Talent Agency ($5,000) Bond - Statewide in Florida

Brief Summary

Florida will not license a talent agency until a $5,000 surety bond is on file with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The figure is set by statute and does not change with the size of your roster, and DBPR asks for proof of a current bond at every renewal, so one bond kept in force covers the license for as long as you hold it.

Section 468.408, Florida Statutes, requires a licensed talent agency to file a $5,000 surety bond with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, written by a surety the department approves. The bond is conditioned on the agency following Part VII of Chapter 468, and anyone harmed by a violation can sue on it in their own name. A person who acts only for herself or himself, a family member, or exclusively for one artist does not need a talent agency license.

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How to Apply for a Talent Agency ($5,000) Bond:

• Confirm a license is needed. Acting only for yourself, a family member, or exclusively for one artist does not require one.
• Gather proof of at least one year of direct experience in talent, casting, production or a related field.
• Complete FDLE LiveScan fingerprinting and have a photograph taken within the last two years.
• Collect affidavits from at least five reputable persons stating the applicant is of good moral character.
• Prepare an itemized schedule of the maximum fees and commissions the agency will charge.
• Obtain the $5,000 surety bond and submit it with the DBPR application and fee.

Detailed Information About the Florida Talent Agency ($5,000) Bond:

The exemption is narrower than most managers think

Plenty of managers and bookers assume they are too small to need a license. Florida Statutes 468.403 excuses only a person who acts as an agent for herself or himself, a family member, or exclusively for one artist. Take on a second artist outside those categories and you need a talent agency license, and the license requires the bond.

What the statute requires

Under Florida Statutes 468.408, a talent agency files with the department a bond in the penal sum of $5,000, with one or more sureties approved by the department. The statute sets one flat figure with no tiers. The bond is conditioned on the agency conforming to and not violating the duties, terms, conditions and requirements of Part VII of Chapter 468.

Who can claim on it

A person harmed by the agency's violation may bring an action on the bond in their own name in any court with jurisdiction, and the claim can be assigned to someone else. The surety must notify the department of claims made against the bond, with notice to the agency. The statute also says these remedies are not exclusive of any other remedy, so an artist is not limited to the $5,000 when pursuing the agency itself.

Applying and renewing

The DBPR initial licensure checklist asks for proof of at least one year of experience, fingerprints taken through an FDLE LiveScan service provider, the $5,000 bond from a company licensed to write bonds in Florida, an itemized schedule of maximum fees and commissions, and corporate registration where it applies. Section 468.403 sets a nonrefundable application fee of no more than $300 plus the actual cost of fingerprint analysis. Talent agency licenses expire May 31 of even-numbered years, and at renewal DBPR asks for a copy of the current bond or a continuation rider.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Florida Talent Agency ($5,000) Bond:

• Bond penal sum of exactly $5,000 under Florida Statutes 468.408.
• Surety approved by DBPR and licensed to write bonds in Florida.
• Bond conditioned on compliance with Part VII of Chapter 468, Florida Statutes.
• Application fee of no more than $300 plus fingerprint analysis cost, not refundable.
• Copy of the current bond or a continuation rider at each even-year renewal.

Florida Talent Agency ($5,000) Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the Florida Talent Agency ($5,000) Bond: