Florida · Insurance Adjuster Sample Interactive Mind Map
Florida Adjuster Regulations
A visual breakdown of the Florida rules an all-lines adjuster is tested on — including the numbers that changed, and when.
Florida issues one adjuster license and turns company, independent, and public-apprentice status into appointments on it. Then it rewrote its property claim deadlines three times between 2021 and 2023. This map lays out both: the license structure, and the current clock — acknowledge in 7 days, inspect in 30, pay or deny in 60.
So explore it. Click through the clusters, then take the scenario quiz at the end and see which numbers have actually stuck.
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Florida issues ONE all-lines adjuster license. Company, independent, and public-apprentice are APPOINTMENTS on it — and you may hold only one at a time.
That has been true since October 1, 2012. Most of what is wrong in Florida prep material is a description of the system that existed before that date.
That has been true since October 1, 2012. Most of what is wrong in Florida prep material is a description of the system that existed before that date.
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§ 626.864 — Read It Once, Carefully
Three testable rules live in three sentences
- (1) A qualified individual may be licensed as a public adjuster OR an all-lines adjuster — two licenses, not five
- (2) The same individual may not be concurrently licensed as a public adjuster and an all-lines adjuster — you pick a side of the table
- (3) An all-lines adjuster may be appointed as an independent adjuster, public adjuster apprentice, or company employee adjuster — but not more than one concurrently
The giveaway in the definitions§§ 626.855, 626.856, and 626.8561 all now begin the same way: “a person licensed as an all-lines adjuster who…” Note the odd one out — the public adjuster apprentice holds an all-lines license, not a public adjuster license. The apprenticeship is how you earn your way toward a 3-20.
| Code | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| 6-20 | Resident All-Lines Adjuster — the main license |
| 7-20 | Non-Resident All-Lines Adjuster — not “independent adjuster” |
| 70-20 | Non-Resident Designated Home State (DHS) Adjuster |
| 3-20 | Resident Public Adjuster — a genuinely separate license |
| 31-20 | Public Adjuster Apprentice — an appointment, not a license |
| 0-70 | Emergency Adjuster — post-catastrophe, sponsor-applied |
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Three code traps the prep sites get wrong
7-20 is not “independent adjuster.” It is the nonresident all-lines license; independent is an appointment.
The apprentice code is 31-20, not 0-20 — and it is an appointment.
The emergency code is 0-70, not 6-21.
Footnote: DFS's own CE tables still list a legacy 5-20 beside 6-20 and 70-20, because licensees grandfathered before the 2012 consolidation kept their code.
The apprentice code is 31-20, not 0-20 — and it is an appointment.
The emergency code is 0-70, not 6-21.
Footnote: DFS's own CE tables still list a legacy 5-20 beside 6-20 and 70-20, because licensees grandfathered before the 2012 consolidation kept their code.
🏢 All-Lines Adjuster (6-20)
🏠 Public Adjuster (3-20)
Acts for
The insurer — or, as an apprentice, learns under a public adjusterActs for
The insured, for compensationExam
Waivable by 13 designations and several other routesExam
No exemptions — everyone sits itBond
NoneBond
$50,000Experience
NoneExperience
6 months of qualifying appointmentCE
24 hrs — 4-hr Law & Ethics 5-620CE
24 hrs — 4-hr Law & Ethics 5-320, restricted electivesPay
By the carrier — no capPay
Capped at 20% / 10% / 1% / 0%Stale-guide alertThe public adjuster experience requirement is 6 months, not a year — cut by 2022 legislation — and it is satisfied by appointment as an independent adjuster or company employee adjuster, not only by apprenticeship. Under § 626.8651 a firm may hold no more than 4 apprentices, and one supervisor no more than 1. An apprentice has full authority except that an apprentice may not execute contracts.
Most Florida adjusters never sit the state exam — and no one sits a mandatory prelicensing course, because there isn't one.
The 40-hour course is an alternative to the exam, not a prerequisite for it. That trips up candidates who know Florida demands up to 200 prelicensing hours for its 2-20 agent license.
The 40-hour course is an alternative to the exam, not a prerequisite for it. That trips up candidates who know Florida demands up to 200 prelicensing hours for its 2-20 agent license.
Route A
Designation
13 approved designations waive the exam: ACA, AIC, AICS, CA, CALA, CCA, CACP, CPCU, PCA, PIC, PPIA, RCA, UCC. The 40-hour ACA course is the common on-ramp.
Route B
State exam
InsFL-ALJ16 at Pearson VUE — 100 scored + 10 pretest, 2 hours, 70%, $44. Max 5 attempts per 12 months; a pass is valid 1 year.
Route C
Other exemptions
A Florida public adjuster license, a Florida 2-20 general lines license, a degree with 18+ insurance semester hours, or a letter of clearance within 48 months.
❌
AINS does not waive the Florida exam
It is not on the DFS approved-designation list, and neither is AIC-M as a separately named designation. Both appear on prep sites routinely. The thirteen above are the list.
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The Appointment — Florida's Distinctive Requirement
Most states license you and stop. Florida does not.
- Your license is inactive until you are appointed — the appointment is what ties you to a capacity
- $60, renewed every 24 months during your birth month
- Independent adjusters may self-appoint — § 626.855 says so on its face
- 48 months unappointed and the license EXPIRES — not lapses. You start over.
Total cost, exam route$50 application + $5 license ID + $49.50 fingerprints (IdentoGO by Idemia) + $44 exam + $60 appointment = about $208.50. The designation route drops the $44 and adds the course fee.
| Continuing education — § 626.2815 | Electives | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Standard — under 6 years licensed | 20 hrs | 24 hrs |
| 6 or more years licensed | 16 hrs | 20 hrs |
| 25 or more years AND holds CLU or CPCU, or a risk-management/insurance degree with 18+ insurance semester hours | 6 hrs | 10 hrs |
plus a 4-hour Law & Ethics Update every cycle — 5-620 all-lines, 5-320 public adjuster
🌐 7-20 — already licensed at home
24 states give exam exemption and CE reciprocity
5 states — exam exemption only (CT, ME, MI, SC, VT)
California — CE reciprocity only
🏠 70-20 — home state licenses no one
You name Florida as your home state and qualify to the full Florida standard
Other states then treat it like a resident license
The CE trap: 70-20 holders must do FLORIDA CE. The reciprocity above belongs to 7-20.
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Emergency Adjuster (0-70) — § 626.874
Florida's surge valve, and you cannot pull it yourself
- For persons 18 or over who are NOT licensed adjusters, certified as qualified by an authorized insurer or a licensed independent adjusting firm under contract with one
- 6 months from issuance, extendable up to another 6 if conditions persist (Rule 69B-220.001)
- Usable only for losses directly resulting from that emergency
- The individual cannot apply — the appointing entity files through its own MyProfile account
- $50 application + $5 license ID + $10 appointment
The practical pointYou cannot drive into Florida after a hurricane and start working claims. You need a 6-20, 7-20, 70-20, or a sponsor willing to put you up for a 0-70.
Florida cut every property claim deadline roughly in half on December 16, 2022. A guide printed in 2022 is not slightly wrong — it is wrong by a factor of two.
Learn the current numbers, and learn what they replaced, because files opened under the old regime are still open.
Learn the current numbers, and learn what they replaced, because files opened under the old regime are still open.
| § 627.70131 — the insurer's duty | Now | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Receive a communication about a claim → review and acknowledge | 7 days | (1)(a) |
| Receive proof-of-loss statements → begin investigation | 7 days | (3)(a) |
| Receive proof-of-loss statements → conduct any physical inspection | 30 days | (3)(b) |
| Generate a detailed estimate → send a copy to the policyholder | 7 days | (3)(e) |
| Receive notice of an initial, reopened, or supplemental claim → PAY OR DENY | 60 days | (7)(a) |
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There was an intermediate step — and some material froze on it
Acknowledge: 14 days → 14 → 7 · Begin investigation: 10 working days → 14 → 7
Physical inspection: no deadline → 45 → 30 · Pay or deny: 90 → 90 → 60
SB 2-D (May 26, 2022) created the inspection deadline at 45 days; SB 2-A (Dec 16, 2022) cut everything. A guide showing “14 / 45 / 90” is a mid-2022 snapshot and is also wrong.
Physical inspection: no deadline → 45 → 30 · Pay or deny: 90 → 90 → 60
SB 2-D (May 26, 2022) created the inspection deadline at 45 days; SB 2-A (Dec 16, 2022) cut everything. A guide showing “14 / 45 / 90” is a mid-2022 snapshot and is also wrong.
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Tolling — Both Mechanisms Are Narrow
You cannot manufacture extra time
- § 627.70131(5) — “factors beyond the insurer's control” requires an OIR order (declared emergency, reportable security breach, IT failure). OIR may not extend pay-or-deny by more than 30 additional days.
- The same subsection covers policyholder fraud, lack of cooperation, or intentional misrepresentation.
- § 627.70131(8) — deadlines toll during mediation or contractual ADR, and on the policyholder's failure to supply requested material claims information within 10 days…
- …but only if the insurer sent the request at least 15 days before the deadline. A last-minute request buys nothing.
And the interest bites backwardsMiss the 60 days and interest accrues from the date the claim was filed — not from the 61st day.
| § 627.70132 — the insured's notice | Now | Was |
|---|---|---|
| Initial or reopened claim, from the date of loss | 1 year | 3 yrs → 2 yrs (2021) → 1 yr |
| Supplemental claim, from the date of loss | 18 months | 3 yrs → 18 mo |
| Statute of limitations on breach of the policy, from the date of loss | 5 years | unchanged — § 95.11(2)(e) |
Four details inside § 627.70132“Any peril” — no separate hurricane track any more. Surplus lines are covered, which is unusual nationally. Date of loss for weather is landfall, or NOAA verification. And the definitions matter: a reopened claim is one the insurer closed and reopened for costs on damage already disclosed; a supplemental claim is for additional loss from the same peril while completing repairs. Only the supplemental gets 18 months.
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Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights — § 627.7142
Personal lines residential only — and the duty is the insurer's, not yours
- Delivered within 14 days of an initial communication about a claim — unchanged
- Acknowledgment within 7 days — was 14
- On written request, coverage confirmation within 30 days of a complete proof of loss — unchanged
- Copy of any detailed estimate within 7 days of generation
- Payment, payment of the undisputed portion, or denial within 60 days — was 90
- Interest from the filing date if that 60 days is missed; free DFS mediation; neutral evaluation for sinkhole
The trap: only SOME numbers changedThe 14-day delivery and the 30-day coverage confirmation are unchanged. The items that read 14 and 90 now read 7 and 60. A guide that updated one set and not the other is worse than one that updated neither.
In Florida, breaking the ethics RULE is automatically an unfair claim settlement PRACTICE. No separate finding required.
Rule 69B-220.201(2)(b): “A breach of any provision of this rule constitutes an unfair claims settlement practice.” Almost no national text covers this bootstrap.
Rule 69B-220.201(2)(b): “A breach of any provision of this rule constitutes an unfair claims settlement practice.” Almost no national text covers this bootstrap.
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(3)(a) No steering
No referring a claimant to anyone with whom you have an undisclosed financial interest, or who will pay you directly or indirectly for the referral.
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(3)(g) Represented claimants
No negotiating or settling directly with a third-party claimant you know is represented by an attorney, without the attorney's consent.
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(3)(h) Don't discourage counsel
No advising a claimant to refrain from seeking legal advice, and none against retaining counsel or a public adjuster.
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(3)(k) Competence
No adjusting a claim on coverage you are not currently competent and knowledgeable about.
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The Shock Rule — 69B-220.201(3)(i)
Know it by its subsection letter
“An adjuster shall not attempt to negotiate with or obtain any statement from a claimant or witness at a time that the claimant or witness is, or would reasonably be expected to be, in shock or serious mental or emotional distress as a result of physical, mental, or emotional trauma associated with a loss. The adjuster shall not conclude a settlement when the settlement would be disadvantageous to… a claimant who is in the traumatic or distressed state described above.”
Note what is NOT in itThere is no numeric waiting period. The test is the claimant's state, not the clock.
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There is no “48-hour rule” in the ethics rule — and the real one points the other way
A great deal of Florida prep material claims 69B-220.201 makes you wait 48 hours before taking a statement. It does not. The real 48-hour rule is statutory: § 626.854(14) requires a company employee adjuster, independent adjuster, attorney, or investigator acting for an INSURER to give at least 48 hours' notice before scheduling a meeting with an insured who has a public adjuster or legal representative. It protects a represented insured — it is not a cooling-off period after a loss.
Also: the rule was restructured effective 1/5/2015 and amended again effective 4/21/2025. Subsection (3) now ends at (m). Anything citing letters past (m) is running on pre-2015 text. And the rule contains no business-card or identification provision.
Also: the rule was restructured effective 1/5/2015 and amended again effective 4/21/2025. Subsection (3) now ends at (m). Anything citing letters past (m) is running on pre-2015 text. And the rule contains no business-card or identification provision.
✅ Single act is enough
🔄 Needs a general business practice
§ 626.9541(1)(i)1
Settling on an application altered without the insured's notice, knowledge, or consent§ 626.9541(1)(i)3 — opens “with such frequency as to indicate a general business practice”
Failing to adopt investigation standards · misrepresenting facts or policy provisions · failing to acknowledge and act promptly§ 626.9541(1)(i)2
Material misrepresentation made with intent to effect settlement on less favorable terms§ 626.9541(1)(i)4
Failing to pay undisputed amounts on first-party property within 60 days (90 for hurricane/emergency)How this is testedA question describes one incident. If it is an altered application, a material misrepresentation to cheapen a settlement, or failure to pay undisputed amounts in 60 days — once is enough. Anything on the (1)(i)3 list needs a pattern. A national course teaches the frequency test for all of it. In Florida that is wrong.
Florida's hurricane deductible is ANNUAL. Its residual market is Citizens, not a FAIR Plan. And three legal structures collapsed between 2022 and 2023.
These are the items a national course will actively teach you wrong.
These are the items a national course will actively teach you wrong.
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Hurricane Deductible — § 627.701
Calendar-year, not per storm
- Options offered: $500, 2%, 5%, 10% of dwelling limits (unless the percentage is under $500)
- Trigger: begins when the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane WARNING for any part of Florida…
- …and ends 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning for any part of Florida terminates
- Applies annually to all covered hurricane losses in the calendar year — personal lines residential
- Second storm same year: the insurer applies the greater of the remaining hurricane deductible or the AOP deductible — the insured never drops below AOP
- Commercial residential may elect PER-HURRICANE — so “annual” is a personal-lines answer
- Separate roof deductible (2022): no more than the lesser of 2% of Coverage A or 50% of roof replacement cost
✅ CGCC — MANDATORY
1. Abrupt collapse of the ground cover
2. Depression visible to the naked eye
3. Structural damage including the foundation
4. Structure condemned and ordered vacated
All four required. Most Florida sinkhole damage fails #4.
💵 Sinkhole — OPTIONAL
Must be made available for additional premium
Means structural damage caused by sinkhole activity
Contents and ALE apply only if there is structural damage
Deductibles 1%, 2%, 5%, 10% of dwelling limits
⚠️ § 627.7065 does not exist — cite §§ 627.707, 627.7072, 627.7073
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Three structures that collapsed — and still appear on live files
One-way attorney fees are gone. § 627.428 and § 626.9373 were repealed outright by HB 837, effective March 24, 2023. Fee-shifting now runs through § 768.79 and § 57.105 — both ways, or not at all.
Bad faith needs an adverse adjudication. § 624.1551: no property bad-faith action until a court has adjudicated a breach and entered final judgment. Accepting a § 768.79 offer is expressly not an adverse adjudication. “Mere negligence alone is insufficient.”
AOB is prohibited. § 627.7152(13): a policyholder may not assign any post-loss benefit under a residential property policy issued on or after January 1, 2023. Any attempt is “void, invalid, and unenforceable.” It does not reach public adjuster compensation.
Bad faith needs an adverse adjudication. § 624.1551: no property bad-faith action until a court has adjudicated a breach and entered final judgment. Accepting a § 768.79 offer is expressly not an adverse adjudication. “Mere negligence alone is insufficient.”
AOB is prohibited. § 627.7152(13): a policyholder may not assign any post-loss benefit under a residential property policy issued on or after January 1, 2023. Any attempt is “void, invalid, and unenforceable.” It does not reach public adjuster compensation.
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Citizens — the 20% rule
Ineligible if an authorized insurer offers comparable coverage at not more than 20% higher premium. Dwelling replacement cost $700,000+ is ineligible ($1M in Miami-Dade and Monroe). Not a FAIR Plan.
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Hurricane Cat Fund
State trust fund run by the State Board of Administration — essentially state-run reinsurance. Participation is mandatory; insurers elect 45%, 75%, or 90% coverage.
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FIGA
Insolvency fund: under $300,000, plus $200,000 more for homeowners structure and contents. Policies terminate 30 days after the insolvency order. The $100 deductible was removed in 2021.
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Modified comparative
Since March 24, 2023, a claimant greater than 50% at fault recovers nothing — med-mal excepted. Exactly 50% still recovers. Negligence SOL cut 4 → 2 years.
PIP is NOT repealedFlorida's no-fault law is in force. SB 522 and HB 769 both died March 13, 2026; a 2021 repeal passed and was vetoed. $10,000 medical and disability (80% medical, 60% wages) plus $5,000 death on top; treatment within 14 days; only $2,500 without an emergency medical condition. Minimums are $10,000 PIP + $10,000 PDL — Florida still does not require BI liability to register a vehicle.
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Top Exam Tips — Florida Adjuster Regulations
1. One license, three appointments. Company, independent, and public-apprentice are appointment types on a 6-20 — one at a time. You may not hold all-lines and public adjuster together.
2. 7-20 = Non-Resident All-Lines. Not “independent adjuster.” Apprentice is 31-20; emergency is 0-70.
3. No mandatory prelicensing. The 40-hour course replaces the exam. 13 designations qualify — AINS is not one.
4. The appointment is what activates the license — $60 every 24 months, self-appointment allowed, 48 months unappointed and it expires.
5. CE 24 hours, dropping to 20 at 6+ years and 10 at 25+ years with CLU/CPCU or a qualifying degree.
6. 70-20 holders must do Florida CE. The reciprocity belongs to 7-20.
7. The claim clock: 7 / 7 / 30 / 7 / 60. Acknowledge, investigate, inspect, send the estimate, pay or deny. All cut on December 16, 2022.
8. Notice of claim 1 year; supplemental 18 months; contract SOL 5 years from date of loss.
9. Bill of Rights delivered in 14 days — and the 14-day and 30-day items did not change while 14→7 and 90→60 did.
10. Ethics-rule breach = unfair claim settlement practice, automatically. The shock rule is (3)(i); there is no 48-hour rule in the ethics rule.
11. “General business practice” attaches only to § 626.9541(1)(i)3. Items 1, 2, and 4 violate on a single act.
12. Hurricane deductible is ANNUAL; CGCC needs all four elements; modified comparative with a >50% bar since March 2023.
2. 7-20 = Non-Resident All-Lines. Not “independent adjuster.” Apprentice is 31-20; emergency is 0-70.
3. No mandatory prelicensing. The 40-hour course replaces the exam. 13 designations qualify — AINS is not one.
4. The appointment is what activates the license — $60 every 24 months, self-appointment allowed, 48 months unappointed and it expires.
5. CE 24 hours, dropping to 20 at 6+ years and 10 at 25+ years with CLU/CPCU or a qualifying degree.
6. 70-20 holders must do Florida CE. The reciprocity belongs to 7-20.
7. The claim clock: 7 / 7 / 30 / 7 / 60. Acknowledge, investigate, inspect, send the estimate, pay or deny. All cut on December 16, 2022.
8. Notice of claim 1 year; supplemental 18 months; contract SOL 5 years from date of loss.
9. Bill of Rights delivered in 14 days — and the 14-day and 30-day items did not change while 14→7 and 90→60 did.
10. Ethics-rule breach = unfair claim settlement practice, automatically. The shock rule is (3)(i); there is no 48-hour rule in the ethics rule.
11. “General business practice” attaches only to § 626.9541(1)(i)3. Items 1, 2, and 4 violate on a single act.
12. Hurricane deductible is ANNUAL; CGCC needs all four elements; modified comparative with a >50% bar since March 2023.
Exam vocabulary
Key Terms to Know
All-Lines Adjuster (6-20)
Florida's single adjuster license since October 1, 2012 — property, casualty, auto, and workers' compensation.
Appointment
What makes the license active. Company employee, independent, or public adjuster apprentice — only one at a time (§ 626.864(3)).
Independent Adjuster
An all-lines licensee who is self-appointed or appointed by an independent adjusting firm. Not a license code.
Designated Home State (70-20)
For adjusters whose own state licenses no adjusters. Qualifies to the full Florida standard — and must complete Florida CE.
Emergency Adjuster (0-70)
Post-catastrophe license, 6 months plus up to 6 more, emergency-specific. The sponsor applies, not you.
Rule 69B-220.201
The adjuster code of ethics. Breach of it is an unfair claim settlement practice — no separate finding needed.
The Shock Rule
69B-220.201(3)(i) — no negotiating with, or taking a statement from, a claimant in shock or serious distress. No time limit in it.
48-Hour Notice
§ 626.854(14) — the insurer's people must give 48 hours' notice before scheduling a meeting with a represented insured.
General Business Practice
The frequency element. Attaches only to § 626.9541(1)(i)3; items 1, 2, and 4 violate on a single act.
Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights
§ 627.7142 — delivered within 14 days, personal lines residential only, and the insurer's duty rather than yours.
Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse
Mandatory coverage requiring all four elements — abrupt collapse, visible depression, structural damage, and condemnation.
Valued Policy Law
§ 627.702 — on a total loss of a structure by a covered peril, the insurer owes the face amount. Not contents.
Citizens — the 20% Rule
Ineligible if an authorized insurer offers comparable coverage at not more than 20% higher premium.
FIGA
Insolvency fund — under $300,000, plus $200,000 more for homeowners structure and contents. The $100 deductible is gone.
Supplemental Claim
A claim for additional loss from the same peril while completing repairs under an open claim. 18 months, not one year.
Emergency Fee Cap
Public adjuster compensation drops to 10% for claims arising from a Governor's declared emergency, for claims made in the year after.
Like learning this way? There's a whole library of them.
If the old manual you inherited from the office breakroom isn't cutting it and this format fits how your brain actually works, you'll want the rest. There are 56 Interactive Mind Maps like this one in the TESTivity Platinum Insurance Adjuster package — covering the full curriculum, right alongside the practice questions, exam simulators, and study guides.
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Studying for a different state?
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