Florida Statutes 626.112 – License and appointment required; agents, customer representatives, adjusters, insurance agencies, service representatives, managing general agents, insurance adjusting firms
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(1)(a) No person may be, act as, or advertise or hold himself or herself out to be an insurance agent, insurance adjuster, or customer representative unless he or she is currently licensed by the department and appointed by an appropriate appointing entity or person.
Attorney's Note
Under the Florida Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Felony of the third degree | up to 5 years | up to $5,000 |
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 626.112
- Adjuster: means a public adjuster as defined in…. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- agent: includes an insurance producer or producer, but does not include a customer representative, limited customer representative, or service representative. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Appointment: means the authority given by an insurer or employer to a licensee to transact insurance or adjust claims on behalf of an insurer or employer. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Association: includes the Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA), the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals Florida Chapter (NABIP Florida), the Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies (LAAIA), the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA), the Florida Bail Agents Association (FBAA), or the Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS). See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Customer representative: means an individual appointed by a general lines agent or agency to assist that agent or agency in transacting the business of insurance from the office of that agent or agency. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Insurance agency: means a business location at which an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other entity, other than an employee of the individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other entity and other than an insurer as defined by…. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- License: means a document issued by the department or office authorizing a person to be appointed to transact insurance or adjust claims for the kind, line, or class of insurance identified in the document. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Limited customer representative: means a customer representative appointed by a general lines agent or agency to assist that agent or agency in transacting only the business of private passenger motor vehicle insurance from the office of that agent or agency. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Managing general agent: means any person managing all or part of the insurance business of an insurer, including the management of a separate division, department, or underwriting office, and acting as an agent for that insurer, whether known as a managing general agent, manager, or other similar term, who, with or without authority, separately or together with affiliates, produces directly or indirectly, or underwrites an amount of gross direct written premium equal to or more than 5 percent of the policyholder surplus as reported in the last annual statement of the insurer in any single quarter or year and also does one or more of the following:1. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Service representative: means an individual employed by an insurer or managing general agent for the purpose of assisting a general lines agent in negotiating and effecting insurance contracts when accompanied by a licensed general lines agent. See Florida Statutes 626.015
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (6) or in applicable department rules, and in addition to other conduct described in this chapter with respect to particular types of agents, a license as an insurance agent, service representative, customer representative, or limited customer representative is required in order to engage in the solicitation of insurance. For purposes of this requirement, as applicable to any of the license types described in this section, the solicitation of insurance is the attempt to persuade any person to purchase an insurance product by:1. Describing the benefits or terms of insurance coverage, including premiums or rates of return;2. Distributing an invitation to contract to prospective purchasers;3. Making general or specific recommendations as to insurance products;4. Completing orders or applications for insurance products;5. Comparing insurance products, advising as to insurance matters, or interpreting policies or coverages; or6. Offering or attempting to negotiate on behalf of another person a viatical settlement contract as defined in s. 626.9911.However, an employee leasing company licensed pursuant to chapter 468 which is seeking to enter into a contract with an employer that identifies products and services offered to employees may deliver proposals for the purchase of employee leasing services to prospective clients of the employee leasing company setting forth the terms and conditions of doing business; classify employees as permitted by s. 468.529; collect information from prospective clients and other sources as necessary to perform due diligence on the prospective client and to prepare a proposal for services; provide and receive enrollment forms, plans, and other documents; and discuss or explain in general terms the conditions, limitations, options, or exclusions of insurance benefit plans available to the client or employees of the employee leasing company were the client to contract with the employee leasing company. Any advertising materials or other documents describing specific insurance coverages must identify and be from a licensed insurer or its licensed agent or a licensed and appointed agent employed by the employee leasing company. The employee leasing company may not advise or inform the prospective business client or individual employees of specific coverage provisions, exclusions, or limitations of particular plans. As to clients for which the employee leasing company is providing services pursuant to s. 468.525(4), the employee leasing company may engage in activities permitted by ss. 626.7315, 626.7845, and 626.8305, subject to the restrictions specified in those sections. If a prospective client requests more specific information concerning the insurance provided by the employee leasing company, the employee leasing company must refer the prospective business client to the insurer or its licensed agent or to a licensed and appointed agent employed by the employee leasing company.
(2) No agent or customer representative shall solicit or otherwise transact as agent or customer representative, or represent or hold himself or herself out to be an agent or customer representative as to, any kind or kinds of insurance as to which he or she is not then licensed and appointed.
(3) No person shall act as an adjuster as to any class of business for which he or she is not then licensed and appointed.
(4) No person shall be, act as, or represent or hold himself or herself out to be a service representative unless he or she then holds a currently effective service representative license and appointment. This subsection does not apply as to similar representatives or employees of casualty insurers whose duties are restricted to health insurance.
(5) A person may not be, act as, or represent or hold himself or herself out to be a managing general agent unless he or she then holds a currently effective producer license and a managing general agent appointment.
(6) An individual employed by a life or health insurer as an officer or other salaried representative may solicit and effect contracts of life insurance or annuities or of health insurance, without being licensed as an agent, when and only when he or she is accompanied by and solicits for and on the behalf of a licensed and appointed agent.
(7)(a) An individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other entity shall not act in its own name or under a trade name, directly or indirectly, as an insurance agency unless it complies with s. 626.172 with respect to possessing an insurance agency license for each place of business at which it engages in an activity that may be performed only by a licensed insurance agent. However, an insurance agency that is owned and operated by a single licensed agent conducting business in his or her individual name and not employing or otherwise using the services of or appointing other licensees shall be exempt from the agency licensing requirements of this subsection.
(b) A branch place of business that is established by a licensed agency is considered a branch agency and is not required to be licensed so long as it transacts business under the same name and federal tax identification number as the licensed agency and has designated with the department a licensed agent in charge of the branch location as required by s. 626.0428 and the address and telephone number of the branch location have been submitted to the department for inclusion in the licensing record of the licensed agency within 30 days after insurance transactions begin at the branch location.
(c) If an agency is required to be licensed but fails to file an application for licensure in accordance with this section, the department shall impose on the agency an administrative penalty of up to $10,000.
(8) No insurance agent, insurance agency, or other person licensed under the Insurance Code may pay any fee or other consideration to an unlicensed person other than an insurance agency for the referral of prospective purchasers to an insurance agent which is in any way dependent upon whether the referral results in the purchase of an insurance product.
(9)(a) An individual, a firm, a partnership, a corporation, an association, or any other entity may not act in its own name or under a trade name, directly or indirectly, as an adjusting firm unless it complies with s. 626.8696 with respect to possessing an adjusting firm license for each place of business at which it engages in an activity that may be performed only by a licensed insurance adjuster. However, an adjusting firm that is owned and operated by a single licensed adjuster conducting business in his or her individual name and not employing or otherwise using the services of or appointing other licensees is exempt from the adjusting firm licensing requirements of this subsection.
(b) A branch place of business that is established by a licensed adjusting firm is considered a branch firm and is not required to be licensed if:
1. It transacts business under the same name and federal tax identification number as the licensed adjusting firm;
2. It has designated with the department a primary adjuster operating the location as required by s. 626.8695; and
3. The address and telephone number of the branch location have been submitted to the department for inclusion in the licensing record of the licensed adjusting firm within 30 days after insurance transactions begin at the branch location.
(c) If an adjusting firm is required to be licensed but fails to apply for licensure in accordance with this subsection, the department must impose an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 on the firm.
(10) Any person who knowingly transacts insurance or otherwise engages in insurance activities in this state without a license in violation of this section or who knowingly aids or abets an unlicensed person in transacting insurance or otherwise engaging in insurance activities in this state without a license commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.