Household Moving Services Performance ($50,000) Bond - Statewide in Florida

Brief Summary

If your paperwork says $25,000, it is out of date. Florida doubled the household mover and moving broker performance bond to $50,000 effective July 1, 2024. The bond is how a small mover replaces the per shipment liability policy and how every moving broker meets its coverage requirement, and the original goes to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with the registration.

Under Florida Statutes 507.04, a moving broker must keep a $50,000 performance bond or a $50,000 certificate of deposit in a Florida bank on file with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. A mover operating two or fewer vehicles may use the same bond or certificate in lieu of the $10,000 per shipment liability insurance required of other movers. The department must be the sole beneficiary, and the bond pays consumers harmed by fraud, breach of contract or financial failure.

We can help with all Florida bonds!

How to Apply for a Household Moving Services Performance ($50,000) Bond:

• Confirm which rule applies: every moving broker needs the bond or certificate, and a mover needs it only if it runs two or fewer vehicles and chooses it over the liability policy.
• Complete FDACS-10960, Mover (Intrastate) Registration Application, or FDACS-10964, Moving Broker Registration Application.
• Obtain a $50,000 performance bond from a surety authorized to do business in Florida, naming the department as sole beneficiary.
• Send the original bond to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with the registration.
• Pay the registration fee, calculated at $300 per year.
• Keep the bond in force through every biennial renewal, since a lapse triggers immediate suspension.

Detailed Information About the Florida Household Moving Services Performance ($50,000) Bond:

The amount changed in 2024

Senate Bill 304, Chapter 2024-47, Laws of Florida, raised the performance bond and certificate of deposit in section 507.04 from $25,000 to $50,000, effective July 1, 2024. Older registration guides and checklists still show $25,000. The statute now reads $50,000 for both movers and moving brokers.

Who files it

Two groups use this bond. A moving broker must maintain either a $50,000 performance bond or a $50,000 certificate of deposit in a Florida banking institution. A mover that operates two or fewer vehicles may choose the same bond or certificate in lieu of the liability insurance every other mover carries, which is at least $10,000 per shipment for loss or damage to household goods caused by the mover's negligence. Movers with more than two vehicles carry that insurance and do not have the bond option.

Chapter 507 applies to intrastate moves that start and end in Florida. It does not apply to shipments contracted by the United States, the state, or any local government or political subdivision of the state.

How claims are paid

The original bond must be filed with the department and name the department as sole beneficiary. The department uses it only to pay consumers injured by the fraud, misrepresentation, breach of contract, misfeasance, malfeasance or financial failure of the mover or broker, or by a violation of Chapter 507. Claims are paid by department order after liability is set in an administrative proceeding or a civil action. The bond is subject to successive claims, but the total cannot exceed $50,000.

Keeping the registration active

Registration fees are $300 per year and registrations renew biennially on or before the expiration date. If the bond or certificate lapses, section 507.04(3) requires the department to suspend the registration immediately, and the mover or broker must stop operating in Florida.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Florida Household Moving Services Performance ($50,000) Bond:

• Bond amount of $50,000 since July 1, 2024. A $25,000 bond no longer meets the statute.
• Surety company authorized to conduct business in Florida.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as sole beneficiary.
• Original bond on file with the department, not a copy.
• A $50,000 certificate of deposit in a Florida banking institution is the only alternative the statute allows.

Florida Household Moving Services Performance ($50,000) Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the Florida Household Moving Services Performance ($50,000) Bond: