In The Know - July 2026
2026 Legislative Changes - Senate Bill 1452 - Department of Financial Services
The following are several changes to the Florida Statutes effective June 26, 2026:
Section 626.611(1), F.S. The department shall require license reexamination, deny an application for, suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew or continue the license or appointment of any applicant, agent, title agency, adjuster, customer representative, service representative, or managing general agent, and it shall suspend or revoke the eligibility to hold a license or appointment of any such person, if it finds that as to the applicant, licensee, or appointee any one or more of the following applicable grounds exist…
Section 626.854(24), F.S. A public adjuster, public adjuster apprentice, or public adjusting firm must respond with specific information to a written or electronic request for claims status from a claimant or insured or their designated representative within 14 days after the date of the request and shall document in the file the response or information provided.
Section 627.797, F.S. Exempt agent list.— (Repealed)
Section 648.34(4), F.S. The applicant shall furnish, with his or her application, a complete set of his or her fingerprints in accordance with s. 626.171(4) and a recent credential-sized, full face photograph of the applicant. 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.
Section 648.382(2), F.S. Before any appointment, an appropriate officer or official of the appointing insurer must obtain all of the following information submit:
(a) A certified statement or affidavit to the department stating what investigation has been made concerning the proposed appointee and the proposed appointee’s background and the appointing person’s opinion to the best of his or her knowledge and belief as to the moral character and reputation of the proposed appointee. In lieu of such certified statement or affidavit, by authorizing the effectuation of an appointment for a licensee, the appointing entity certifies to the department that such investigation has been made and that the results of the investigation and the appointing person’s opinion is that the proposed appointee is a person of good moral character and reputation and is fit to engage in the bail bond business;
(b) An affidavit under oath on a form prescribed by the department, signed by the proposed appointee, stating that premiums are not owed to any insurer and that the appointee will discharge all outstanding forfeitures and judgments on bonds previously written. If the appointee does not satisfy or discharge such forfeitures or judgments, the former insurer shall file a notice, with supporting documents, with the appointing insurer, the former agent or agency, and the department, stating under oath that the licensee has failed to timely satisfy forfeitures and judgments on bonds written and that the insurer has satisfied the forfeiture or judgment from its own funds. Upon receipt of such notification and supporting documents, the appointing insurer shall immediately cancel the licensee’s appointment. The licensee may be reappointed only upon certification by the former insurer that all forfeitures and judgments on bonds written by the licensee have been discharged. The appointing insurer or former agent or agency may, within 10 days, file a petition with the department seeking relief from this paragraph. Filing of the petition stays the duty of the appointing insurer to cancel the appointment until the department grants or denies the petition;
(c) Any other information that the department reasonably requires concerning the proposed appointee; and
(d) Effective January 1, 2025, a certification that the appointing entity obtained from each appointee the following sworn statement:
Pursuant to section 648.382(2)(b), Florida Statutes, I do solemnly swear that I owe no premium to any insurer or agency and that I will discharge all outstanding forfeitures and judgments on bonds that have been previously written. I acknowledge that failure to do this will result in my active appointments being canceled.
(In other words, these are no longer sent to the Department of Financial Services, they are maintained by the surety company appointing the bail bond agent or agency.)
For more information, you can review the bill at the Senate's website.
General Lines Agents - Review Your Customers' Policy Benefits
Many agents review their customers' coverage at renewal; it's good practice to talk with your customers to make sure they have the coverage they need and uncover any gaps in coverage. Consumer needs can change quickly and a once-a-year review of homeowners insurance is often related to the premium.
Be sure to review coverages with your clients to see if they need to make any adjustments, such as:
• Do they need to locate alternative coverage? For example, some auto policies DO NOT cover the peril of flood, even if there is comprehensive coverage on the vehicle.
Now is the time to ensure the financial wellbeing of your clients. A few minutes can save a customer thousands of dollars and ease recovery from a storm.
The Department is frequently contacted by licensees asking us to assist them in obtaining a "release" from an appointment or contract. In those cases, the licensee may have contracted or entered into an agreement with an agency, insurer, or other entity which restricts or prevents the licensee from terminating an appointment to enter into an employment or other arrangement with another agency or other entity and be reappointed with the insurer involved.
General Lines Agents - Review Your Customers' Policy Benefits
All licensees have the authority to cancel appointments through their MyProfile account. The Department cannot assist a licensee related to the terms of the contract or agreement the licensee entered into with an agency or firm. The Department is not a party to those contracts or agreements which are civil in nature and those contracts or agreements may restrict a licensee from cancelling an appointment.
The National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) Reports Email Phishing Campaign
NIPR has identified an email phishing campaign targeting producers, and immediate caution is advised. The fraudulent emails reference past due invoices and may appear to originate from familiar or trusted domains, including @nipr.com, @naic.org, or @stripe. NIPR reports the messages are fraudulent and did not originate from an official NIPR email address or account. The emails claiming to be from NIPR request payment. Any unexpected invoice from NIPR should be treated as a potential phishing scam.
NIPR provided the following notice on April 14, 2026:
NIPR has identified an active phishing email campaign targeting producers, and immediate caution is advised. These fraudulent emails reference past due invoices and may appear to originate from familiar or trusted domains, including @nipr.com, @naic.org, or @stripe. These messages are fraudulent and were not sent from an official NIPR email address or account. The emails falsely claim to be from NIPR and request payment. Any unexpected or unsolicited invoice should be treated as suspicious.
What We’re Doing to Protect Our Clients
NIPR takes the security of our clients and partners seriously and is taking immediate action to address this threat.
- Our cybersecurity team is actively investigating and monitoring this phishing activity.
- Prominent warning alerts have been posted on NIPR.com and within the Licensing Center to increase awareness.
- The NIPR Billing team is proactively communicating with clients and collecting details to support NAIC’s security investigation.
- NIPR, via NAIC, sent a notification to all Commissioners.
- NIPR will be sending a broadcast email to its state and industry contacts the week of April 13.
Immediate Actions You Should Take
Your vigilance is critical in preventing financial loss and data compromise.
- Share NIPR’s phishing information webpage with all producers as soon as possible.
- If a producer receives an invoice email claiming to be from NIPR that was not expected, instruct them to stop immediately and take no action.
- Do not open attachments, click links, or submit payment in response to suspicious or unexpected invoice emails.
- If there is any doubt about the legitimacy of an invoice or email, contact niprbillingdept@nipr.com before responding or taking further action.
For more information, please visit the NIPR's phishing awareness page.
Incidents or questions about suspected phishing attempts should be reported to NIPR which is a separate entity from the Department.
Insurance Commissioner Executes a Cease and Desist Order against Arizona Premium Financing Company
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has issued a Cease and Desist Order against Arizona Premium Financing Company alleging the company financed hundreds of premium finance contracts in Florida without the required Certificate of Authority. A copy of the Order is available at the Office's Orders and Memoranda webpage.
Department licensees should always check the authority status of insurers, third-party administrators and other entities that must be authorized by the Office to conduct transactions in Florida as noted in our Verify Before You Sell article.
Questions about Licensing or Compliance? Utilize our ChatBot "AskDFS?" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
The Department has established a ChatBot to provide faster service to general questions about licensing, compliance and other topics. The icon "Ask DFS?" is available on our website in the lower right corner of every page. If you don't find the answer you need, send an email to the appropriate section of the Division, as instructed on our Contact Us page.
