The Florida Senate

626.927  Licensing of surplus lines agent.--

(1)  Any individual while licensed and appointed as a resident general lines agent as to property, casualty, and surety insurances, and who is deemed by the department to have had sufficient experience in the insurance business to be competent for the purpose, and who has a minimum of 1 year's experience working for a licensed surplus lines agent or who has successfully completed 60 class hours in surplus and excess lines in a course approved by the department, may be licensed as a surplus lines agent, upon taking and successfully passing a written examination as to surplus lines, as given by the department.

(2)  Any individual while licensed and appointed as a managing general agent as defined in s. 626.091, or service representative as defined in s. 626.081, and who otherwise possesses all of the other qualifications of a general lines agent under this code, and who has a minimum of 1 year's experience working for a licensed surplus lines agent or who has successfully completed 60 class hours in surplus and excess lines in a course approved by the department, may, upon taking and successfully passing a written examination as to surplus lines, as given by the department, be licensed as a surplus lines agent solely for the purpose of placing with surplus lines insurers property, marine, casualty, or surety coverages originated by general lines agents; except that no examination as for a general lines agent's license shall be required of any managing general agent or service representative who held a Florida surplus lines agent's license as of January 1, 1959.

(3)  Application for the license shall be made to the department on forms as designated and furnished by it.

(4)  License and appointment fees in the amount specified in s. 624.501 shall be paid to the department in advance. The license and appointment of a surplus lines agent continue in force until suspended, revoked, or otherwise terminated. The appointment of a surplus lines agent continues in force until suspended, revoked, or terminated, but is subject to biennial renewal or continuation by the licensee in accordance with procedures prescribed in s. 626.381 for agents in general.

(5)  The applicant must file and thereafter maintain the bond as required under s. 626.928.

(6)  Examinations as to surplus lines, as required under subsections (1) and (2), shall be subject to the provisions of part I as applicable to applicants for licenses in general. No such examination shall be required as to persons who held a Florida surplus lines agent's license as of January 1, 1959, except when examinations subsequent to issuance of an initial license are provided for in general under part I.

(7)  Any individual who has been licensed by the department as a surplus lines agent as provided in this section may be subsequently appointed without additional written examination if his or her application for appointment is filed with the department within 24 months next following the date of cancellation or expiration of the prior appointment. The department may, in its discretion, require any individual to take and successfully pass an examination as for original issuance of license as a condition precedent to the reinstatement or continuation of the licensee's current license or reinstatement or continuation of the licensee's appointment.

History.--s. 366, ch. 59-205; s. 6, ch. 63-86; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 2, ch. 81-318; ss. 307, 318, 807, ch. 82-243; ss. 173, 206, 207, ch. 90-363; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 304, ch. 97-102; s. 71, ch. 98-199.