The rule
High school sports in Florida are governed by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The rule is FHSAA Bylaw 9.9 (Amateurism and Name, Image, and Likeness), the 2025-26 FHSAA Handbook, revised April 24, 2026. Everything on this page is taken from the FHSAA's own text, linked under Sources.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Allowed? | Yes |
| Who must be told | The school, on a signed Affidavit of Compliance |
| By when | Within five business days of signing an NIL agreement |
| The agreement | Written, fully executed, and limited to the student's high school eligibility: it may not run past graduation |
| School, FHSAA and NFHS marks | No uniforms, logos, mascots, insignia or identifying marks, unless the school, district or association gives prior written consent. No reference to championships or accolades |
| Banned categories | Nine, listed below |
| Schools, staff, boosters | May not form, direct, offer, provide or otherwise take part in NIL activity |
| Collectives | Prohibited |
| Transfers | A student who transfers after starting a sport may not secure an NIL agreement that season, with limited exceptions |
| Penalty | First offense: a formal warning. Second: one year without eligibility. Third: ineligible for the rest of high school |
What the rule says
- What counts. Commercial endorsements, promotional activities, social media presence, and product or service advertisements.
- Parents sign on. By entering an agreement, the student and parents or guardians release the school, its district and the FHSAA from liability and hold them harmless.
- The nine prohibited categories. Adult entertainment; alcohol, tobacco, vaping and nicotine; cannabis; controlled substances; prescription pharmaceuticals; gambling, including sports betting, the lottery and betting tied to video, online and mobile games; weapons, firearms and ammunition; political or social activism; and NIL collectives.
- During school and FHSAA activities. A student may not endorse or promote a third party during them.
- Not for recruiting. NIL may not be used to pressure, urge or entice a student to attend a school for athletics.
- What a first offense requires. Where it applies, the student ends or changes the agreement at once, removes the ad, and returns what was received. A student who falsifies information or takes an impermissible benefit is ineligible under separate provisions.
What sits on top of it
- Your school and district. A school or district can set a stricter policy than the FHSAA. The athletic director is the person who knows it.
- Private and non-member schools. The rule covers FHSAA member schools. A school in another association follows that association's rule.
- College rules later. A deal that is fine in high school can still matter to the NCAA, NJCAA or NAIA. At Division I, third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go. The NIL guide has the college windows.
- Taxes. NIL pay is taxable at any age. NIL taxes in plain words.
- The contract itself. What each clause means.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state, level and age, and a disclosure packet for the school comes with a countdown to the deadline. It is a summary, not a ruling; your school decides. Athletes 13 to 17 use Leave through an account a parent or guardian creates, and are visible to businesses only when the guardian has turned that on and the state allows high school NIL. Leave is software, not an agent. You decide, you send.
Questions about high school NIL in Florida
Can high school athletes sign NIL deals in Florida?
Yes. FHSAA Bylaw 9.9 lets a student-athlete profit from their name, image and likeness under a written agreement limited to their high school eligibility, subject to the bylaw's conditions.
Who do I have to tell about an NIL deal in Florida?
Your school. A student who engages in NIL activity signs the FHSAA's Affidavit of Compliance, and the student or parent submits it to the school within five business days of signing an NIL agreement.
Are NIL collectives allowed in Florida high school sports?
No. NIL collectives are on the FHSAA's list of prohibited engagements. School-sanctioned team fundraising is not counted as a collective.
What happens if a Florida athlete breaks the NIL bylaw?
A first offense brings a formal warning. A second makes the student ineligible to represent any member school for one year from the date of discovery. A third makes the student ineligible in any sport for the rest of high school.
Be your own agent. Leave.