Fla. Stat. § 497.553 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 497 / Part V / Section 497.553
497.553 Regulation of monument establishments.
Status: in_force

(1) The Department of Financial Services shall establish and implement an inspection program for all monument establishments in accordance with the requirements of this act. The board shall set by rule an annual inspection fee not to exceed $300, payable upon application for licensure and upon each renewal of such license.

(2) All retail sales by monument establishments shall be on a sales agreement form filed by the monument establishment with and approved by the licensing authority. Sales agreement forms must provide a complete description of any monument, marker, or related product to be delivered, and shall prominently and clearly specify the agreed date for delivery and installation. Procedures for submission and approval of such forms shall be established by rule.

(3) All monument establishments shall have written procedures for the receipt, investigation, and disposition of customer complaints, and shall ensure that their staff who receive or process such complaints are familiar with and follow such procedures.

(4) All monument establishments shall maintain for inspection by the department records of written complaints received by the monument establishment. Such complaint records shall include a chronological log of written complaints received, in which the name and address of each complainant and date of complaint is entered consecutively within 10 business days of receipt of each complaint. The licensing authority may by rule establish requirements regarding the format of complaint logs, including whether they may be maintained electronically or shall be maintained by pen and ink on paper; the licensing authority may by order direct a licensee to maintain complaint logs by pen and ink in writing. The original or complete copy of each written complaint received by a monument establishment, and all subsequent correspondence related to such complaint, shall be maintained by the monument establishment, for inspection by the department, for the longer of 24 months or 12 months after the most recent department inspection during which the complaint was in the monument establishment’s complaint records and available for the department’s review.

(5) The failure of a monument establishment to deliver and install a purchased monument or marker by the date agreed in the sales agreement shall entitle the customer to a full refund of all amounts paid by the customer for the monument and its delivery and installation, unless the monument establishment has obtained a written agreement from the customer extending the delivery date. Such refund shall be made within 30 days after receipt by the monument establishment of the customer’s written request for a refund. This subsection does not preclude the purchase and installation of a new monument from any other registered monument establishment or licensee.

(6)(a) A change in ownership shall be promptly reported using forms and procedures specified by rule and may require the relicensure of the licensee, including reinspection and payment of applicable fees, as required by rule. (b) A change in location shall be promptly reported to the licensing authority pursuant to procedures established by rule. Operations by the licensee at a new location may not commence until an inspection by the licensing authority of the facilities, pursuant to rules of the licensing authority, has been conducted and passed at the new location.

History: s. 121, ch. 2004-301; s. 43, ch. 2005-155; s. 75, ch. 2018-110.