The Florida Senate

559.542  Legislative intent.--The Legislature finds that commercial collection practices in this state are not governed by the federal and state laws relating to the collection of consumer claims and that current criminal laws are inadequate to deal with certain unlawful and fraudulent activities specifically involving the collection of commercial claims in this state. Under such circumstances, there have been in the past, and will be in the future unless the Legislature acts, persons who succeed in flaunting the criminal laws of this state while engaging in the business of collecting commercial claims. Therefore, the Legislature intends by this part to specifically regulate commercial collection activities, separate and apart from consumer collection activities, to prevent unlawful and fraudulent commercial collection activities that otherwise may go unpenalized. The Legislature seeks to do so by requiring the registration of persons and businesses engaged in soliciting the collection of commercial claims or in collecting commercial claims, by prohibiting collection activities in this state by unregistered persons, and by providing effective mechanisms for enforcement of this part.

History.--ss. 1, 2, ch. 93-275.