They are considered more of a state police than Florida's highway patrol, which specializes in traffic enforcement and vehicle-related homicide.

In 1967, the Florida Legislature merged the duties and responsibilities of several state criminal justice organizations to create the Bureau of Law Enforcement.

The bureau was headed by a commissioner who reported to a board composed of the Governor of Florida, specified members of the Cabinet, two sheriffs, and one chief of police.

The FDLE commissioner was appointed by the governor with the approval of three members of the cabinet and subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

At the time, the department consisted of four divisions – Operations, Administrative Intelligence, Criminal Identification and Information, and Training and Inspection.

The agency permanently decentralized many services offered previously only through Headquarters, and rolling them out to the newly defined Regional Operations Centers (ROC).

They assumed responsibility for human resource and business functions and began to offer information systems support, training, and increased analytical assistance directly to the surrounding region.

Composed of program directors, regional special agents in charge, and other headquarters leadership, the EPB provides a frequent forum for the review of department-wide issues and policy-level decision making.

In June 2022, an FDLE investigation found that Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony had in February 2019 provided false information on an application for a driver's license.

Office of Executive Director Public Safety Services Investigations & Forensic Science The Florida Capitol Police, part of the FDLE, is a uniformed police department in Tallahassee, in charge of security and law enforcement on the grounds of the Florida State Capitol and various other state government buildings.

After the September 11 attacks, Governor Jeb Bush placed the Capitol Police under the direction of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

In 2002, the Florida Capitol Police were officially transferred to the FDLE under House Bill 1407,[10] with sworn law enforcement officers across the state relocated to Tallahassee.

[11] The Commission's mission is "To ensure that all citizens of Florida are served by criminal justice officers who are ethical, qualified, and well-trained.