Game and Fish License and Permit Agent Bond - Collier County, FL in Florida

Brief Summary

If you sell Florida hunting and fishing licenses at a Collier County bait shop, marina or sporting goods store, this bond backs the license money you collect for the state. A surety bond lets you meet the security requirement for a modest premium instead of putting up cash.

Florida hunting and fishing licenses and permits can be sold by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, by any county tax collector, or by subagents the commission appoints under Florida Statutes 379.3511. The commission may require each subagent to post a bond in an amount it determines, written by an insurer it accepts. This page covers that bond for a subagent selling in Collier County. Confirm the required amount, obligee wording and form with the commission or the Collier County Tax Collector before the bond is issued.

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How to Apply for a Game and Fish License and Permit Agent Bond:

• Apply to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for appointment as a license subagent.
• Ask whether the commission requires an individual bond from you or covers you under a blanket bond.
• Get the required bond amount, obligee wording and bond form.
• Apply for the bond using the business name on your subagent application.
• Pay the premium and receive the executed bond.
• File the bond as the commission or the Collier County Tax Collector directs before you begin selling licenses.

Detailed Information About the Florida Game and Fish License and Permit Agent Bond:

The amount is set by the commission, not the statute

Applicants often go looking for a dollar figure in Florida law and do not find one. Section 379.3511 says the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may require each subagent to post an appropriate bond as determined by the commission, using an insurance company acceptable to the commission. The law also gives the commission two alternatives. It may buy blanket bonds covering all or selected subagents, or it may let a subagent post other security. So the first question is whether the commission wants an individual bond from you, and for how much.

Who sells licenses in Collier County

Under section 379.352(4), licenses and permits may be sold by the commission, by any tax collector in the state, or by any subagent authorized under section 379.3511. Subagents are appointed by the commission and serve at its pleasure. The commission may set selection and appointment procedures by rule.

What the bond protects

A subagent collects license and permit fees on behalf of the state and must submit payment for and report those sales to the commission. The bond guarantees that this money is turned over and that the subagent follows the law. If a subagent fails to remit, a claim can be made against the bond up to its amount, and the subagent must repay the surety. A willful violation of section 379.3511 is a Level Two violation under section 379.401.

What a subagent can keep

A subagent may charge and keep 50 cents for each license or permit sold, on top of the amount required by law. That charge does not apply to the shoreline fishing license. For those, the subagent may keep 50 cents from license proceeds that would otherwise go to the commission. Separately, a tax collector may retain 50 cents for each license sold by subagents in its county.

Cost

The premium depends on the bond amount the commission requires and the credit of the business owner.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Florida Game and Fish License and Permit Agent Bond:

• Bond amount set by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
• A surety company acceptable to the commission.
• Obligee wording as directed by the commission or the Collier County Tax Collector.
• Principal name matching the subagent appointment exactly.
• Owner credit review, which mainly affects the premium.

Florida Game and Fish License and Permit Agent Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the Florida Game and Fish License and Permit Agent Bond: