Professional Profile

Profession: Pilots of Water Vessels
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats, that travel into and out of harbors, estuaries, straits, and sounds and on rivers, lakes, bays, and oceans. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.

Number of Licensed Professionals in Florida:
87

Salary Range:
$29,360–$89,230*

Requirements to be licensed:

• Must be at least 21 years old
• Must have successfully completed at least 12 years of formal education
• Must pass a complete physical examination, including a drug test, within the preceding six months
• Must have completed the board-approved deputy pilot training program in the port in which licensure is desired during the period immediately preceding the state pilot licensure examination
• At the time of application, must have a valid United States Coast Guard first-class unlimited pilot’s license covering all the waters of the port in which licensure is desired.

Interesting Facts: State pilots are licensed only for the port they serve. There are only 11 Florida ports – Key West, Everglades, Miami, Palm Beach, Canaveral, Tampa, Fort Pierce, Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville, Panama City and Pensacola. State pilots are some of the most skilled professionals who are familiar with all the channel depths, currents, wind, shoaling, flood zones and other important facts of Florida waterways and ports.

*U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida, May 2006