The Florida Senate

601.67  Disciplinary action by Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services against citrus fruit dealers.--

(1)  The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services may impose a fine not exceeding $50,000 per violation against any licensed citrus fruit dealer for violation of any provision of this chapter and, in lieu of, or in addition to, such fine, may revoke or suspend the license of any such dealer when it has been satisfactorily shown that such dealer, in her or his activities as a citrus fruit dealer, has:

(a)  Obtained a license by means of fraud, misrepresentation, or concealment;

(b)  Violated or aided or abetted in the violation of any law of this state governing or applicable to citrus fruit dealers or any lawful rules of the Department of Citrus;

(c)  Been guilty of a crime against the laws of this or any other state or government involving moral turpitude or dishonest dealing, or has become legally incompetent to contract or be contracted with;

(d)  Made, printed, published, distributed, or caused, authorized, or knowingly permitted the making, printing, publication, or distribution of false statements, descriptions, or promises of such a character as to reasonably induce any person to act to her or his damage or injury, if such citrus fruit dealer then knew, or, by the exercise of reasonable care and inquiry, could have known of the falsity of such statements, descriptions, or promises;

(e)  Knowingly committed or been a party to any material fraud, misrepresentation, concealment, conspiracy, collusion, trick, scheme, or device whereby any other person lawfully relying upon the word, representation, or conduct of the citrus fruit dealer has acted to her or his injury or damage;

(f)  Committed any act or conduct of the same or different character of that hereinabove enumerated which constitutes fraudulent or dishonest dealing; or

(g)  Violated any of the provisions of ss. 506.19-506.28, both sections inclusive.

(2)  The department may impose a fine not exceeding $100,000 per violation against any person who operates as a citrus fruit dealer without a current citrus fruit dealer license issued by the department pursuant to s. 601.60 In addition, the department may order such person to cease and desist operating as a citrus fruit dealer without a license. An administrative order entered by the department under this subsection may be enforced pursuant to s. 601.73

(3)  The department shall impose a fine of not less than $10,000 nor more than $100,000 per violation against any licensed citrus fruit dealer and shall suspend, for 60 days during the first available period between September 1 and May 31, the license of any citrus fruit dealer who:

(a)  Falsely labels or otherwise misrepresents that a fresh citrus fruit was grown in a specific production area specified in s. 601.091; or

(b)  Knowingly, falsely labels or otherwise misrepresents that a processed citrus fruit product was prepared solely with citrus fruit grown in a specific production area specified in s. 601.091

(4)  Any fine imposed pursuant to subsection (1), subsection (2), or subsection (3), when paid, shall be deposited by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services into its General Inspection Trust Fund.

(5)  Whenever any administrative order has been made and entered by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services which imposes a fine pursuant to this section, such order shall specify a time limit for payment of the fine, not exceeding 15 days. The failure of the dealer involved to pay the fine within that time shall result in the immediate suspension of such citrus fruit dealer's current license, or any subsequently issued license, until such time as the order has been fully satisfied. Any order suspending a citrus fruit dealer's license shall include a provision that such suspension shall be for a specified period of time not to exceed 60 days, and such period of suspension may commence at any designated date within the current license period or subsequent license period. Whenever an order has been entered which suspends a citrus fruit dealer's license for a definite period of time and that license, by law, expires during the period of suspension, the suspension order shall continue automatically and shall be effective against any subsequent citrus fruit dealer's license issued to such dealer until such time as the entire period of suspension has elapsed. Whenever any such administrative order of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is sought to be reviewed by the offending dealer involved in a court of competent jurisdiction, if such court proceedings should finally terminate in such administrative order being upheld or not quashed, such order shall thereupon, upon the filing with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services of a certified copy of the mandate or other order of the last court having to do with the matter in the judicial process, become immediately effective and shall then be carried out and enforced notwithstanding such time will be during a new and subsequent shipping season from that during which the administrative order was first originally entered by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

History.--s. 67, ch. 25149, 1949; s. 1, ch. 61-90; s. 2, ch. 61-119; ss. 14, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 7, ch. 71-185; s. 22, ch. 71-186; s. 6, ch. 78-95; s. 1, ch. 79-126; s. 2, ch. 81-318; ss. 6, 7, ch. 82-29; ss. 1, 3, ch. 85-129; s. 1, ch. 89-83; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 982, ch. 97-103; s. 4, ch. 97-118; s. 13, ch. 97-220.