Florida Statutes 517.131 – Securities Guaranty Fund
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(1)(a) The Chief Financial Officer shall establish a Securities Guaranty Fund. An amount not exceeding 20 percent of all revenues received as assessment fees pursuant to s. 517.12(9) and (10) for dealers and investment advisers or s. 517.1201 for federal covered advisers and an amount not exceeding 10 percent of all revenues received as assessment fees pursuant to s. 517.12(9) and (10) for associated persons shall be part of the regular license fee and shall be transferred to or deposited in the Securities Guaranty Fund.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 517.131
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Associated person: means :(a)1. See Florida Statutes 517.021
- Commission: means the Financial Services Commission. See Florida Statutes 517.021
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- 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. See Florida Statutes 517.021
- 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. See Florida Statutes 517.021
- 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. See Florida Statutes 517.021
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Office: means the Office of Financial Regulation of the commission. See Florida Statutes 517.021
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
- Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
(b) If the fund at any time exceeds $1.5 million, transfer of assessment fees to this fund shall be discontinued at the end of that license year, and transfer of such assessment fees shall not be resumed unless the fund is reduced below $1 million by disbursement made in accordance with s. 517.141.(2) The Securities Guaranty Fund shall be disbursed as provided in s. 517.141 to a person who is adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to have suffered monetary damages as a result of any of the following acts committed by a dealer, investment adviser, or associated person who was licensed under this chapter at the time the act was committed:(a) A violation of s. 517.07.(b) A violation of s. 517.301.(3) Any person is eligible to seek recovery from the Securities Guaranty Fund if:(a) Such person has received final judgment in a court of competent jurisdiction in any action wherein the cause of action was based on a violation of those sections referred to in subsection (2).(b) Such person has made all reasonable searches and inquiries to ascertain whether the judgment debtor possesses real or personal property or other assets subject to being sold or applied in satisfaction of the judgment, and by her or his search the person has discovered no property or assets; or she or he has discovered property and assets and has taken all necessary action and proceedings for the application thereof to the judgment, but the amount thereby realized was insufficient to satisfy the judgment. To verify compliance with such condition, the office may require such person to have a writ of execution be issued upon such judgment, may require a showing that no personal or real property of the judgment debtor liable to be levied upon in complete satisfaction of the judgment can be found, or may require an affidavit from the claimant setting forth the reasonable searches and inquiries undertaken and the result of those searches and inquiries.(c) Such person has applied any amounts recovered from the judgment debtor, or from any other source, to the damages awarded by the court.(d) The act for which recovery is sought occurred on or after January 1, 1979.(e) The office waives compliance with the requirements of paragraph (a) or paragraph (b). The office may waive such compliance if the dealer, investment adviser, or associated person which is the subject of the claim filed with the office is the subject of any proceeding in which a receiver has been appointed by a court of competent jurisdiction. If the office waives such compliance, the office may, upon petition by the debtor or the court-appointed trustee, examiner, or receiver, distribute funds from the Securities Guaranty Fund up to the amount allowed under s. 517.141. Any waiver granted pursuant to this section shall be considered a judgment for purposes of complying with the requirements of this section and of s. 517.141.(4) Any person who files an action that may result in the disbursement of funds from the Securities Guaranty Fund pursuant to the provisions of s. 517.141 shall give written notice by certified mail to the office as soon as practicable after such action has been filed. The failure to give such notice shall not bar a payment from the Securities Guaranty Fund if all of the conditions specified in subsection (3) are satisfied.