(1)(a) The department shall issue an appointment as a public adjuster apprentice to a licensee who:

1. Is licensed as an all-lines adjuster under s. 626.866;

2. Has filed with the department a bond executed and issued by a surety insurer that is authorized to transact such business in this state in the amount of $50,000, which is conditioned upon the faithful performance of his or her duties as a public adjuster apprentice; and

3. Maintains such bond unimpaired throughout the existence of the appointment and for at least 1 year after termination of the appointment.

(b) The bond must be in favor of the department and must specifically authorize recovery by the department of the damages sustained in case the licensee commits fraud or unfair practices in connection with his or her business as a public adjuster apprentice. The aggregate liability of the surety for all such damages may not exceed the amount of the bond, and the bond may not be terminated by the issuing insurer unless written notice of at least 30 days is given to the licensee and filed with the department.

(2) An appointing public adjusting firm may not maintain more than four public adjuster apprentices simultaneously. However, a supervising public adjuster may not be responsible for more than one public adjuster apprentice simultaneously and shall be accountable for the acts of the public adjuster apprentice which are related to transacting business as a public adjuster apprentice. This subsection does not apply to a public adjusting firm that adjusts claims primarily for commercial entities with operations in more than one state and that does not directly or indirectly perform adjusting services for insurers or individual homeowners.

(3) A public adjuster apprentice has the same authority as the licensed public adjuster or public adjusting firm that employs the apprentice except that an apprentice may not execute contracts for the services of a public adjuster or public adjusting firm. An individual may not be, act as, or hold himself or herself out to be a public adjuster apprentice unless the individual is licensed as an all-lines adjuster and holds a current appointment by a licensed public all-lines adjuster or a public adjusting firm that employs a licensed public adjuster.

History.—s. 13, ch. 2008-220; s. 6, ch. 2009-87; s. 8, ch. 2011-174; s. 34, ch. 2012-209; s. 10, ch. 2017-147.