Fla. Stat. § 538.09 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 538 / Part I / Section 538.09
538.09 Registration.
Status: in_force

(1) A secondhand dealer shall not engage in the business of purchasing, consigning, or trading secondhand goods from any location without registering with the Department of Revenue. A fee equal to the federal and state costs for processing required fingerprints must be submitted to the department with each application for registration. One application is required for each dealer. If a secondhand dealer is the owner of more than one secondhand store location, the application must list each location, and the department shall issue a duplicate registration for each location. For purposes of subsections (4) and (5) of this section, these duplicate registrations shall be deemed individual registrations. A dealer shall pay a fee of $6 per location at the time of registration and an annual renewal fee of $6 per location on October 1 of each year. All fees collected, less costs of administration, shall be transferred into the Operating Trust Fund. The Department of Revenue shall forward the full set of fingerprints to the Department of Law Enforcement for state and federal processing, provided the federal service is available, to be processed for any criminal justice information as defined in s. 943.045. The cost of processing such fingerprints shall be payable to the Department of Law Enforcement by the Department of Revenue. The department may issue a temporary registration to each location pending completion of the background check by state and federal law enforcement agencies, but shall revoke such temporary registration if the completed background check reveals a prohibited criminal background. An applicant for a secondhand dealer registration must be a natural person who has reached the age of 18 years. (a) If the applicant is a partnership, all the partners must apply. (b) If the applicant is a joint venture, association, or other noncorporate entity, all members of such joint venture, association, or other noncorporate entity must make application for registration as natural persons. (c) If the applicant is a corporation, the registration must include the name and address of such corporation’s registered agent for service of process in the state and a certified copy of statement from the Secretary of State that the corporation is duly organized in the state or, if the corporation is organized in a state other than Florida, a certified copy of statement from the Secretary of State that the corporation is duly qualified to do business in this state. If the dealer has more than one location, the application must list each location owned by the same legal entity and the department shall issue a duplicate registration for each location.

(2) The secondhand dealer shall furnish with her or his registration a complete set of her or his fingerprints, certified by an authorized law enforcement officer, and a recent fullface photographic identification card of herself or himself. The Department of Law Enforcement shall report its findings to the Department of Revenue within 30 days after the date the fingerprints are submitted for criminal justice information.

(3) The secondhand dealer’s registration shall be conspicuously displayed at her or his registered location. A secondhand dealer must hold secondhand goods at the registered location for the period required by s. 538.06 or until any extension of the holding period has expired, whichever is later. Storage at a registered location outside the appropriate law enforcement official’s jurisdiction is permissible only upon agreement with such law enforcement official and if the secondhand dealer provides proof that he or she is able to and agrees to deliver the stored secondhand goods to the appropriate law enforcement official within 2 business days upon request.

(4) The department may impose a civil fine of up to $10,000 for each violation of this section, which fine shall be transferred into the General Revenue Fund. If the fine is not paid within 60 days, the department may bring a civil action under s. 120.69 to recover the fine.

(5) In addition to the fine provided in subsection (4), registration under this section may be denied or any registration granted may be revoked, restricted, or suspended by the department if the department determines that the applicant or registrant: (a) Has violated any provision of this chapter or any rule or order made pursuant to this chapter; (b) Has made a material false statement in the application for registration; (c) Has been guilty of a fraudulent act in connection with any purchase or sale or has been or is engaged in or is about to engage in any practice, purchase, or sale which is fraudulent or in violation of the law; (d) Has made a misrepresentation or false statement to, or concealed any essential or material fact from, any person in making any purchase or sale; (e) Is making purchases or sales through any business associate not registered in compliance with the provisions of this chapter; (f) Has, within the preceding 10-year period for new registrants who apply for registration on or after October 1, 2006, been convicted of, or has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, or had adjudication withheld for, a crime against the laws of this state or any other state or of the United States which relates to registration as a secondhand dealer or which involves theft, larceny, dealing in stolen property, receiving stolen property, burglary, embezzlement, obtaining property by false pretenses, possession of altered property, any felony drug offense, any violation of s. 812.015, or any fraudulent dealing; (g) Has had a final judgment entered against her or him in a civil action upon grounds of fraud, embezzlement, misrepresentation, or deceit; or (h) Has failed to pay any sales tax owed to the Department of Revenue. In the event the department determines to deny an application or revoke a registration, it shall enter a final order with its findings on the register of secondhand dealers and their business associates, if any; and denial, suspension, or revocation of the registration of a secondhand dealer shall also deny, suspend, or revoke the registration of such secondhand dealer’s business associates.

(6) Upon the request of a law enforcement official, the Department of Revenue shall release to the official the name and address of any secondhand dealer registered to do business within the official’s jurisdiction.

History: s. 2, ch. 89-533; s. 1, ch. 90-192; s. 5, ch. 90-318; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 3, ch. 92-79; s. 16, ch. 94-353; s. 746, ch. 97-103; s. 6, ch. 2006-201; s. 4, ch. 2007-14; s. 71, ch. 2012-5; s. 49, ch. 2013-116; s. 5, ch. 2016-59; s. 108, ch. 2019-167.