The latest stop in the 50 States in 50* Days series is the sunshine state, another Uniform Athlete Agent Act jurisdiction.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is responsible for the oversight and licensure of athlete agents in Florida.
The initial application for licensure as an athlete agent is a nicely contained packet of 10 or so pages, including easy to read instructions and a handy checklist to make sure you've got everything in order.
In case the instructions aren't enough, the Department also produces an informative Athlete Agents' FAQ that answers a lot of the questions that aspiring and current agents may have.
Florida's athlete agent laws and the Florida Administrative Code sections relating to athlete agents are all online and available for your viewing pleasure.
According to the Department's website, there are approximately 200 athlete agents licensed in the State of Florida.
The NFLPA website lists 94 certified agents residing in Florida, not accounting for the many agents who are out of state but recruit student-athletes in Florida. A quick comparison of the agents on the NFLPA list against a search for information about licensed athlete agents in Florida reveals that 47 of the agents who are listed as being certified by the NFLPA (with their place of business in Florida) are not registered with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation - which could be a violation of state law and a violation of the NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors. Granted many of these folks may not have any clients or be recruiting student-athletes, but the number is a bit disturbing.
The Department's Office of Athlete Agents also publishes a newsletter for athlete agents, to keep agents abreast of the latest issues related to Florida's regulation of their profession. Much of this information is available online, but the newsletter packages the information nicely.
Up until 2002, athlete agents were required to pass a competency exam that tested their knowledge of Florida law and NCAA bylaws. Also repealed in 2002 was the law requiring agents to post a $15,000 surety bond.
Up next - Georgia.
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