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Compliance CornerBail Bond Agents - Alert - April 1, 2021 Deadline for RegistrationFlorida Statutes s.648.42 requires bail bond agents to register and file their current power of attorney form with the county they reside, and each county they will be posting bonds, by April 1 of every odd year. For more information about registering, bail bond agents should contact the surety companies they are appointed to represent with and the sheriff and clerk of the circuit court in the counties where they will be posting bonds. Reminder: Adjusting Firms - Registration and Designation of Adjuster in Charge is RequiredAdjusting firms operating in Florida must have a current form DFS-H2-6364 (Designation/Deletion of Primary Adjuster for Adjusting Firm, and Filing of Firm, Corporation, or Business Name Change) on record with the Department. The filing is one of the requirements for all adjusting firm types, to lawfully operate an adjusting firm. An online application is being developed and we'll provide more information when its release is forthcoming. If you have not already done so, we recommend your agency submit its designation forms. Should a storm impact Florida, adjusting firms operating without registration will be subject to administrative action. Emergency Adjusters - Your ResponsibilitiesIn the aftermath Hurricane Sally's recent landfall in the Florida Panhandle, appointing entities rushed to appoint emergency adjusters. Investigators conducting licensing checks after landfall have historically identified individuals acting as Emergency Adjusters without a current license or no license at all. Emergency Adjusters must be licensed and appointed by an insurer or an adjusting firm to legally adjust insurance claims in Florida. Adjusters attempting to enter restricted areas after a storm without proper license credentials could be turned away. Anyone found adjusting claims without a license could be subject to administrative action and/or criminal penalties. Emergency adjuster licenses and appointments made during previous hurricane seasons are not valid for the 2020 hurricane season. Emergency adjuster licenses are temporary in nature and do not renew. You are responsible for making sure you are properly licensed and appointed prior to adjusting claims. This includes acting as an emergency adjuster in 2020 for storms making landfall in Florida. Emergency adjusters should follow up with the appointing entity to ensure the appointment is active, or by verifying your appointment through the Department's Licensee Search. Public Adjuster Fee Limits Are In Effect - Hurricane SallyFlorida Statutes s. 626.854(1)(b)1., requires public adjusters to limit their fee for public adjusting services upon the Declaration of Emergency by the Governor. The Hurricane Sally Emergency Order was effective September 14, 2020 and was amended September 15, 2020 to include additional counties. The maximum fee a public adjuster may charge is 10% for claims arising from events covered in the Executive Orders, for residential property claims. Governor DeSantis' Executive Orders can be viewed at the links below. #2020-224 Executive Order re: Emergency Management - Hurricane Sally Title Agency Data Call 2020 - CFO Enforcement Directive Expired September 1, 2020Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CFO Patronis signed a directive delaying enforcement of the 2020 data call until September 1, 2020. The expiration of the directive means agencies that have not complied with this statutory requirement will be subject to possible administrative action after that date. If your agency has not yet complied with this requirement, we urge you to do so immediately. Information about the 2020 Title Agency Data Call The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) is conducting its annual Title Agencies Data Call pursuant to Sections 624.307 and 627.782, F.S. and Sec. 69O-186.013, F.A.C. Title Insurance Agencies licensed at any time during Calendar Year 2019 are required filers. There are no exceptions - even if your agency closed during 2019. The Office's reporting system called the Insurance Regulation Filing System. Here is the link: https://irfs.fldfs.com/ A How To guide is also available at: https://floir.com/siteDocuments/TitleFilingInstructions.pdf
The full template contains seven tabs:
Further instructions are available on our website at: https://www.floir.com/Office/Reporting.aspx#Title If you have questions regarding this filing process, please email the Office at: TitleAgencyDataCall@floir.com or contact the Market Data Collections Unit at 850-413-3147. If phone lines are busy you are encouraged to send your questions by email. Your email may request that a representative from Market Data Collections call you (remember to provide your number). Calls will be returned in the order your email messages are received. Send email inquiries to: TitleAgencyReporting@floir.com. Compliance Information
Department licensees and consumers can access compliance information at the Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services' web page under Compliance Information. Additional information is available by license type on our Frequently Asked Questions web page. Note: Some information in archived articles may now be out of date or superseded by changes in Florida law. Please be sure you refer to the most current law. Make Sure You Don't Miss Important Information From UsWe highly recommend licensees routinely check their MyProfile accounts for messages from the Department. We send licensees important emails to keep you informed on issues regarding application, license, continuing education, or when appointment(s) occur. We suggest adding our domains dfs.state.fl.us and MyFloridaCFO.com to your email software's Trusted or Safe Senders List to ensure you receive email notifications from us. Update your contact information TODAY through your MyProfile account to ensure you remain informed. You are required to abide by the Florida Insurance Code regardless of whether you read the information we provide.
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