Bureau of Agricultural Dealer's Licenses

Division of Marketing and Development
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

2009-2010 Overview of Activities

The Department assisted Florida producers in reducing their financial risk through its administration of Florida’s Agricultural License and Bond Law. This law ensures that Florida producers of agricultural products covered by the license and bond provisions receive proper accounting and payment for their products.

During fiscal year 2009-2010, the Department issued 4,982 licenses and collected $868,781 in license fees and delinquent penalties.

The Department received 215 claims against agricultural dealers in this fiscal year. Claims against dealers in agricultural products must be filed within six months from the date of sale and total a minimum of $500. There were 235 claims settled in the past year resulting in the recovery of $1,891,155 on behalf of Florida agricultural dealers.

The Department closely monitors dealers to make sure they maintain adequate bonds to protect Florida growers. Department associates conducted 848 compliance audits of dealers’ records during the year. These audits are designed to ensure that bond amounts are maintained, to determine whether unlicensed dealers were exempt from license and bond requirements, to determine if prospective licensees were conducting business in a manner requiring licensure, and to document violations of Department enforcement actions.

The Department opened 206 new enforcement cases, closed 189 cases, and collected $95,351 in administrative fines during the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Enforcement actions resulted in an additional $2,004,294 of bond protection for Florida growers.