Last updated: November 2026
The State of Florida doesn't hire one internship class. Each agency runs its own program, and most executive agencies post on the state's People First job board. On November 11, 2026 that board listed 1,201 open state jobs, and 8 were student internships: 7 at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), paying $15 to $20 an hour for 10 to 20 hours a week, and 1 legal internship for law students at the Public Defender's office in Fort Myers. The Governor's paid Gubernatorial Fellows Program takes applications for its July 2027 class until January 28, 2027. In plain words: FDOT's part-time roles are open now and close one at a time, and January 28 is the one fixed deadline for 2027–28.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | People First for executive agencies such as FDOT (search "intern" and set a job alert); the Gubernatorial Fellows form on flgov.com; email for the Division of Emergency Management (FDEM); the Legislature uses its own GovernmentJobs page |
| Application window (2027–28) | FDOT: open now, rolling, each posting with its own closing date about one to three months out. Gubernatorial Fellows, Class XXIII (2027–28): open now, deadline January 28, 2027. FDEM: rolling for spring, summer and fall terms, but no placements listed today. House Legislative Fellows 2027–28: expected around spring 2027 (graduate and law students only) |
| Rolling? | Yes for FDOT and FDEM. No for the Gubernatorial Fellows, which has one hard deadline |
| Eligibility | FDOT: current students and recent graduates, at least 18, authorized to work in the US, no visa sponsorship. Fellows: juniors, seniors and graduate students at a Florida four-year university, or Florida residents studying elsewhere, minimum GPA 3.0 |
| Duration | FDOT: part-time, 10 to 20 hours a week, length set per posting. Fellows: a full-time program year from July 2027 in Tallahassee. FDEM: spring (January to May), summer (June to August) or fall (September to December). SBA: "about three months" |
| Compensation | FDOT: $15 to $20 an hour on November 2026 postings. Fellows: "at least $18 per hour" plus a $1,000 or $2,000 relocation stipend. FDEM: unpaid. SBA: "part-time and paid", no figure published |
| Return offers | Not published by any agency we checked. FDOT posts full-time entry roles such as Engineer Trainee separately on People First |
| Locations | FDOT district offices across Florida (Brooksville, Tampa, Ocoee, Bartow, Chipley, DeLand and others); Fellows, FDEM, the State Board of Administration and the House in Tallahassee. No remote internships found |
| # Programs | 4 routes open to undergraduates (FDOT, Gubernatorial Fellows, FDEM, State Board of Administration) plus graduate and law-only routes (House Legislative Fellows, Public Defender legal internships) |
The row that matters most: FDOT roles are open now on People First and close one by one, while the Gubernatorial Fellows deadline is January 28, 2027.
Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most commonly over 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week. The Health Research & Data Analytics Externship with ARCeH practices the research and data work FDOT postings ask for, and the Attronica Financial Planning & Analysis Externship fits FDOT's Business Track, which covers finance and procurement. Explore all Externships.
What Is a State of Florida Internship?
A State of Florida internship is a paid or unpaid student role inside Florida's state government. This page covers the state as an employer, not Florida's universities or city governments. There is no single program. FDOT runs the largest paid one, offering "Professional and Trade Internships to current students and recent graduates" in four areas: Engineering & Operations, Finance & Administration, Transportation Technology and Strategic Development. The Executive Office of the Governor runs the Gubernatorial Fellows Program, a full-time year in Tallahassee that its FAQ calls "strictly non-partisan". FDEM, the State Board of Administration and the Legislature run smaller programs, and some of them are for graduate or law students only.
When Do State of Florida Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
For most State of Florida internships there is no single opening date. FDOT posts part-time intern roles on People First all year, and each one carries its own closing date. The postings we read on November 11, 2026 close between this month and February 2027, and several close within the next week. A previous Bartow posting went up on May 30, 2026 and was set to close at the end of 2026, which shows how long some stay open. FDOT doesn't publish summer 2027 dates on its own pages. The Gubernatorial Fellows work the other way: one annual intake, applications due January 28, 2027, and a start in July 2027, about five months after the deadline. FDEM accepts interns on a rolling basis for spring, summer and fall.
Applications are open right now. People First lists 8 student internships, 7 of them at FDOT paying $15 to $20 an hour, and several close within days. The Gubernatorial Fellows application for Class XXIII is open until January 28, 2027. FDEM's page says it accepts interns on a rolling basis, but it lists no placements today.
Deadline for the Gubernatorial Fellows, Class XXIII (2027–28). Your form, official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, four 500-word essays and resume all have to arrive by this date. New FDOT postings keep appearing on People First with their own closing dates.
Fellows regional interviews run February 10 to 12, finalist interviews in Tallahassee February 25 to 26, and selection by March 31, 2027. FDOT keeps posting on a rolling basis; check People First every week, because its summer 2027 dates aren't published on FDOT's own pages.
Expected: the House Legislative Fellows window for 2027–28, for graduate and law students at Florida schools only (the 2026 deadline was April 24, 2026). FDEM may list summer placements if openings appear on its page.
FDEM's summer term runs June to August, and FDOT interns work part-time in district offices. The Gubernatorial Fellows Class XXIII starts with orientation in July 2027 and spends the program year in Tallahassee.
How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.
Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open
Two urgency modes apply here. FDOT is rolling: each posting closes on its own date, and once it closes People First shows only that the job is "no longer being advertised". Of the FDOT postings we read on November 11, 2026, several close within a week, so a posting you see today may be gone by next weekend. Set a People First alert for "intern" and apply the week a role near you appears. The Gubernatorial Fellows is a hard deadline: everything is due January 28, 2027, including three recommendation letters and official transcripts that depend on other people. Ask your recommenders in December. FDEM's page says applications "will close when all internship positions are filled".
Which State of Florida Internship Programs Should You Target?
Each program below is run by a different part of the state government. Pay and dates are quoted from each agency's own pages or postings.
| Program | Who it's for | Pay (own words) | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDOT internships (Engineering, Transportation, Business and Self-Designed tracks) | Current students and recent graduates, at least 18 | $15 to $20 an hour on November 2026 postings; part-time, 10 to 20 hours a week | Rolling on People First |
| Gubernatorial Fellows, Class XXIII | Juniors, seniors and graduate students at Florida universities, or Florida residents studying elsewhere; GPA 3.0 | "At least $18 per hour"; $1,000 stipend or $2,000 relocation stipend | Deadline January 28, 2027; starts July 2027 |
| FDEM internship | Students enrolled at an accredited college or university | Unpaid; at least 15 hours a week in Tallahassee | Spring, summer and fall terms, rolling; no placements listed today |
| State Board of Administration College Internship Program | Juniors, seniors and graduate students in a related field; GPA 3.0 | "Part-time and paid"; no figure published | About three months; dates not published |
| House Legislative Fellows (graduate and law only) | Graduate or law students (2L or 3L) at Florida schools | $15 an hour plus tuition or a $500, then $800, monthly stipend | 2026–27 closed; 2027–28 expected spring 2027 |
| Public Defender, 20th Circuit legal internship (law only) | Current law students | "$18/hour"; "Compensated positions are limited" | Open on People First, listed to close December 30, 2026 |
Other agencies, such as the Department of Management Services, list internship pages with no openings today. Search People First for "intern" to see every live state posting in one place.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
Rules differ by program. These come from each agency's own pages and postings.
• FDOT age and status: "Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age" and a current student or recent graduate. Some postings list a high school diploma as the minimum education.
• Work authorization: FDOT postings require authorization to work in the US and say "Visa sponsorship is not available."
• Gubernatorial Fellows: full-time juniors, seniors or graduate students at a four-year accredited Florida university, or Florida residents studying outside Florida, with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Recent graduates are eligible, and there is no age limit.
• Law and graduate only: the House Legislative Fellows needs a Florida graduate or law program, and the Public Defender internship needs current law school enrollment.
• Selective Service: FDOT postings note that male applicants must meet the state's Selective Service registration rule for state jobs.
Do You Need to Be a Florida Student?
Only for some programs. The Gubernatorial Fellows needs a Florida university or Florida residency, and the House Legislative Fellows needs a Florida graduate or law school. FDOT, FDEM and the State Board of Administration state no residency rule on the pages we read, though their roles are in person in Florida. The 3.0 GPA minimum applies to the Fellows and the State Board of Administration; FDOT postings name no GPA.
What Skills Does the State of Florida Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
FDOT is the only agency with enough live intern postings to count, so the chart below reads five FDOT postings in full. Office basics and communication appear in all five: "Use of personal computer (PC) and Microsoft Office Application Programs" and "Communicate effectively with others and follow oral and written instructions". Research follows in four: "Engage in research and provide insights to support initiatives". Organizing work shows up in three, as "Plan, organize and coordinate work assignments". Single roles add data analysis (Turnpike) and "Marketing techniques" (Chipley). The Gubernatorial Fellows asks for something different: four 500-word essays, including a policy memo.
What State of Florida looks for in interns
Skills across 5 State of Florida intern & analyst job descriptions · FDOT intern postings live on People First, November 2026
Method: full-text read of five FDOT intern postings live on People First in November 2026 (Brooksville, Turnpike, Bartow, Chipley and DeLand). All five use FDOT's template, so this shows FDOT's wording, not every state agency.
How Is Demand for Civil Engineering Interns Moving Right Now?
Civil engineering intern postings · Jul–Oct 2026
all internships 2.5×
For State of Florida applicants: People First listed 1,201 open state jobs on November 11, 2026, and 7 of its 8 student internships were FDOT roles, so a People First alert for "intern" is your signal.
Daily US job-posting counts, Jul–Oct 2026; each bar is that month's daily average. Growth = October vs July; “all internships” = the 48 intern searches tracked across the whole period. Covers under half of US postings; shows direction, not market size.
Build These Skills Before You Apply
Each row ties a phrase from an FDOT posting or the Fellows application to a remote Externship that leaves you with a finished project.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Research and insights | "Engage in research and provide insights to support initiatives" (FDOT Brooksville, Turnpike and Bartow) | Health Research & Data Analytics with ARCeH |
| Data analysis | "analyze data" and "summarize findings to support decision-making" (FDOT Turnpike) | SQL & Database Architecture Externship with Breaking Games |
| Policy writing | Four 500-word essays, including a policy memo (Gubernatorial Fellows application) | Juvenile Justice Policy Analyst Externship with CIYJ |
| Finance and agency business | Business Track "explores the business side of running an agency", including finance and procurement (FDOT Bartow and DeLand) | Attronica Financial Planning & Analysis and Private Company Valuation |
| Marketing | "Marketing techniques" for training courses (FDOT Chipley) | Beats by Dre Creative Advertising Strategy |
No open Externship teaches transportation engineering itself. These cover the research, data, policy and business work around it.
What Is the State of Florida Application and Interview Process Like?
Each program runs its own process. These steps come from the agencies' own pages and postings.
1. FDOT: apply per posting on People First. Titles vary ("DOT INTERN", "TRANSPORTATION INTERN"), so search "intern" and read each posting. Upload an unofficial transcript where it's asked for.
2. FDOT: answer the qualifying questions yourself. FDOT postings forbid AI tools on these answers and say a breach removes you from consideration.
3. FDOT: interview. The postings don't describe the interview; an FDOT employee on Reddit says interviews for a full-time role were panels about duties and qualifications.
4. Gubernatorial Fellows: apply by January 28, 2027. Submit the online form, official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, four 500-word essays and a resume.
5. Gubernatorial Fellows: interviews. Regional interviews run February 10 to 12 and finalist interviews in Tallahassee February 25 to 26, with selection by March 31, 2027.
6. FDEM: email your package. Send a state employment application, cover letter and resume to the address on FDEM's page, then an in-person interview, a background check and a drug screen.
No agency publishes an acceptance rate, class size or interview questions.
What Students on Reddit Say
Reddit has little on State of Florida internships. The threads we read in full cover a Governor's office internship in 2022 and FDOT hiring for a full-time role, so read them as background. They're lightly paraphrased.
A former intern said a Governor's office internship depends on which division you're placed in. Theirs was sorting and answering constituent letters, which they found dull, and they left early, but they added that the spots are hard to get.
Other replies agreed the daily work may not be exciting, but said the internship is a good way to meet people who help later, and one said a friend who did it valued the experience.
Asked about a full-time FDOT analyst interview, an FDOT employee said hiring speed depends on who runs it, some fast and some very slow. Their interviews were all panels about job duties and qualifications, and they suggested contacting the posting's point of contact for updates.
How Do You Stand Out for a State of Florida Internship?
First, apply to more than one FDOT posting and fit each to its track: the Engineering Track recommends STEM majors, while the Transportation and Business Tracks take any major. Second, start the Fellows paperwork now. The three letters and official transcripts depend on other people, and everything is due January 28, 2027. Third, bring proof of research or writing, such as a short policy memo or a data project, since research appears in four of the five FDOT postings and the Fellows essays include a policy memo. No agency publishes an applicant count, class size or conversion rate.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Students applying to the State of Florida often also look at these public employers.
- Department of Transportationfederal counterpart to FDOT, posting on USAJOBSGuide →
- FEMAfederal emergency management, close to FDEM's workGuide →
- GAOpolicy and research analyst internships in the federal governmentGuide →
- Department of Statefederal internships in policy and international affairsGuide →
- NOAAweather, coastal and environmental science internshipsGuide →
For more public-sector options and their timing, see our government internships summer 2027 guide.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2026 State of Florida internship?
No, summer 2026 internships have already run. What's open now is different: on November 11, 2026, People First listed 7 part-time FDOT internships paying $15 to $20 an hour, and the Gubernatorial Fellows application for the class starting July 2027 is open until January 28, 2027.
Does the State of Florida pay interns?
Many programs do. FDOT postings pay $15 to $20 an hour, and the Gubernatorial Fellows are paid "at least $18 per hour" plus a $1,000 or $2,000 relocation stipend. The State Board of Administration's program is "part-time and paid". FDEM's internship is unpaid.
Where do I apply for State of Florida internships?
Executive agencies such as FDOT post on People First at jobs.myflorida.com, so search "intern" and set an alert. The Gubernatorial Fellows use a form on flgov.com, FDEM takes applications by email, and the Legislature posts on its own GovernmentJobs page. Each posting is a separate application.
When is the Gubernatorial Fellows deadline?
January 28, 2027, for Class XXIII. Regional interviews run February 10 to 12, finalist interviews February 25 to 26 in Tallahassee, and selection comes by March 31, 2027. Orientation is in July 2027. Transcripts, three letters, four essays and a resume must all arrive by the deadline.
Do I need to be a Florida student?
For the Gubernatorial Fellows, yes: you need to attend a Florida four-year university or be a Florida resident studying elsewhere. The House Legislative Fellows needs a Florida graduate or law school. FDOT, FDEM and the State Board of Administration state no residency rule, though the work is in person in Florida.
Can international students apply?
Not for FDOT. Its postings say candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and that "Visa sponsorship is not available." The other agencies' pages we read don't address sponsorship, so ask the program before applying. The roles are in person in Florida, and we found no remote state internships.
How long are State of Florida internships?
It depends on the program. FDOT internships are part-time, 10 to 20 hours a week, with the length set per posting. The Gubernatorial Fellows is a full-time program year in Tallahassee starting July 2027. FDEM runs spring, summer and fall terms, and the State Board of Administration's program lasts about three months.
Do State of Florida internships lead to jobs?
No agency publishes a conversion rate. FDOT posts full-time entry roles, such as Engineer Trainee, separately on People First, so an intern would apply to those like anyone else. None of the program pages we read promises a job after the internship ends.
Check People First every week for new FDOT postings, and send your Gubernatorial Fellows application before January 28, 2027. If you want a finished project to show while you wait, a remote Externship runs alongside your classes.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
