Florida Travel Agency Bond – Updated Forms

Florida Travel Agency Bonds – Updated Forms

Florida’s Seller of Travel Division of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently began rejecting older versions of their Seller of Travel Surety Bond.  Until recently, they would accept their older Florida Travel Agency Bond form originally issued in 2010.  However, they’re now only accepting their most recent revision made in 2015.

How does the new travel agency bond form differ from the old form?

The changes are primarily centered around wording on page 2 of the Florida Travel Agency Bond form.  In the first paragraph on page 2, they added the word “which” at the beginning of the paragraph.  They removed “herein referred to as surety” and replaced it with “is authorized to do business and issue surety bonds in the state of Florida”.  The term “hereinafter referred to as Obligee” was replaced with “Obligee”.  Towards the end of the first paragraph, the words “Florida Statutes” were replaced with “F.S” and adds the following language: “and shall not injure a consumer by fraud, misrepresentation, breach of contract, financial failure or violation of the Florida Sellers of Travel Act by the Principal,”.  Lastly, in item 3, the “s” is removed from the second instance of the word “days”.

Do I need to replace my old Florida Travel Agency Bond with the new form?

No, you do not need to replace your current Florida Travel Agency Bond form with the new form.  However, if you let your current bond expire, you will need to replace it with the new version.  Please note that your bond can usually be reinstated if the surety company is notified within 30 days of it being cancelled.

Where can I find a copy of the new Florida Travel Agency Bond form?

You can find a copy of the bond form on the Department of Agriculture’s website or in your seller of travel application.  The form will consist of the last two pages of the application packet.