October 25, 2024
FLORIDA SURPLUS LINES SPEAKER
SERIES DEBUTS AT FSU
The Florida Surplus Lines Speaker Series kicked off with a packed house of over 150 attendees, including students from FSU’s Dr. William T. Hold/The Alliance's Program in RMI and the FSU College of Business. This event, a collaboration between the FSLSO and the Florida Surplus Lines Association, set the stage for insightful discussions on Florida’s surplus lines industry.
FSLSO Executive Director, Mark Shealy and Director of Agent and Insurer Services, Bryan Young spoke alongside FSLA members Albert Geraci, ARM, ASLI, and Lauren Savage. They shared invaluable insights on regulatory challenges, innovative product development, and the ever-evolving market landscape.
We are proud to support the next generation of talent as they prepare to shape the future of our industry. Together, we’re driving growth and innovation in the surplus lines market!
HAVE YOU TRIED SLIP+?
ICYMI! FSLSO recently launched a beta version of SLIP+, our updated surplus lines filing platform. SLIP+ offers enhanced functionality and intuitive workflows to streamline the filing process.
As we near the end of October, with invoice payments and affidavits due soon, we encourage you to log into SLIP+ and familiarize yourself with the new features.
We recognize that adapting to a significant change can be challenging. To assist with this transition, both SLIP+ and the existing SLIP platform will run concurrently during the beta period. After this phase, SLIP will be phased out in favor of SLIP+.
Here are a few important points to consider while both systems are operational:
One Login: Your login credentials are the same for both SLIP+ and SLIP. Use your existing SLIP login information to gain access to SLIP+.
Synchronized Filing: During this beta period, users can file on either platform. SLIP+ and SLIP are synchronized to house data regardless of which platform it was filed on.
Synchronized Payments: The bank account and billing information in your SLIP account are also in your SLIP+ account. Payments can be submitted on either platform and will show in your payment history.
Already a user? Great! Our early adopters have been immensely helpful during the beta period. Please send us a short message to let us know how you like SLIP+.
For more information, visit www.fslso.com/slipplus.
Who Gets to Charge a Policy Fee?
Since the passing of HB 301 in 2019, surplus lines agents are now allowed to charge a “reasonable” fee on surplus lines policies instead of the previous $35 fee. However, we’ve recently noticed some confusion about who exactly is eligible to charge the policy fee.
When placing a surplus lines policy, only the filing surplus lines agent (the agent who files the policy in FSLSO SLIP or XML Batch) may charge the policy fee; it cannot be applied by more than one agent. Per F.S. 626.916(4), "a reasonable per-policy fee may be charged by the filing surplus lines agent for each policy certified for export. This per-policy fee must be itemized separately to the customer before purchase and enumerated in the policy.”
If you still have questions about the surplus lines agent policy fee, FSLSO is here to help! Contact our Agent & Insurer Services department at 800-562-4496, option 1 or email agent.services@fslso.com for further assistance.
Have questions? Contact us at 800.562.4496, option 1 or email agent.services@fslso.com.
