The University of Central Florida and Florida Insurance University receive daily calls from students interested in becoming a Florida All Lines adjuster license. Often the prospective student has been doing a careful examination of the different schools and providers that offer appraiser appointments in Florida. One fantastic tale that has been doing the rounds is that if a Florida resident first obtains the Texas non-resident license, the student can use that Texas license to obtain the Florida license through reciprocity. Could not be farther from the truth!
If you are a Florida resident, you must qualify for a Florida All Lines license by taking an approved Florida license designation course or by taking the state exam.
Several years ago, we received a frantic call from an insurance company that had about 60 adjusters who had taken the Texas course. Each adjuster had spent approximately $600 on Texas training, only to discover that no one qualified for the Florida license because they were Florida residents.
When they found out that if they took the Florida Accredited Claims Adjuster Designation first, they would have qualified for the Texas license through reciprocity and that they would not have been required to take the Texas course or spend the extra money, trust me… there were some big, angry adjusters!
The way the system works is:
1. If you are a Florida resident, you can take the Certified Claims Adjuster Designation and be exempt from the state exam for 5-20 Independent or 6-20 Company license, or take the state licensing exam;
2. If you are a non-resident and your state requires an appraiser’s license, you must be licensed by your home state before Florida will allow you to obtain a non-resident license;
3. If you are a non-resident and your state does not require an appraiser’s license, you are eligible for a Florida non-resident license by taking the ACA Designation course.
If any school or organization tells you that a Florida resident can be licensed without first meeting Florida requirements, be careful and verify those representations with the Department of Financial Services in Tallahasse by visiting www.fldfs.com.