The Florida Senate

626.221  Examination requirement; exemptions.--

(1)  The department shall not issue any license as agent, customer representative, or adjuster to any individual who has not qualified for, taken, and passed to the satisfaction of the department a written examination of the scope prescribed in s. 626.241

(2)  However, no such examination shall be necessary in any of the following cases:

(a)  An applicant for renewal of appointment as an agent, customer representative, or adjuster, unless the department determines that an examination is necessary to establish the competence or trustworthiness of such applicant.

(b)  An applicant for limited license as agent for personal accident insurance, baggage and motor vehicle excess liability insurance, credit life or disability insurance, credit insurance, credit property insurance, in-transit and storage personal property insurance, or communications equipment property insurance or communication equipment inland marine insurance.

(c)  In the discretion of the department, an applicant for reinstatement of license or appointment as an agent, customer representative, or adjuster whose license has been suspended within 2 years prior to the date of application or written request for reinstatement.

(d)  An applicant who, within 2 years prior to application for license and appointment as an agent, customer representative, or adjuster, was a full-time salaried employee of the department and had continuously been such an employee with responsible insurance duties for not less than 2 years and who had been a licensee within 2 years prior to employment by the department with the same class of license as that being applied for.

(e)  An individual who qualified as a managing general agent, service representative, customer representative, or all-lines adjuster by passing a general lines agent's examination and subsequently was licensed and appointed and has been actively engaged in all lines of property and casualty insurance may, upon filing an application for appointment, be licensed and appointed as a general lines agent for the same kinds of business without taking another examination if he or she holds any such currently effective license referred to in this paragraph or held the license within 24 months prior to the date of filing the application with the department.

(f)  A person who has been licensed and appointed by the department as a public adjuster or independent adjuster, or licensed and appointed either as an agent or company adjuster as to all property, casualty, and surety insurances, may be licensed and appointed as a company adjuster as to any of such insurances, or as an independent adjuster or public adjuster, without additional written examination if an application for appointment is filed with the department within 24 months following the date of cancellation or expiration of the prior appointment.

(g)  A person who has been licensed by the department as an adjuster for motor vehicle, property and casualty, workers' compensation, and health insurance may be licensed as such an adjuster without additional written examination if his or her application for appointment is filed with the department within 24 months after cancellation or expiration of the prior license.

(h)  An applicant for temporary license, except as provided in this code.

(i)  An applicant for a life or health license who has received the designation of chartered life underwriter (CLU) from the American College of Life Underwriters and who has been engaged in the insurance business within the past 4 years, except that such an individual may be examined on pertinent provisions of this code.

(j)  An applicant for license as a general lines agent, customer representative, or adjuster who has received the designation of chartered property and casualty underwriter (CPCU) from the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters and who has been engaged in the insurance business within the past 4 years, except that such an individual may be examined on pertinent provisions of this code.

(k)  An applicant for license as a customer representative who has the designation of Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI) from the Insurance Institute of America, the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) from the Society of Certified Insurance Service Counselors, the designation of Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR) from the Independent Insurance Agents of America, the designation of Certified Professional Service Representative (CPSR) from the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, the designation of Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) from the Society of Certified Insurance Service Representatives. Also, an applicant for license as a customer representative who has the designation of Certified Customer Service Representative (CCSR) from the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, or the designation of Registered Customer Service Representative (RCSR) from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution in this state, or the designation of Professional Customer Service Representative (PCSR) from the Professional Career Institute, whose curriculum has been approved by the department and whose curriculum includes comprehensive analysis of basic property and casualty lines of insurance and testing at least equal to that of standard department testing for the customer representative license. The department shall adopt rules establishing standards for the approval of curriculum.

(l)  An applicant for license as an adjuster who has the designation of Accredited Claims Adjuster (ACA) from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution in this state, or the designation of Professional Claims Adjuster (PCA) from the Professional Career Institute, whose curriculum has been approved by the department and whose curriculum includes comprehensive analysis of basic property and casualty lines of insurance and testing at least equal to that of standard department testing for the all-lines adjuster license. The department shall adopt rules establishing standards for the approval of curriculum.

(m)  An applicant qualifying for a license transfer under s. 626.292, if the applicant:

1.  Has successfully completed the prelicensing examination requirements in the applicant's previous state which are substantially equivalent to the examination requirements in this state, as determined by the Insurance Commissioner of this state;

2.  Has received the designation of chartered property and casualty underwriter (CPCU) from the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters and has been engaged in the insurance business within the past 4 years if applying to transfer a general lines agent license; or

3.  Has received the designation of chartered life underwriter (CLU) from the American College of Life Underwriters and has been engaged in the insurance business within the past 4 years, if applying to transfer a life or health agent license.

(n)  An applicant for a nonresident agent license, if the applicant:

1.  Has successfully completed prelicensing examination requirements in the applicant's home state which are substantially equivalent to the examination requirements in this state, as determined by the Insurance Commissioner of this state, as a requirement for obtaining a resident license in his or her home state;

2.  Held a general lines agent license, life agent license, or health agent license prior to the time a written examination was required;

3.  Has received the designation of chartered property and casualty underwriter (CPCU) from the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters and has been engaged in the insurance business within the past 4 years, if an applicant for a nonresident license as a general lines agent; or

4.  Has received the designation of chartered life underwriter (CLU) from the American College of Life Underwriters and has been in the insurance business within the past 4 years, if an applicant for a nonresident license as a life agent or health agent.

(3)  An individual who is already licensed as a customer representative shall not be licensed as a general lines agent without application and examination for such license.

History.--s. 201, ch. 59-205; s. 1, ch. 67-91; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 5, ch. 71-86; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-457; s. 87, ch. 79-40; s. 3, ch. 81-282; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 164(2nd), 217, 807, 810, ch. 82-243; s. 17, ch. 82-386; s. 86, ch. 83-216; s. 6, ch. 88-166; ss. 21, 206, 207, ch. 90-363; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 218, ch. 97-102; s. 14, ch. 98-199; s. 1, ch. 2001-190; s. 1, ch. 2002-84; ss. 12, 51, ch. 2002-206.