Are you applying for a Florida insurance license with a criminal history? Important changes to Florida law could impact your application.

Are you seeking licensure as an insurance agent or adjuster in the State of Florida? If you have a criminal history, arrests, or convictions, you may be concerned about how that can impact your application for licensure. Florida Statute §626.207 and Florida Administrative Code 69B-211.042(13) govern what offenses bar individuals from licensure.

            On May 31 of this year, Senate Bill 7052 was enacted, bringing several significant changes to the statutes that regulate the financial services business, including license applications. Accordingly, the Department of Financial Services updated its rules and regulations, effective July 31 of this year, changing the effect of a criminal history on insurance licensing in some cases.

            If you have been convicted of multiple crimes that carry a seven- or fifteen-year disqualifying period, the Florida Department of Financial Services calculates the total period for which you will be barred from obtaining your license. Under the previous rule, when an application had multiple criminal convictions which would subject them to a disqualifying period, an additional disqualifying period for each additional crime would be added to any existing period of disqualification.

Under the new rule, a base period of disqualification and an additional period of disqualification will be calculated based on the following:

• 5 years added to the base period for each felony involving moral turpitude;
• 2 years added to the base period for each felony not involving moral turpitude;
• and 2 years added to the base period for each misdemeanor directly related to the financial business.