The Florida Senate

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.

(2)  To qualify as a bail bond agent, it must affirmatively appear at the time of application and throughout the period of licensure that the applicant has complied with the provisions of s. 648.355 and has obtained a temporary license pursuant to such section and:

(a)  The applicant is a natural person who has reached the age of 18 years.

(b)  The applicant is a bona fide resident of this state. An individual who is a bona fide resident of this state shall be deemed to meet the residence requirement of this paragraph, notwithstanding the existence, at the time of application for license, of a license in the applicant's name on the records of another state as a resident licensee of such other state, if the applicant furnishes a letter of clearance satisfactory to the department that his or her resident licenses have been canceled or changed to a nonresident basis and that he or she is in good standing.

(c)  The place of business of the applicant will be located in this state and in the county where the applicant will maintain his or her records and be actively engaged in the bail bond business and maintain an agency accessible to the public which is open for reasonable business hours.

(d)  The applicant is vouched for and recommended upon sworn statements filed with the department by at least three reputable citizens who are residents of the same counties in which the applicant proposes to engage in the bail bond business.

(e)  The applicant is a person of high character and approved integrity and has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony, a crime involving moral turpitude, or a crime punishable by imprisonment of 1 year or more under the law of any state, territory, or country, whether or not a judgment or conviction has been entered.

(f)  The applicant has passed any required examination.

(3)  The department may collect a fee necessary to cover the cost of a character and credit report made by an established and reputable independent reporting service. The fee shall be deposited to the credit of the Insurance Commissioner's Regulatory Trust Fund. Any information so furnished is confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1).

(4)  The applicant shall furnish, with his or her application, a complete set of his or her fingerprints and a recent credential-sized, fullface photograph of the applicant. The applicant's fingerprints shall be certified by an authorized law enforcement officer. The department shall not authorize an applicant to take the required examination until the department has received a report from the Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation relative to the existence or nonexistence of a criminal history report based on the applicant's fingerprints.

(5)  The department shall conduct a comprehensive investigation of each applicant, including a background check.

(6)  The provisions of s. 112.011 do not apply to bail bond agents or runners or to applicants for licensure as bail bond agents or runners.

History.--s. 7, ch. 29621, 1955; s. 5, ch. 59-326; s. 9, ch. 61-406; s. 2, ch. 61-119; s. 24, ch. 65-269; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 177, ch. 70-339; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-96; s. 1, ch. 77-116; s. 61, ch. 77-121, s. 1, ch. 77-457; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 10, 71, 72, ch. 82-175; ss. 11, 50, 51, ch. 84-103; s. 5, ch. 87-321; s. 58, ch. 88-166; s. 82, ch. 89-360; ss. 12, 46, 47, ch. 90-131; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 3, ch. 93-119; s. 11, ch. 96-372; s. 403, ch. 96-406.

Note.--Former s. 903.43.