What Are the Best-Paying Jobs for Felons in Florida?
Use the free tool — ReentryJobsFL
Two wage numbers we know
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks median pay by state. The numbers below come from BLS OES data for May 2025, for Florida specifically.
- Welder: median pay in Florida is $50,640 a year. See the BLS page.
- HVAC technician: median pay in Florida is $56,670 a year. See the BLS page.
These are statewide medians, not a promise of what any one employer will pay you. Pay in your own metro area can be higher or lower — this page doesn't have that breakdown.
A certificate that skips the background check
To work on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, you generally need an EPA 608 certification. That exam is open-book and does not include a background check.
This applies to the EPA 608 exam itself. It does not tell you whether an employer, a state license, or another certificate in the same field runs a background check. Ask directly before you assume.
Other trades and certificates people ask about
People also ask about construction, roofing, landscaping, warehouse work, kitchen jobs, CDL driving, welding, solar installation, and barbering — and about short certificates such as OSHA 10, forklift certification, EPA 608, and CDL.
We don't have Florida wage numbers or background-check rules for all of these trades and certificates here. Don't assume any of them work the same way as welding or HVAC. Check each one on its own.
What Florida law says about your record
Florida Statute 112.011 spells out when a criminal conviction can, and cannot, be used to deny you a state license. A conviction is not an automatic bar under this law. Read Chapter 112.011 yourself.
This page is not legal advice. Read the statute, and confirm with the licensing board or a licensed attorney how it applies to your specific conviction and the specific license you want.
What we don't know
- We don't have city-by-city or metro-by-metro pay figures — only statewide Florida medians for welders and HVAC technicians.
- We don't know whether OSHA 10, forklift certification, or a CDL involve a background check.
- We don't know how Fla. Stat. 112.011 applies to your specific conviction or the specific license you want.
Confirm all of this with the licensing agency, a licensed attorney, or the employer before you make plans — this is not legal, medical, or tax advice.
What to do next
The free tool that goes with this page doesn't ask for an account and doesn't store what you paste into it. Paste your own numbers, your target trade, or your conviction details, and it reads exactly what you give it — it doesn't guess or add facts that aren't there.
Whatever it tells you, double-check the wage numbers against the BLS pages above, and check your licensing question with the licensing board or an attorney before you rely on it.