(1) The department shall issue to a qualified individual, or a qualified individual or entity under paragraphs (c), (d), (e), and (i), a license as agent authorized to transact a limited class of business in any of the following categories:

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   (a)() Motor vehicle physical damage and mechanical breakdown insurance.—License covering insurance against only the loss of or damage to any motor vehicle which is designed for use upon a highway, including trailers and semitrailers designed for use with such vehicles. Such license also covers insurance against the failure of an original or replacement part to perform any function for which it was designed. The applicant for such a license shall pass a written examination covering motor vehicle physical damage insurance and mechanical breakdown insurance. No individual while so licensed shall hold a license as an agent as to any other or additional kind or class of insurance coverage except as to a limited license for credit life and disability insurances as provided in paragraph (e).

   (b)() Industrial fire insurance or burglary insurance.—License covering only industrial fire insurance or burglary insurance. The applicant for such a license shall pass a written examination covering such insurance. No individual while so licensed shall hold a license as an agent as to any other or additional kind or class of insurance coverage except as to life and health insurances.

   (c)() Travel insurance.—License covering only policies and certificates of travel insurance, which are subject to review by the office under s. 624.605(1)(q). Policies and certificates of travel insurance may provide coverage for risks incidental to travel, planned travel, or accommodations while traveling, including, but not limited to, accidental death and dismemberment of a traveler; trip cancellation, interruption, or delay; loss of or damage to personal effects or travel documents; baggage delay; emergency medical travel or evacuation of a traveler; or medical, surgical, and hospital expenses related to an illness or emergency of a traveler. Any such policy or certificate may be issued for terms longer than 60 days, but each policy or certificate, other than a policy or certificate providing coverage for air ambulatory services only, must be limited to coverage for travel or use of accommodations of no longer than 60 days. The license may be issued only:

   (1.) To a full-time salaried employee of a common carrier or a full-time salaried employee or owner of a transportation ticket agency and may authorize the sale of such ticket policies only in connection with the sale of transportation tickets, or to the full-time salaried employee of such an agent. No such policy shall be for a duration of more than 48 hours or for the duration of a specified one-way trip or round trip.

   (2.) To an entity or individual that is:

   (a.) The developer of a timeshare plan that is the subject of an approved public offering statement under chapter 721;

   (b.) An exchange company operating an exchange program approved under chapter 721;

   (c.) A managing entity operating a timeshare plan approved under chapter 721;

   (d.) A seller of travel as defined in chapter 559; or

   (e.) A subsidiary or affiliate of any of the entities described in sub-subparagraphs a.-d.

A licensee shall require each employee who offers policies or certificates under this subparagraph to receive initial training from a general lines agent or an insurer authorized under chapter 624 to transact insurance within this state. For an entity applying for a license as a travel insurance agent, the fingerprinting requirement of this section applies only to the president, secretary, and treasurer and to any other officer or person who directs or controls the travel insurance operations of the entity.

   (d)() Motor vehicle rental insurance.—

   (1.) License covering only insurance of the risks set forth in this paragraph when offered, sold, or solicited with and incidental to the rental or lease of a motor vehicle and which applies only to the motor vehicle that is the subject of the lease or rental agreement and occupants of the motor vehicle:

   (a.) Excess motor vehicle liability insurance providing coverage in excess of the standard liability limits provided by the lessor in the lessor’s lease to a person renting or leasing a motor vehicle from the licensee’s employer for liability arising in connection with the negligent operation of the leased or rented motor vehicle.

   (b.) Insurance covering the liability of the lessee to the lessor for damage to the leased or rented motor vehicle.

   (c.) Insurance covering the loss of or damage to baggage, personal effects, or travel documents of a person renting or leasing a motor vehicle.

   (d.) Insurance covering accidental personal injury or death of the lessee and any passenger who is riding or driving with the covered lessee in the leased or rented motor vehicle.

   (2.) Insurance under a motor vehicle rental insurance license may be issued only if the lease or rental agreement is for no more than 60 days, the lessee is not provided coverage for more than 60 consecutive days per lease period, and the lessee is given written notice that his or her personal insurance policy providing coverage on an owned motor vehicle may provide coverage of such risks and that the purchase of the insurance is not required in connection with the lease or rental of a motor vehicle. If the lease is extended beyond 60 days, the coverage may be extended one time only for a period not to exceed an additional 60 days. Insurance may be provided to the lessee as an additional insured on a policy issued to the licensee’s employer.

   (3.) The license may be issued only to the full-time salaried employee of a licensed general lines agent or to a business entity that offers motor vehicles for rent or lease if insurance sales activities authorized by the license are in connection with and incidental to the rental or lease of a motor vehicle.

   (a.) A license issued to a business entity that offers motor vehicles for rent or lease shall encompass each office, branch office, or place of business making use of the entity’s business name in order to offer, solicit, and sell insurance pursuant to this paragraph.

   (b.) The application for licensure must list the name, address, and phone number for each office, branch office, or place of business that is to be covered by the license. The licensee shall notify the department of the name, address, and phone number of any new location that is to be covered by the license before the new office, branch office, or place of business engages in the sale of insurance pursuant to this paragraph. The licensee shall notify the department within 30 days after closing or terminating an office, branch office, or place of business. Upon receipt of the notice, the department shall delete the office, branch office, or place of business from the license.

   (c.) A licensed and appointed entity is directly responsible and accountable for all acts of the licensee’s employees.

   (e)() Credit life or disability insurance.—License covering only credit life or disability insurance. The license may be issued only to an individual employed by a life or health insurer as an officer or other salaried or commissioned representative, to an individual employed by or associated with a lending or financial institution or creditor, or to a lending or financial institution or creditor, and may authorize the sale of such insurance only with respect to borrowers or debtors of such lending or financing institution or creditor. However, only the individual or entity whose tax identification number is used in receiving or is credited with receiving the commission from the sale of such insurance shall be the licensed agent of the insurer. No individual while so licensed shall hold a license as an agent as to any other or additional kind or class of life or health insurance coverage. An entity holding a limited license under this paragraph is also authorized to sell credit insurance and credit property insurance.

   (f)() Credit insurance.—License covering only credit insurance, as such insurance is defined in s. 624.605(1)(i), and no individual or entity so licensed shall, during the same period, hold a license as an agent as to any other or additional kind of life or health insurance with the exception of credit life or disability insurance as defined in paragraph (e). The same licensing provisions as outlined in paragraph (e) apply to entities licensed as credit insurance agents under this paragraph.

   (g)() Credit property insurance.—A license covering only credit property insurance may be issued to any individual except an individual employed by or associated with a lending or financial institution defined in s. 655.005(1)(g), (h), or (p) and authorized to sell such insurance only with respect to a borrower or debtor, not to exceed the amount of the loan.

   (h)() Crop hail and multiple-peril crop insurance.—License covering only crop hail and multiple-peril crop insurance. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the limited license may be issued to a bona fide salaried employee of an association chartered under the Farm Credit Act of 1971, 12 U.S.C. ss. 2001 et seq., who satisfactorily completes the examination prescribed by the department pursuant to s. 626.241(5). The limited agent must be appointed by, and his or her limited license requested by, a licensed general lines agent. All business transacted by the limited agent shall be in behalf of, in the name of, and countersigned by the agent by whom he or she is appointed. Sections 626.561 and 626.748, relating to records, apply to all business written pursuant to this section. The limited licensee may be appointed by and licensed for only one general lines agent or agency.

   (i)() In-transit and storage personal property insurance; communications equipment property insurance, communications equipment inland marine insurance, and communications equipment service warranty agreement sales.—

   (1.) A license covering only the insurance of personal property not held for resale, covering the risks of transportation or storage in rented or leased motor vehicles, trailers, or self-service storage facilities, as the latter are defined in s. 83.803, may be issued, without examination, only to employees or authorized representatives of lessors who rent or lease motor vehicles, trailers, or self-service storage facilities and who are authorized by an insurer to issue certificates or other evidences of insurance to lessees of such motor vehicles, trailers, or self-service storage facilities under an insurance policy issued to the lessor. A person licensed under this paragraph shall give a prospective purchaser of in-transit or storage personal property insurance written notice that his or her homeowner’s policy may provide coverage for the loss of personal property and that the purchase of such insurance is not required under the lease terms.

   (2.) A license covering only communications equipment, for the loss, theft, mechanical failure, malfunction of or damage to, communications equipment. The license may be issued only to:

   (a.) Employees or authorized representatives of a licensed general lines agent;

   (b.) The lead business location of a retail vendor of communications equipment and its branch locations; or

   (c.) Employees, agents, or authorized representatives of a retail vendor of communications equipment.

The license authorizes the sale of such policies, or certificates under a group master policy, only with respect to the sale of, or provision of communications service for, communications equipment. A general lines agent is not required to obtain a license under this subparagraph to offer or sell communications equipment property insurance or communication equipment inland marine insurance. The license also authorizes sales of service warranty agreements covering only communications equipment to the same extent as if licensed under s. 634.419 or s. 634.420. The provisions of this chapter requiring submission of fingerprints do not apply to communications equipment licenses issued to qualified entities under this subparagraph. Licensees offering policies under this subparagraph must receive initial training from, and have a contractual relationship with, a general lines agent. For the purposes of this subparagraph, the term “communications equipment” means handsets, pagers, personal digital assistants, portable computers, automatic answering devices, and other devices or accessories used to originate or receive communications signals or service, and includes services related to the use of such devices, such as consumer access to a wireless network; however, the term does not include telecommunications switching equipment, transmission wires, cell site transceiver equipment, or other equipment and systems used by telecommunications companies to provide telecommunications service to consumers. A branch location of a retail vendor of communications equipment licensed pursuant to paragraph (2)(b) may, in lieu of obtaining an appointment from an insurer or warranty association as provided in paragraph (2)(c), obtain a single appointment from the associated lead business location licensee licensed under paragraph (2)(a) and pay the prescribed appointment fee under s. 624.501 provided the lead business location has a single appointment from each insurer or warranty association represented and such appointment provides that it applies to the lead business location and all of its branch locations. Any branch location individually appointed by an insurer under paragraph (2)(c) prior to January 1, 2006, may replace its appointments with an appointment from its lead location at no charge. Branch location appointments shall be renewed on the first annual anniversary of licensure of the lead business location occurring more than 24 months after the initial appointment date and every 24 months thereafter. Notwithstanding s. 624.501, after July 1, 2006, the renewal fee applicable to such branch location appointments shall be $30 per appointment.

   (2) An entity applying for a license under this section is required to:

   (a)() Submit only one application for a license under s. 626.171. The requirements of s. 626.171(4) shall only apply to the officers and directors of the entity submitting the application.

   (b)() Obtain a license for each office, branch office, or place of business making use of the entity’s business name by applying to the department for the license on a simplified application form developed by rule of the department for this purpose.

   (c)() Pay the applicable fees for a license as prescribed in s. 624.501, be appointed under s. 626.112, and pay the prescribed appointment fee under s. 624.501. A licensed and appointed entity shall be directly responsible and accountable for all acts of the licensee’s employees.

   (3) The limitations of any license issued under this section shall be expressed therein. The licensee shall have a separate and additional appointment as to each insurer represented.

   (4) Except as otherwise expressly provided, a person applying for or holding a limited license shall be subject to the same applicable requirements and responsibilities as apply to general lines agents in general, if licensed as to motor vehicle physical damage and mechanical breakdown insurance, credit property insurance, industrial fire insurance or burglary insurance, in-transit and storage personal property insurance, communications equipment property insurance or communications equipment inland marine insurance, baggage and motor vehicle excess liability insurance, or credit insurance; or as apply to life agents or health agents in general, as the case may be, if licensed as to personal accident insurance or credit life or credit disability insurance.

   (5) Nothing in this section shall permit the sale of an insurance policy or certificate for any limited class of business in a category identified under subsection (1) by a person or entity other than an insurance policy or certificate offered by an authorized insurer in this state or an eligible surplus lines insurer in this state.

s. 211, ch. 59-205; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 3, ch. 76