How to Get a Florida Telemarketing License

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Who Needs a Florida Telemarketing License?

Most businesses and individuals engaged in commercial sales via telephone need to be licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, but there are some exceptions. The types of businesses that are not required under the Florida Telemarketing Act to be licensed are identified in Section 501.604 of the Act.

Both telemarketing businesses and the salespeople working for them must obtain a Florida Telephone Seller license.

What Are the Licensing Requirements?

Both business applications and salesperson applications can be submitted online through the Department’s website, which provides all required forms and a checklist of the tasks that must be accomplished. These include, among other requirements, providing sample telemarketing scripts and sales materials and purchasing a $50,000 telemarketer surety bond.

Why Is a Surety Bond Required?

The purpose of the surety bond is to ensure compliance with relevant sections of the Florida Telemarketing Act and other applicable laws and regulations. The bond also ensures that funds will be available to compensate those with a valid claim for damages resulting from the telemarketer�s unlawful or unethical business conduct.

How Does It Work?

There are three parties to a telemarketer surety bond agreement, which is a legally binding contract:

-������ The �obligee� requiring the bond (the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)

-������ The �principal� purchasing the bond (the telemarketing business or salesperson)

-������ The �surety� underwriting and issuing the bond (the surety bond company)

When a claim is filed against a telemarketer bond, the surety company that issued the bond will first investigate to make sure that it is valid. If it is, the surety company will try to work out a settlement with the claimant. If that�s not successful, the principal will be responsible for paying the claim.

However, it�s common practice for the surety to step up and pay a claim on behalf of the principal, essentially advancing funds to the principal. The legal obligation for paying claims belongs to the principal alone, who must reimburse the surety for any claims paid by the surety.

Understanding How the Florida Telemarketing License Process Works

The principal will pay an annual premium for a telemarketer surety bond that is only a small percentage of the required $50,000 bond amount. The surety�s primary consideration in assigning a premium rate to is the principal�s personal credit score.

There is an inverse relationship between a principal�s credit score and the premium rate�the higher the credit score, the lower the premium rate, and vice versa. A high credit score earns a premium rate somewhere between 1% and 4%, or $500 to $2,000. Those with credit challenges should still be able to get bonded, but will pay a higher premium rate.

Get Bonded Today

Give us a call or request a quote online for the surety bond you will need for your telemarketing business or as an individual telemarketer.

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