Florida Statutes Title XXXVII Chapter 648 - Bail Bond Agents

• 648.24 - Declaration Of Public Policy.
  It is the public policy of this state and the intent of the Legislature that a bond for which fees or premiums are charged must...
• 648.25 - Definitions.
  As used in this chapter, the term:(1) “Bail bond agency” means:(a) The building where a licensee maintains an office and where all records required by ss. 648.34...
• 648.26 - Department Of Financial Services; Administration.
  (1) The department shall administer the provisions of this chapter as provided in this chapter.(a) The department has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and...
• 648.27 - Licenses And Appointments; General.
  (1) A license may not be issued except in compliance with this chapter, and may not be issued except to an individual. A firm, partnership, association,...
• 648.279 - Scope Of License.
  The issuance of a license pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall confer upon the holder the right to perform all duties and powers...
• 648.285 - Bond Agency; Ownership Requirements.
  (1) A person may not own, control, or otherwise have a pecuniary interest in a bail bond agency unless such individual is a licensed and appointed...
• 648.29 - Build-up Funds Posted By Bail Bond Agent.
  (1) All build-up funds pledged to indemnify an insurer which are posted by a bail bond agent or agency with the insurer must be held in...
• 648.295 - Reporting And Accounting Of Funds.
  (1) All premiums, return premiums, or other funds belonging to insurers or others received by a person licensed pursuant to this chapter in transactions under her...
• 648.30 - Licensure And Appointment Required.
  (1) A person may not act in the capacity of a bail bond agent or temporary bail bond agent or perform any of the functions, duties,...
• 648.31 - Appointment Taxes And Fees.
  The department shall collect in advance all appointment taxes and fees for the issuance of any appointment to a bail bond agent or temporary bail...
• 648.315 - Number Of Applications For Licensure Required.
  After a license as a bail bond agent has been issued to an individual, the same individual is not required to file another application for...
• 648.33 - Bail Bond Rates.
  (1) Bail bond rates are subject to the provisions of part I of chapter 627 of the insurance code.(2) It is unlawful for a bail bond agent...
• 648.34 - Bail Bond Agents; Qualifications.
  (1) An application for licensure as a bail bond agent must be submitted on forms prescribed by the department. The application must include the applicant’s full...
• 648.35 - Professional Bail Bond Agent; Qualifications.
  In addition to the qualifications prescribed in s. 648.34, to qualify as a professional bail bond agent an applicant shall:(1) File with his or her application...
• 648.355 - Temporary Limited License As Limited Surety Agent Or Professional Bail Bond Agent; Pending Examination.
  (1) The department may, in its discretion, issue a temporary license as a limited surety agent or professional bail bond agent, subject to the following conditions:(a) The...
• 648.36 - Bail Bond Agent’s Records.
  Each licensee must maintain in his or her office such records of bail bonds executed or countersigned by him or her to enable the department...
• 648.365 - Statistical Reporting Requirements; Penalty For Failure To Comply.
  (1) Each insurer and each bail bond agent who writes bail bonds in this state, shall maintain and transmit the following information, based on their Florida...
• 648.38 - Licensure Examination For Bail Bond Agents; Time; Place; Fees; Scope.
  (1) Upon approval by the department of a licensure application, the applicant for licensure as a bail bond agent shall appear in person to take a...
• 648.381 - Reexamination.
  Any applicant for licensure who has taken an examination and failed to make a passing grade, has failed to appear for the examination, or has...
• 648.382 - Appointment Of Bail Bond Agents And Temporary Bail Bond Agents; Effective Date Of Appointment.
  (1) Each insurer appointing a bail bond agent and each insurer, managing general agent, or bail bond agent appointing a temporary bail bond agent in this...
• 648.383 - Renewal, Continuation, Reinstatement, And Termination Of Appointment; Bail Bond Agents.
  (1) The appointment of a bail bond agent shall continue in force unless suspended, revoked, or otherwise terminated, subject to a renewal request filed by the...
• 648.384 - Effect Of Expiration Of Appointment; Bail Bond Agents.
  (1) Upon the expiration of any person’s appointment as provided in s. 648.383, such person is without any authority to engage or attempt to engage in...
• 648.385 - Continuing Education Required; Requirements.
  (1) The purpose of this section is to establish requirements and standards for continuing education courses for persons authorized to write bail bonds in this state.(2) Each...
• 648.386 - Qualifications For Prelicensing And Continuing Education Schools And Instructors.
  (1) SCHOOLS AND CURRICULUM FOR PRELICENSING SCHOOLS.—In order to be considered for approval and certification as an approved limited surety agent and professional bail bond agent...
• 648.387 - Primary Bail Bond Agents; Duties.
  (1) The owner or operator of a bail bond agency shall designate a primary bail bond agent for each location, and shall file with the department...
• 648.388 - Insurer Must Appoint Managing General Agent.
  Any insurer regularly engaged in the execution of bail bonds in this state shall have a managing general agent in this state to supervise its...
• 648.39 - Termination Of Appointment Of Managing General Agents, Bail Bond Agents, And Temporary Bail Bond Agents.
  (1) An insurer who terminates the appointment of a managing general agent, bail bond agent, or temporary bail bond agent shall, within 10 days after such...
• 648.40 - Application For Appointment Of Professional Bail Bond Agents; Termination.
  (1) Upon licensure as a professional bail bond agent, the licensee shall file an application for appointment with the department together with the required appointment fees...
• 648.41 - Termination Of Appointment Of Temporary Bail Bond Agents.
  A bail bond agent, insurer, or managing general agent terminating the appointment of a temporary bail bond agent must, within 10 days, file written notice...
• 648.42 - Registration Of Bail Bond Agents.
  A bail bond agent may not become a surety on an undertaking unless he or she has registered in the office of the sheriff and...
• 648.421 - Notice Of Change Of Address Or Telephone Number.
  Each licensee under this chapter shall notify in writing the department, insurer, managing general agent, and the clerk of each court in which the licensee...
• 648.43 - Power Of Attorney; Approval By Office; Filing Of Copies; Notification Of Transfer Bond.
  (1) Every insurer engaged in the writing of bail bonds through bail bond agents in this state shall submit to the office for prior approval a...
• 648.44 - Prohibitions; Penalty.
  (1) A bail bond agent or temporary bail bond agent may not:(a) Suggest or advise the employment of, or name for employment, any particular attorney to represent...
• 648.441 - Furnishing Supplies To Unlicensed Bail Bond Agent Prohibited; Civil Liability And Penalty.
  (1) An insurer, managing general agent, bail bond agent, or temporary bail bond agent appointed under this chapter may not furnish to any person any blank...
• 648.442 - Collateral Security.
  (1) Collateral security or other indemnity accepted by a bail bond agent, except a promissory note or an indemnity agreement, shall be returned upon final termination...
• 648.4425 - Notice.
  (1) Upon issuing a bond, the bail bond agent shall provide to the principal and, if applicable, to the party rendering collateral or indemnifying the surety...
• 648.45 - Actions Against A Licensee; Suspension Or Revocation Of Eligibility To Hold A License.
  (1) The department shall, upon receipt of an information or indictment, immediately temporarily suspend any license or appointment issued under this chapter when the licensee has...
• 648.46 - Procedure For Disciplinary Action Against Licensees.
  (1) The department shall investigate the actions of a licensee when it receives a written complaint containing allegations of fact that, if true, show that a...
• 648.48 - Witnesses And Evidence.
  (1) With respect to the subject of any examination or investigation being conducted by the department, the agent or examiner appointed by the department may administer...
• 648.49 - Duration Of Suspension Or Revocation.
  (1) The department shall, in its order suspending a license or appointment or the eligibility to hold a license or appointment, specify the period during which...
• 648.50 - Effect Of Suspension, Revocation Upon Associated Licenses And Licensees.
  (1) Upon the suspension, revocation, or refusal to renew or continue any license or appointment or the eligibility to hold a license or appointment of a...
• 648.51 - Surrender Of License.
  (1) Though issued to a licensee, all licenses issued under this chapter are at all times the property of the state, and upon notice of any...
• 648.52 - Administrative Fine.
  (1) If, pursuant to the procedure described in s. 648.46, the department finds that one or more causes exist for the suspension of, revocation of, or...
• 648.525 - Civil Assessment.
  (1) The department may initiate a civil administrative proceeding against a licensee who fails to comply with the solicitation requirements of this chapter.(2) The burden of proof...
• 648.53 - Probation.
  (1) If, pursuant to the procedure described in s. 648.46, the department finds that one or more causes exist for a fine, or for the suspension...
• 648.55 - All Bail Bond Agents Of Same Agency; Licensed By Same Companies.
  All bail bond agents who are members of the same agency, partnership, corporation, or association shall be appointed to represent the same companies. If any...
• 648.57 - Penalty.
  Any person or corporation, who is found guilty of violating any of the provisions of this chapter commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable...
• 648.571 - Failure To Return Collateral; Penalty.
  (1) A bail bond agent who has taken collateral or an insurer or managing general agent who holds collateral as security for a bail bond shall,...
• 648.58 - Injunctive Proceedings.
  In addition to the penalties and other enforcement provisions of this chapter, if any person violates this chapter or any rule adopted pursuant to this...

Last modified: September 23, 2016