Licensing; authority.

(1) A captive insurance company, if permitted by its charter or articles of incorporation, may apply to the office for a license to do any and all insurance authorized under the insurance code, other than workers’ compensation and employer’s liability, life, health, personal motor vehicle, and personal residential property insurance, except that:

(a) A pure captive insurance company may not insure any risks other than those of its parent, affiliated companies, controlled unaffiliated businesses, or a combination thereof.

(b) An industrial insured captive insurance company may not insure any risks other than those of the industrial insureds that comprise the industrial insured group and their affiliated companies, or its stockholders or members, and affiliates thereof, of the industrial insured captive, or the stockholders or affiliates of the parent corporation of the industrial insured captive insurance company.

(c) A special purpose captive insurance company may insure only the risks of its parent.

(d) A captive insurance company may not accept or cede reinsurance except as provided in this part.

(e) An industrial insured captive insurance company with unencumbered capital and surplus of at least $20 million may be licensed to provide workers’ compensation and employer’s liability insurance in excess of $25 million in the annual aggregate. An industrial insured captive insurance company must maintain unencumbered capital and surplus of at least $20 million to continue to write such excess workers’ compensation insurance in Florida.

(f) A protected cell captive insurance company may only insure the risks of its protected cell participants.

(2) To conduct insurance business in this state, a captive insurance company must:

(a) Obtain from the office a license authorizing it to conduct insurance business in this state;

(b) Hold at least one board of directors’ meeting each year in this state;

(c) Maintain its principal place of business in this state; and

(d) Appoint a resident registered agent to accept service of process and to otherwise act on its behalf in this state. In the case of a captive insurance company formed as a corporation or a nonprofit corporation, if the registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office of the captive insurance company, the Chief Financial Officer of this state must be an agent of the captive insurance company upon whom any process, notice, or demand may be served.

(3) Before receiving a license, a captive insurance company formed as a corporation or a nonprofit corporation must file with the office a certified copy of its articles of incorporation and bylaws, a statement under oath of its president and secretary showing its financial condition, and any other statements or documents required by the office. In addition, an applicant captive insurance company must file with the office evidence of:

(a) The amount and liquidity of the proposed captive insurance company’s assets relative to the risks to be assumed;

(b) The adequacy of the expertise, experience, and character of the person or persons who will manage the company;

(c) The overall soundness of the company’s plan of operation;

(d) The adequacy of the loss prevention programs of the company’s parent, member organizations, or industrial insureds, as applicable; and

(e) Any other factors considered relevant by the office in ascertaining whether the company will be able to meet its policy obligations.

(4) A captive insurance company or captive reinsurance company must pay to the office a nonrefundable fee of $1,500 for processing its application for license.

(a) A captive insurance company or captive reinsurance company must also pay an annual renewal fee of $1,000.

(b) The office may charge a fee of $5 for any document requiring certification of authenticity or the signature of a representative of the office.

(5) If the office is satisfied that the documents and statements filed by the captive insurance company comply with this chapter, the office may grant a license authorizing the company to conduct insurance business in this state until the next succeeding March 1, at which time the license may be renewed.

(6) Upon approval of the office, a foreign or alien captive insurance company may become a domestic captive insurance company by complying with all of the requirements of law relative to the organization and licensing of a domestic captive insurance company of the same or equivalent type in this state and by filing with the Secretary of State its charter or other organizational documents, together with any appropriate amendments that have been adopted in accordance with the laws of this state to bring the charter or other organizational documents into compliance with the laws of this state, along with a certificate of good standing issued by the office. The captive insurance company is then entitled to the necessary or appropriate certificates and licenses to continue transacting business in this state and is subject to the authority and jurisdiction of this state. In connection with this redomestication, the office may waive any requirements for public hearings. It is not necessary for a captive insurance company redomesticating into this state to merge, consolidate, transfer assets, or otherwise engage in any other reorganization, other than as specified in this section.

(7) An industrial insured captive insurance company need not be incorporated in this state if it has been validly incorporated under the laws of another jurisdiction.