(1) Recovery from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund may be obtained as follows:

(a) Any aggrieved person is eligible to receive recovery from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund if the Florida Board of Auctioneers has issued a final order directing an offending licensee to pay restitution to the claimant as the result of the licensee violating, within this state, any provision of s. 468.389 or any rule adopted by the board and if the board determined that the order of restitution cannot be enforced; or

(b) Any aggrieved person who obtains a final judgment in any court against any licensee to recover damages for any actual loss that results from the violation, within this state, by a licensee of any provision of s. 468.389 or any rule adopted by the board may, upon termination of all proceedings, including appeals and proceedings supplemental to judgment for collection purposes, file a verified application to the board for an order directing payment out of the Auctioneer Recovery Fund of the amount of actual loss in the transaction that remains unpaid upon the judgment. The amount of actual loss may include court costs, but shall not include attorney’s fees or punitive damages awarded.

(2) The amount paid from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund may not exceed $50,000 per claim or claims arising out of the same transaction or auction or an aggregate lifetime limit of $100,000 with respect to any one licensee. For purposes of this subsection, auctions conducted under a single contract, agreement, or consignment shall be considered a single transaction or auction even though conducted at more than one time or place.

(3) A claim for recovery from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund shall be made within 2 years from the time of the act giving rise to the claim or within 2 years from the time the act is discovered or should have been discovered with the exercise of due diligence; however, in no event may a claim for recovery be made more than 4 years after the date of the act giving rise to the claim.

(4) The board shall not issue an order for payment of a claim from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund unless the claimant has reasonably established to the board that she or he has taken proper and reasonable action to collect the amount of her or his claim from the licensee responsible for the loss and that any recovery made has been applied to reduce the amount of the claim on the Auctioneer Recovery Fund.

(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, no claim based on any act or omission that occurred outside this state or that occurred before October 1, 1991, shall be payable from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund.

(6) In case of payment of loss from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund, the fund shall be subrogated, to the extent of the amount of the payment, to all the rights of the claimant against any licensee with respect to the loss.

History.—ss. 11, 17, ch. 91-207; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 131, ch. 92-149; s. 304, ch. 97-103; s. 17, ch. 2000-356.