License required; exemptions.

(1) No person in this state shall provide or offer to provide service warranties to residents of this state unless authorized therefor under a subsisting license issued by the office. The service warranty association shall pay to the office a license fee of $200 for such license for each license year, or part thereof, the license is in force.

(2) An insurer, while authorized to transact property or casualty insurance in this state, may also transact a service warranty business without additional qualifications or authority, but shall be otherwise subject to the applicable provisions of this part.

(3) The office may, pursuant to s. 120.569, in its discretion and without advance notice and hearing, issue an immediate final order to cease and desist to any person or entity which violates this section. The Legislature finds that a violation of this section constitutes an imminent and immediate threat to the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of this state.

(4) Any person that is an affiliate of a domestic insurer as defined in chapter 624 is exempt from application of this part if the person does not issue, or market or cause to be marketed, service warranties to residents of this state and does not administer service warranties that were originally issued to residents of this state. The domestic insurer or its wholly owned Florida licensed insurer must be the direct obligor of all service warranties issued by such affiliate or must issue a contractual liability insurance policy to such affiliate that meets the conditions described in s. 634.406(3). If the Office of Insurance Regulation determines, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, that a person’s intentional business practices do not comply with any of the exemption requirements of this subsection, the person shall be subject to this part.

(5) A person is exempt from the license requirement in this section if the person complies with the following:

(a) The service warranties are only sold to nonresidents of this state and the person does not issue, market, or cause to be marketed service warranties to residents of this state.

(b) The person submits a letter of notification that provides the following information to the office upon the start of business from this state and annually thereafter by March 1:

1. The type of products offered and a statement certifying that the products are not regulated in the state in which the person is transacting business or that the person is licensed in the state in which the person is transacting business.

2. The name of the person; the state of domicile; the home address and address in this state of the person; the names of the owners and their percentage of ownership; the names of the officers and directors; the name, e-mail, and telephone number of a contact person; the states in which the person is transacting business; and how many individuals are employed in this state.

(c) If the person ceases to do business from this state, the person shall provide written notification to the office within 30 days after cessation of business.

(6) Any person who provides, offers to provide, or holds oneself out as providing or offering to provide a service warranty to residents of this state without holding a subsisting license commits, in addition to any other violation, a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.