Florida high-school NIL rules, explained for parents
Yes — Florida high-schoolers can earn NIL money. Since the 2024–25 school year, the FHSAA's amended Bylaw 9.10 (Amateurism and NIL — numbered 9.9 before the 2026–27 handbook) lets student-athletes at member schools profit from their Name, Image & Likeness. The FHSAA board approved it June 4, 2024, and it took effect for the 2024–25 school year after State Board of Education review (FHSAA's official NIL resources). Here's what that means in practice — including the part almost every article online still gets wrong.
What a Florida HS athlete CAN do
- Sign brand endorsements and sponsorships (with a parent/guardian co-signing)
- Get paid for social-media posts, appearances, autograph signings
- Run their own camps, clinics, and lessons
- Sell merchandise with their own name or likeness
What's banned (this is where eligibility dies)
- Pay for playing. Money can't be tied to athletic performance, stats, or wins — and can't be a recruiting inducement to attend a school.
- School property. No school or team names, logos, marks, uniforms, or equipment in any deal unless the school gives prior written consent (Bylaw 9.10.4.3), and no endorsing during school or FHSAA activities.
- Collectives. Pooled booster/donor money to facilitate deals is prohibited at the HS level.
- Banned categories: gambling/sports betting, alcohol, tobacco/vaping/nicotine, cannabis/CBD, controlled substances and prescription drugs, weapons/firearms/ammo, adult entertainment, political or social activism.
Consent, forms, and agents
- Parents are in it too. Under Bylaw 9.10, entering an NIL deal means the athlete and parent or guardian both release the school and FHSAA from liability — so read every word.
- Paperwork: athletes complete the FHSAA's Affidavit of Amateurism (the GA1 form); check with your school's athletic director on current compliance steps.
- Representation: an athlete may use an agent for NIL advice only — hiring one to manage an athletic career can cost amateur status (Bylaw 9.10.2). Florida's athlete-agent license (DBPR) only covers agents of athletes who have committed in writing to a college or play for one, so many high-school NIL "agents" are outside it. No rule requires a representative at all; a Florida Bar attorney is the safest choice.
The "5% agent cap law" that never happened
You may have read that Florida passed a law (HB 981) capping agent fees at 5% and creating a public agent registry, "effective July 1, 2025." That bill never became law. The official Florida Senate record shows CS/CS/HB 981 ("Athlete Representation and Compensation") died in the Commerce Committee on June 16, 2025 — July 1 was only its proposed effective date. Plenty of articles (and AI summaries) still repeat it as fact. It isn't. Today, your protection is Florida's existing athlete-agent licensing, the attorney option, and your own signature on every deal.
The Florida parent's 60-second version
- Your high-school athlete can do NIL — with you signing alongside.
- Keep the deal away from school marks, performance pay, and banned categories.
- Prefer a Florida Bar attorney — check them in the Bar's lookup.
- Never pay a fee to receive a deal — that's a scam, full stop.
- Treat the money right: it's taxable, and it can fund a Roth IRA. Here's the money guide →
NIL for Kids is an independent educational resource by Teddy Dupay (FHSAA Hall of Famer) — not affiliated with the FHSAA or any school, and not legal advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements with the FHSAA and your school before signing anything. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.