Surety Bonds for Florida Agricultural Dealers

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agricultural dealers

Florida agricultural dealers are required to get a license and surety bond to do business in the state. The license is issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

What do agricultural dealers do?

Agricultural dealers, or dealers in agricultural products�as the law refers to them, are individuals or business entities that purchase, receive, or solicit products from producers. Dealers also include individuals acting as agents for agricultural producers and those that negotiate sales between buyers and producers.

Agricultural products are natural products from farms, nurseries, groves, orchards, vineyards, gardens, and apiaries. Livestock, sod, horticultural products, milk products, and poultry are also included in the definition, found in Florida Statutes��604.15.

How to get licensed and bonded

Here’s some of the information the Department asks for from agricultural dealer applicants:

  • Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
  • Business type (sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, partnership)
  • Business’s legal name and trade name
  • Business contact information (address, phone number, email)
  • License fee for first location + $100 for each additional location
  • Surety bond
  • Contact information for each partner or business owner

On the application, dealers need to specify the types of agricultural products they will be handling. Licenses are good for one year and agricultural dealers can incur a $100 penalty if they file for license renewal after its expiration.

To determine their surety bond amount, dealers use the dollar value from the month in which they bought or handled the highest volume of agricultural products in the preceding 12 months. If a dealer is submitting a new business application, they should estimate the highest volume of monthly purchases they expect to make. The surety bond amount the dealer needs is twice that amount. If new agricultural dealer applicant estimated their highest monthly purchase amount would be $15,000, the dealer would need to get a $30,000 surety bond.

Agricultural dealers’ annual license fee for the first business location is dependent on their surety bond amount:

  • $5,000-$9,999 surety bond�$170 license fee
  • $10,000-$14,999 surety bond�$230 license fee
  • $15,000-$100,000 surety bond�$300 license fee

More questions about getting a Florida agricultural dealer’s license? See the Department’s FAQ or contact them. Ready to get the required surety bond? Call Single Source Insurance today!�

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