2024 Florida Statutes
< Back to Statute SearchTitle XXXVII INSURANCE
Chapter 647
TRAVEL INSURANCE
SECTION 02Definitions.
647.02 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term:
(1) “Aggregator site” means a website that provides access to information regarding insurance products from more than one insurer, including product and insurer information, for use in comparison shopping.
(2) “Blanket travel insurance” means a policy of travel insurance issued to an eligible group providing coverage to all members of the eligible group without a separate charge to individual members of the eligible group.
(3) “Cancellation fee waiver” means a contractual agreement between a supplier of travel services and its customer to waive some or all of the nonrefundable cancellation fee provisions of the supplier’s underlying travel contract with or without regard to the reason for the cancellation or form of reimbursement. A cancellation fee waiver is not insurance.
(4) “Department” means the Department of Financial Services.
(5) “Eligible group,” solely for the purposes of travel insurance, means two or more persons who are engaged in a common enterprise or who have an economic, educational, or social affinity or relationship, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(a) An entity engaged in the business of providing travel or travel services, including, but not limited to:
1. A tour operator, lodging provider, vacation property owner, hotel, resort, travel club, travel agency, property manager, and cultural exchange program.
2. An operator, owner, or lessor of a means of transportation of passengers, including, but not limited to, a common carrier, airline, cruise line, railroad, steamship company, and public bus carrier.
With regard to any particular travel or type of travel or travelers, all members or customers of the group must have a common exposure to risk attendant to such travel.
(b) A university, college, school, or other institution of learning, covering students, teachers, employees, or volunteers.
(c) An employer covering any group of employees, volunteers, contractors, board of directors, dependents, or guests.
(d) A sports team or camp, or a sponsor thereof, covering participants, members, campers, employees, officials, supervisors, or volunteers.
(e) A religious, charitable, recreational, educational, or civic organization, or a branch thereof, covering any group of members, participants, or volunteers.
(f) A financial institution or financial institution vendor, or a parent holding company, trustee, or agent of or designated by one or more financial institutions or financial institution vendors, including account holders, credit card holders, debtors, guarantors, or purchasers.
(g) An incorporated or unincorporated association, including a labor union, having a common interest and constitution and bylaws, which is organized and maintained in good faith for purposes other than obtaining insurance coverage for its members or participants.
(h) A trust or the trustees of a fund that covers its members, employees, or customers and is established, created, or maintained for the benefit of its members, employees, or customers, subject to:
1. The department’s authorizing the use of a trust.
2. The premium tax provisions in s. 647.03 applicable to incorporated or unincorporated associations that have a common interest and constitution and bylaws and that are organized and maintained in good faith for purposes other than obtaining insurance coverage for their members, employees, or customers.
(i) An entertainment production company covering any group of participants, volunteers, audience members, contestants, or workers.
(j) A volunteer fire department, ambulance, rescue, police, court, first-aid, civil defense, or other such volunteer group.
(k) A preschool, daycare institution for children or adults, or senior citizen club.
(l) An automobile or truck rental or leasing company covering a group of individuals who may become renters, lessees, or passengers as defined by their travel status on the rented or leased vehicles. The common carrier, the operator, owner, or lessor of a means of transportation, or the motor vehicle or truck rental or leasing company is the policyholder under a policy to which this section applies.
(m) Any other group for which the department has made the following determinations:
1. The group members are engaged in a common enterprise or have an economic, educational, or social affinity or relationship.
2. Issuance of the travel insurance policy is not contrary to the public interest.
(6) “Fulfillment materials” means documentation sent to the purchaser of a travel protection plan confirming the purchase and providing the travel protection plan’s coverage and assistance details.
(7) “Group travel insurance” means travel insurance issued to an eligible group.
(8) “Limited lines travel insurance producer” means:
(a) A licensed or third-party administrator;
(b) A licensed insurance producer, including a limited lines producer; or
(c) A travel administrator.
(9) “Travel administrator” means a person who directly or indirectly underwrites policies for; collects charges, collateral, or premiums from; or adjusts or settles claims made by residents of this state in connection with travel insurance, except that a person is not considered a travel administrator if the person is:
(a) A person working for a travel administrator, to the extent that the person’s activities are subject to the supervision and control of the travel administrator;
(b) An insurance producer selling insurance or engaged in administrative and claims-related activities within the scope of the producer’s license;
(c) A travel retailer, as defined in s. 626.321(1)(c)2., offering and disseminating travel insurance and registered under the license of a limited lines travel insurance producer in accordance with s. 626.321(1)(c);
(d) A person adjusting or settling claims in the normal course of the person’s practice or employment as an attorney at law, without collecting charges or premiums in connection with insurance coverage; or
(e) A business entity that is affiliated with a licensed insurer while acting as a travel administrator for the direct and assumed insurance business of the affiliated insurer.
(10) “Travel assistance services” means noninsurance services for which the consumer is not indemnified based on a fortuitous event, and the provision of which does not result in the transfer or shifting of risk which would constitute the business of insurance. The term includes, but is not limited to, security advisories, destination information, vaccination and immunization information services, travel reservation services, entertainment, activity and event planning, translation assistance, emergency messaging, international legal and medical referrals, medical case monitoring, coordination of transportation arrangements, emergency cash transfer assistance, medical prescription replacement assistance, passport and travel document replacement assistance, lost luggage assistance, concierge services, and any other service that is furnished in connection with planned travel. Travel assistance services are not insurance and are not related to insurance.
(11) “Travel insurance” means insurance coverage for personal risks incidental to planned travel, including:
(a) Interruption or cancellation of trip or event;
(b) Loss of baggage or personal effects;
(c) Damages to accommodations or rental vehicles;
(d) Sickness, accident, disability, or death occurring during travel;
(e) Emergency evacuation;
(f) Repatriation of remains; or
(g) Any other contractual obligations to indemnify or pay a specified amount to the traveler upon determinable contingencies related to travel, as determined by the office.
The term does not include major medical plans that provide comprehensive medical protection for travelers with trips lasting longer than 6 months, including major medical plans for those working or residing overseas as expatriates, or any other product that requires a specific insurance producer license.
(12) “Travel protection plan” means a plan that provides one or more of the following: travel insurance, travel assistance services, and cancellation fee waivers.
History.—s. 16, ch. 2020-63; s. 50, ch. 2021-51.