to 2023.

Florida’s High Level of Employment and Job Growth for SLPs

Florida boasts the 5th highest number of speech-language pathologists in the country. Homosassa Springs in particular has a high concentration of SLPs—the 3rd highest of any city in the nation.

BLS data shows that 7,850 speech-language pathologists work in Florida as of 2023. Over the decade leading up to 2030, projections show that Florida SLP jobs will increase by 31%, far higher than the national average of 19%. That amounts to an average of 890 job openings statewide every year.

Salaries of Speech-Language Pathologists in Florida’s Major Cities

Of course, high salaries in general don’t mean high salaries in every specific town and region of the state. Just as cost-of-living varies between Florida cities, so do average SLP salaries. The city-specific range of annual and hourly salaries for Florida’s SLPs is shown as follows for comparison (10th to 90th percentile salaries):

Cape Coral:

• Annual: $79,680 – $128,930
• Hourly: $38.31 – $61.99

Metro Crestview:

• Annual: $63,560 – $119,050
• Hourly: $30.56 – $57.24

Daytona Beach:

• Annual: $60,460 – $105,030
• Hourly: $29.07 – $50.50

Gainesville:

• Annual: $54,990 – $110,580
• Hourly: $26.44 – $53.16

Homosassa Springs:

• Annual: $54,290 – $101,420
• Hourly: $26.10 – $48.76

Jacksonville:

• Annual: $66,880 – $113,960
• Hourly: $32.15 – $54.79

Lakeland:

• Annual: $71,850 – $116,970
• Hourly: $34.54 – $56.23

Metro Miami:

• Annual: $73,010 – $126,130
• Hourly: $35.10 – $60.64

Naples:

• Annual: $35,980 – $127,260
• Hourly: $17.30 – $61.18

Ocala:

• Annual: $59,520 – $102,150
• Hourly: $28.61 – $49.11

Metro Orlando:

• Annual: $54,090 – $108,170
• Hourly: $26.00 – $52.01

Metro Palm Bay:

• Annual: $55,330 – $110,560
• Hourly: $26.60 – $53.16

Panama City:

• Annual: $72,450 – $126,840
• Hourly: $34.83 – $60.98

Pensacola:

• Annual: $67,060 – $108,480
• Hourly: $32.24 – $52.16

Port St. Lucie:

• Annual: $75,270 – $111,260
• Hourly: $36.19 – $53.49

Punta Gorda:

• Annual: $78,230 – $120,530
• Hourly: $37.61 – $57.95

Sarasota:

• Annual: $50,860 – $108,510
• Hourly: $24.45 – $52.17

Sebastian:

• Annual: $49,090 – $120,250
• Hourly: $23.60 – $57.81

Tallahassee:

• Annual: $64,190 – $110,160
• Hourly: $30.86 – $52.96

Metro Tampa:

• Annual: $71,330 – $109,880
• Hourly: $34.29 – $52.83

The Villages:

• Annual: $62,670 – $126,640
• Hourly: $30.13 – $60.89

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures shown here for Speech-Language Pathologists. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed March 2025.

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