Fla. Stat. § 517.021 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 517 / Section 517.021
517.021 Definitions.
Status: in_force

When used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following respective meanings:

(1) “Accredited investor” shall be defined by rule of the commission in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 501, 17 C.F.R. s. 230.501, as amended.

(2) “Affiliate” means a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with an applicant or registrant.

(3) “Angel investor group” means a group of accredited investors who hold regular meetings and have defined processes and procedures for making investment decisions, individually or among the membership of the group, and who are not associated persons, affiliates, or agents of a dealer or investment adviser.

(4) “Associated person” means: (a)1. With respect to a dealer, a natural person who is employed, appointed, or authorized by a dealer and who represents the dealer in effecting or attempting to effect purchases or sales of securities. 2. The term does not include the following: a. A dealer. b. A partner, an officer, or a director of a dealer or a person having a similar status or performing similar functions as a dealer, unless such person is specified in subparagraph 1. c. A dealer’s employee whose function is only clerical or ministerial. d. A person whose transactions in this state are limited to those transactions described in s. 15(i)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. (b)1. With respect to an investment adviser, a natural person, including, but not limited to, a partner, an officer, a director, or a branch manager, or a person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, who: a. Is employed by or associated with, or is subject to the supervision and control of, an investment adviser registered or required to be registered under this chapter; and b. Does any of the following: (I) Makes any recommendation or otherwise gives investment advice regarding securities. (II) Manages accounts or portfolios of clients. (III) Determines which recommendations or advice regarding securities should be given. (IV) Receives compensation to solicit, offer, or negotiate for the sale of investment advisory services. (V) Supervises employees who perform a function under this sub-subparagraph. 2. The term does not include the following: a. An investment adviser. b. An employee whose function is only clerical or ministerial. (c) With respect to a federal covered adviser, a natural person who is an investment adviser representative and who has a place of business in this state, as such terms are defined in Rule 203A-3 of the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.

(5) “Boiler room” means an enterprise in which two or more persons in a common scheme or enterprise solicit potential investors through telephone calls, e-mail, text messages, social media, chat rooms, or other electronic means.

(6) “Branch manager” means a natural person who administers or supervises the affairs or operations of a branch office.

(7) “Branch office” means any location in this state of a dealer or investment adviser at which one or more associated persons regularly conduct the business of rendering investment advice or effecting any transactions in, or inducing or attempting to induce the purchase or sale of, any security or any location that is held out as such. The commission may adopt by rule exceptions to this definition for dealers in order to maintain consistency with the definition of a branch office used by self-regulatory organizations authorized by the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The commission may adopt by rule exceptions to this definition for investment advisers.

(8) “Business entity” means any corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, proprietorship, firm, enterprise, franchise, association, self-employed individual, or trust, which may or may not be fictitiously named, doing business in this state.

(9) “Commission” means the Financial Services Commission.

(10) “Control,” including the terms “controlling,” “controlled by,” and “under common control with,” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract, or otherwise.

(11) “Corporation” has the same meaning as the terms “corporation,” “domestic corporation,” or “foreign corporation” in s. 607.01401.

(12)(a) “Dealer” includes, unless otherwise specified, a person, other than an associated person of a dealer, that engages, for all or part of the person’s time, directly or indirectly, as agent or principal in the business of offering, buying, selling, or otherwise dealing or trading in securities issued by another person. (b) The term “dealer” does not include any of the following: 1. A licensed practicing attorney who renders or performs any such services in connection with the regular practice of the attorney’s profession. 2. A bank authorized to do business in this state, except nonbank subsidiaries of a bank. 3. A trust company having trust powers that it is authorized to exercise in this state, which renders or performs services in a fiduciary capacity incidental to the exercise of its trust powers. 4. A wholesaler selling exclusively to dealers. 5. A person buying and selling for the person’s own account exclusively through a registered dealer or stock exchange. 6. An issuer. 7. A natural person representing an issuer in the purchase, sale, or distribution of the issuer’s own securities if such person: a. Is an officer, a director, a limited liability company manager or managing member, or a bona fide employee of the issuer; b. Has not participated in the distribution or sale of securities for any issuer for which such person was, within the preceding 12 months, an officer, a director, a limited liability company manager or managing member, or a bona fide employee; c. Primarily performs, or is intended to perform at the end of the distribution, substantial duties for, or on behalf of, the issuer other than in connection with transactions in securities; and d. Does not receive a commission, compensation, or other consideration for the completed sale of the issuer’s securities apart from the compensation received for regular duties to the issuer.

(13) “Director” means a person appointed or elected to sit on a board that manages the affairs of a corporation or other organization by electing or exercising control over its officers.

(14) “Federal covered adviser” means a person that is registered or required to be registered under s. 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The term does not include any person that is excluded from the definition of investment adviser under subparagraphs (20)(b)1.-7. and 9.

(15) “Federal covered security” means a security that is a covered security under s. 18(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or rules and regulations adopted thereunder.

(16) “General partner” has the same meaning as in s. 620.1102. The term includes a co-owner or manager of a partnership who has unlimited liability for the partnership’s debts.

(17) “Guarantor” means a person that agrees in writing, or that holds itself out to the public as agreeing, to pay the indebtedness of another when due, including, without limitation, payments of principal and interest on a bond, debenture, note, or other evidence of indebtedness, without resort by the holder to any other obligor, whether or not such writing expressly states that the person signing is signing as a guarantor. The obligation of a guarantor hereunder shall be a continuing, absolute, and unconditional guaranty of payment, without regard to the validity, regularity, or enforceability of the underlying indebtedness.

(18) “Guaranty” means an agreement in writing in which one party either agrees, or holds itself out to the public as agreeing, to pay the indebtedness of another when due, including, without limitation, payments of principal and interest on a bond, debenture, note, or other evidence of indebtedness, without resort by the holder to any other obligor, whether or not such writing expressly states that the person signing is signing as a guarantor. An agreement that is not specifically denominated as a guaranty shall nevertheless constitute a guaranty if the holder of the underlying indebtedness or the holder’s representative or trustee has the right to sue to enforce the guarantor’s obligations under the guaranty. Words of guaranty or equivalent words that otherwise do not specify guaranty of payment create a presumption that payment, rather than collection, is guaranteed by the guarantor. Any guaranty in writing is enforceable notwithstanding any statute of frauds.

(19) “Intermediary” means a person that facilitates through its website the offer or sale of securities of an issuer with a principal place of business in this state.

(20)(a) “Investment adviser” means a person, other than an associated person of an investment adviser or a federal covered adviser, that receives compensation, directly or indirectly, and engages for all or part of the person’s time, directly or indirectly, or through publications or writings, in the business of advising others as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investments in, purchasing of, or selling of securities. (b) The term does not include any of the following: 1. A dealer or an associated person of a dealer whose performance of services in paragraph (a) is solely incidental to the conduct of the dealer’s or associated person’s business as a dealer and who does not receive special compensation for those services. 2. A licensed practicing attorney or certified public accountant whose performance of such services is solely incidental to the practice of the attorney’s or accountant’s profession. 3. A bank authorized to do business in this state. 4. A bank holding company as defined in the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, authorized to do business in this state. 5. A trust company having trust powers, as defined in s. 658.12, which it is authorized to exercise in this state, which trust company renders or performs investment advisory services in a fiduciary capacity incidental to the exercise of its trust powers. 6. A person that renders investment advice exclusively to insurance or investment companies. 7. A person that, during the preceding 12 months, has fewer than six clients who are residents of this state. As used in this subparagraph, the term “client” has the same meaning as provided in Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 275.222-2, 17 C.F.R. s. 275.222-2, as amended. 8. A federal covered adviser. 9. The United States, a state, or any political subdivision of a state, or any agency, authority, or instrumentality of any such entity; a business entity that is wholly owned directly or indirectly by such a governmental entity; or any officer, agent, or employee of any such governmental or business entity who is acting within the scope of his or her official duties.

(21) “Issuer” means a person that proposes to issue, has issued, or shall hereafter issue any security. A person that acts as a promoter for and on behalf of a corporation, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, or other legal entity of any kind to be formed shall be deemed an issuer.

(22) “Limited liability company” has the same meaning as in s. 605.0102. The term includes a foreign limited liability company as defined in s. 605.0102.

(23) “Limited liability company manager” or “limited liability managing member” means a person who is responsible alone, or in concert with others, for performing the management functions of a limited liability company.

(24) “Limited partner” has the same meaning as in s. 620.1102. The term includes a co-owner of a partnership who has limited liability for the partnership’s debts.

(25) “Offer to sell,” “offer for sale,” or “offer” means an attempt or offer to dispose of, or solicitation of an offer to buy, a security or interest in a security, or an investment or interest in an investment, for value.

(26) “Office” means the Office of Financial Regulation of the commission.

(27) “Partnership” means two or more persons who are the co-owners of a business, including those operating as a foreign limited liability limited partnership, a foreign limited partnership, a limited liability limited partnership, or a limited partnership as those terms are defined in s. 620.1102.

(28) “Predecessor” means a person whose major portion of assets has been acquired directly or indirectly by an issuer.

(29) “Principal” means an executive officer of a corporation, partner of a partnership, sole proprietor of a sole proprietorship, trustee of a trust, or any other person with similar supervisory functions with respect to any organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated.

(30) “Promoter” includes the following: (a) A person that, acting alone or in conjunction with one or more other persons, directly or indirectly takes the initiative in founding and organizing the business or enterprise of an issuer. (b) A person that, in connection with the founding or organizing of the business or enterprise of an issuer, directly or indirectly receives in consideration of services or property, or both services and property, 10 percent or more of any class of securities of the issuer or 10 percent or more of the proceeds from the sale of any class of securities. However, a person that receives such securities or proceeds either solely as underwriting commissions or solely in connection with property shall not be deemed a promoter if such person does not otherwise take part in founding and organizing the enterprise.

(31) “Qualified institutional buyer” means a qualified institutional buyer, as defined in Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 144A, 17 C.F.R. s. 230.144A(a), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any foreign buyer that satisfies the minimum financial requirements set forth in such rule.

(32) “Sale” or “sell” means a contract of sale or disposition of an investment, security, or interest in a security, for value. With respect to a security or interest in a security, the term does not include preliminary negotiations or agreements between an issuer or any person on whose behalf an offering is to be made and any underwriter or among underwriters who are or are to be in privity of contract with an issuer. Any security given or delivered with, or as a bonus on account of, any purchase of securities or any other thing shall be conclusively presumed to constitute a part of the subject of such purchase and to have been offered and sold for value. Every sale or offer of a warrant or right to purchase or subscribe to another security of the same or another issuer, as well as every sale or offer of a security which gives the holder a present or future right or privilege to convert into another security or another issuer, is considered to include an offer of the other security.

(33) “Security” includes any of the following: (a) A note. (b) A stock. (c) A treasury stock. (d) A bond. (e) A debenture. (f) An evidence of indebtedness. (g) A certificate of deposit. (h) A certificate of deposit for a security. (i) A certificate of interest or participation. (j) A whiskey warehouse receipt or other commodity warehouse receipt. (k) A certificate of interest in a profit-sharing agreement or the right to participate therein. (l) A certificate of interest in an oil, gas, petroleum, mineral, or mining title or lease or the right to participate therein. (m) A collateral trust certificate. (n) A reorganization certificate. (o) A preorganization subscription. (p) A transferable share. (q) An investment contract. (r) A beneficial interest in title to property, profits, or earnings. (s) An interest in or under a profit-sharing or participation agreement or scheme. (t) An option contract that entitles the holder to purchase or sell a given amount of the underlying security at a fixed price within a specified period of time. (u) Any other instrument commonly known as a security, including an interim or temporary bond, debenture, note, or certificate. (v) A receipt for a security, or for subscription to a security, or a right to subscribe to or purchase any security. (w) A viatical settlement investment.

(34) “Trust” has the same meaning as in s. 731.201.

(35) “Underwriter” means a person that has purchased from an issuer or an affiliate of an issuer with a view to, or offers or sells for an issuer or an affiliate of an issuer in connection with, the distribution of any security, or participates or has a direct or indirect participation in any such undertaking, or participates or has a participation in the direct or indirect underwriting of any such undertaking; except that a person is presumed not to be an underwriter with respect to any security which it has owned beneficially for at least 1 year; and, further, a dealer is not considered an underwriter with respect to any securities which do not represent part of an unsold allotment to or subscription by the dealer as a participant in the distribution of such securities by the issuer or an affiliate of the issuer; and, further, in the case of securities acquired on the conversion of another security without payment of additional consideration, the length of time such securities have been beneficially owned by a person includes the period during which the convertible security was beneficially owned and the period during which the security acquired on conversion has been beneficially owned.

(36) “Viatical settlement investment” means an agreement for the purchase, sale, assignment, transfer, devise, or bequest of all or any portion of a legal or equitable interest in a viaticated policy as defined in chapter 626.

History: s. 1, ch. 78-435; s. 147, ch. 79-164; ss. 1, 15, ch. 79-381; s. 5, ch. 80-254; ss. 1, 6, ch. 81-115; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; s. 1, ch. 83-184; s. 3, ch. 83-265; s. 2, ch. 84-159; s. 2, ch. 85-165; s. 3, ch. 86-85; s. 3, ch. 87-237; s. 2, ch. 87-316; ss. 1, 14, 15, ch. 90-362; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 5, ch. 97-35; s. 682, ch. 97-103; ss. 1, 2, ch. 97-224; s. 1, ch. 98-221; s. 32, ch. 99-7; s. 50, ch. 2000-154; s. 583, ch. 2003-261; s. 93, ch. 2004-5; s. 1, ch. 2005-237; s. 32, ch. 2006-213; s. 2, ch. 2009-242; s. 1, ch. 2015-171; s. 1, ch. 2023-205; s. 1, ch. 2024-168; s. 1, ch. 2025-28.