Florida Statute 717.1322
“Administrative and civil enforcement”
What it means
This is the enforcement arm of Florida's unclaimed property chapter. Subsection (1) lists the violations: failure to comply with any provision of chapter 717, fraud, misrepresentation, deceit, or gross negligence, false or misleading solicitation or advertising, and seeking compensation for notifying a person of their property without being a registered claimant representative, among others.
Subsection (2) supplies the tools: revocation of registration (at least 5 years before reapplying), suspension up to 5 years, probation, restrictions, reprimand, and administrative fines up to $2,000 for each act. A claimant representative also answers for violations by agents and employees.
- Violations include noncompliance with any provision of chapter 717, fraud, deceit, gross negligence, and misleading solicitation or advertising.
- Charging to reveal unclaimed property without registration is itself a violation.
- Penalties: revocation with a 5-year minimum before reapplication, suspension up to 5 years, probation, restrictions, reprimand.
- Administrative fines reach $2,000 for each act.
- A claimant representative is accountable for agents' and employees' violations.
How it plays out
Most families never meet this section directly — it exists so the letters they receive are honest. When a solicitation smells wrong — a fee quoted with no dollar figures, a firm name dressed up like a government bureau, pressure to sign quickly — the practical move is a complaint to the Department of Financial Services, which can fine, suspend, and revoke under this section. Regulated senders know precisely what that costs; in our experience, citing §717.1322 improves the tone of the correspondence quickly.
Questions people ask
