lock picks, legal in south florida?

[haykuro]

I've read the state law, which (in summary) states that it's only illegal to have the picks in your possession if you are caught using them to commit a crime (i.e. "with intent").

I've got a clean record, and have never even been pulled over while driving.

I try to generally stay in the clear and not bring myself any unneeded attention from the 5-0.

Lockpicking has become my new hobby, and I happened to purchase a set of wallet-sized picks:
http://imgur.com/vGruq.jpg http://imgur.com/4BkK6.jpg

They are actually pretty sturdy, and i've picked various mounted locks with them and they're still strong.

I decided to buy myself these wallet-sized ones in case i'm ever locked out of my house.
i've never picked a lock that's in use, of course, but for whatever other emergency that i may need them in i figured it'd be nice to have and spare myself $200-300 calling a locksmith to get me in my home when i am more than capable of doing so myself.

So my question is, is it legal to own a pair of these in south florida? (fort lauderdale area to be more specific)

And would I be able to use them as intended (for emergency purposes?) or is that against any sort of law? (I am the legal owner of my home, i figure if i feel like screwing up my lock i should have the right )

Thanks guys!

[Tygart]

Not sure if they are legal (Google is your friend on that one) Some states say only if you have a lock smith license.

but be sure to practice practice practice on a lock that is not in use. Then only pick your home lock (for emergency purposes ONLY!!!!)

[datagram]

A list of relevant legal statues/laws/etc is available at http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Legal_Issues for just about every state and a few foreign countries.

They are legal in Florida and require intent to be considered burglary tools. You should be fine to use them if you own your home but how much better would they be than carrying an extra key? Aside from that we discourage picking locks that are in use (particularly on doors/perimiters) because of the potential for damaging the lock and causing it to be non-functional or otherwise impaired.

dg