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Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (2025)

Registration of consumer collection agencies required; exemptions.

✓ 2025 Florida Statutes — current through the 2025 Regular Session
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559.553 Registration of consumer collection agencies required; exemptions.—
(1) A person may not engage in business in this state as a consumer collection agency or continue to do business in this state as a consumer collection agency without first registering in accordance with this part, and thereafter maintaining a valid registration.
(2) Each consumer collection agency doing business in this state shall register with the office and renew such registration annually as set forth in s. 559.555.
(3) This section does not apply to:
(a) An original creditor.
(b) A member of The Florida Bar.
(c) A financial institution authorized to do business in this state and any wholly owned subsidiary and affiliate thereof.
(d) A licensed real estate broker.
(e) An insurance company authorized to do business in this state.
(f) A consumer finance company and any wholly owned subsidiary and affiliate thereof.
(g) A person licensed pursuant to chapter 520.
(h) An out-of-state consumer debt collector who does not solicit consumer debt accounts for collection from credit grantors who have a business presence in this state.
(i) An FDIC-insured institution or subsidiary or affiliate thereof.
(4) An out-of-state consumer debt collector as defined in s. 559.55(11) who is not exempt from registration by application of subsection (3) and who fails to register in accordance with this part shall be subject to an enforcement action by the state as specified in s. 559.565.
History.—ss. 5, 13, ch. 93-275; s. 678, ch. 2003-261; s. 2, ch. 2014-116.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 16 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2002–2024 · leading case: LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, 601 F.3d 1185 (11th Cir. 2010).
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LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, 601 F.3d 1185 (11th Cir. 2010). · cites it 4× “10 Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1) and (2). Section 559.”
McCorriston v. L.W.T., Inc., 536 F. Supp. 2d 1268 (M.D. Fla. 2008). · cites it 9× “Plaintiff instead maintains that Count I is premised on the filing of the state court action on April 5, 2006 and LWT’s failure to register pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 559.553 , both of which were within the statute of limitations.”
Collins v. Erin Capital Mgmt., LLC, 991 F. Supp. 2d 1195 (S.D. Fla. 2013). · cites it 17× “See Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1) (“[N]o person shall engage in business in this state as a consumer collection agency or continue to do business in this state as a consumer collection agency without first registering in accordance with this part, and thereafter maintaining a valid…”
Brindise v. U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n, 183 So. 3d 1215 (Fla. 2d DCA 2016). · cites it 4× “Further, persons registered or required to be registered under section 559.553 are subject to disciplinary action for failure to comply with any provision of the FCCPA.”
Conner v. BCC Fin. Mgmt. Servs., Inc., 489 F. Supp. 2d 1358 (S.D. Fla. 2007). · cites it 21× “¶ 8; Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1)). Conner alleges that in its application for registration as a consumer collection agency, BCC omitted its mailing address, and that this omission constituted a violation of Fla.”
Townsend v. Quantum3 Grp., LLC, 535 B.R. 415 (M.D. Fla. 2015). · cites it 6× “” Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1). Section 559.555, Florida Statutes, similarly states that “[a] person who acts as a consumer collection agency must be registered in accordance with this section.”
Welch v. Florida West Coast, Inc., 816 So. 2d 711 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002). · cites it 8× “Sometime prior to the signing of the contract, Welch submitted a Registration *712 of Consumer Collection Agency form to the Office of the Comptroller pursuant to section 559.553, Florida Statutes (1995), together with the required registration fee.”
Sanz v. Fernandez, 633 F. Supp. 2d 1356 (S.D. Fla. 2009). · cites it 4× “]” Fla. Stat. § 559.553 . A consumer collection agency is defined as “any debt collector or business engaged in the business of soliciting consumer debts for collection or of collecting consumer debts.”
Trent v. Mortg. Elec. Reg. Sys., Inc., 618 F. Supp. 2d 1356 (M.D. Fla. 2007). · cites it 2× “gage notes when MERS knew it was not a creditor entitled to collect debts or otherwise employ legal process to enforce mortgage obligations; (2) failing to register as a consumer collection agency; (3) failing to obtain a license for mortgage lending prior to performing mortgage…”
LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, G.P., 552 F. Supp. 2d 1327 (M.D. Fla. 2008). · cites it 10× “6 This claim is predicated on the assertion that Defendants could not lawfully collect or attempt to collect the debt because they were not registered with the State of Florida as required by Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1). 7 This subsection provides that “no person shall engage in…”
Erickson v. Gen. Elec. Co., 854 F. Supp. 2d 1178 (M.D. Fla. 2012). · cites it 2× “Similarly to the notice of assignment statute, there is no private cause of action to enforce a violation of Fla. Stat. § 559.553 ; however, despite this unavailability, the LeBlanc court found that “a violation of the FCCPA for failure to register may, in fact, support a…”
Valle v. First Nat'l Collection Bureau, Inc., 252 F. Supp. 3d 1332 (S.D. Fla. 2017). “In LeBlanc , the Eleventh Circuit held that Florida Statute § 559.553, which requires consumer collection agencies to register with the state and also does not create a private right of action, could nevertheless constitute a violation of the FDCPA.”
Show all 16 citing cases →
— 559.553(1) — 5 cases
McCorriston v. L.W.T., Inc., 536 F. Supp. 2d 1268 (M.D. Fla. 2008). “Plaintiff instead maintains that Count I is premised on the filing of the state court action on April 5, 2006 and LWT’s failure to register pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 559.553 , both of which were within the statute of limitations.”
Collins v. Erin Capital Mgmt., LLC, 991 F. Supp. 2d 1195 (S.D. Fla. 2013). “See Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1) (“[N]o person shall engage in business in this state as a consumer collection agency or continue to do business in this state as a consumer collection agency without first registering in accordance with this part, and thereafter maintaining a valid…”
LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, G.P., 552 F. Supp. 2d 1327 (M.D. Fla. 2008). “6 This claim is predicated on the assertion that Defendants could not lawfully collect or attempt to collect the debt because they were not registered with the State of Florida as required by Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1). 7 This subsection provides that “no person shall engage in…”
Lee v. McCarthy, 297 F. Supp. 3d 1343 (S.D. Fla. 2017).
Healthcare Ally Mgmt. of California, LLC v. Unitedhealthcare Servs., Inc. (S.D. Fla. 2024).
— 559.553(3) — 1 case
Welch v. Florida West Coast, Inc., 816 So. 2d 711 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002). “Sometime prior to the signing of the contract, Welch submitted a Registration *712 of Consumer Collection Agency form to the Office of the Comptroller pursuant to section 559.553, Florida Statutes (1995), together with the required registration fee.”
— 559.553(3)(h) — 1 case
Lee v. McCarthy, 297 F. Supp. 3d 1343 (S.D. Fla. 2017).
— 559.553(4) — 3 cases
Brindise v. U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n, 183 So. 3d 1215 (Fla. 2d DCA 2016). “Further, persons registered or required to be registered under section 559.553 are subject to disciplinary action for failure to comply with any provision of the FCCPA.”
Collins v. Erin Capital Mgmt., LLC, 991 F. Supp. 2d 1195 (S.D. Fla. 2013). “See Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1) (“[N]o person shall engage in business in this state as a consumer collection agency or continue to do business in this state as a consumer collection agency without first registering in accordance with this part, and thereafter maintaining a valid…”
Welch v. Florida West Coast, Inc., 816 So. 2d 711 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002). “Sometime prior to the signing of the contract, Welch submitted a Registration *712 of Consumer Collection Agency form to the Office of the Comptroller pursuant to section 559.553, Florida Statutes (1995), together with the required registration fee.”
— 559.553(4)(h) — 2 cases
Collins v. Erin Capital Mgmt., LLC, 991 F. Supp. 2d 1195 (S.D. Fla. 2013). “See Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1) (“[N]o person shall engage in business in this state as a consumer collection agency or continue to do business in this state as a consumer collection agency without first registering in accordance with this part, and thereafter maintaining a valid…”
LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, G.P., 552 F. Supp. 2d 1327 (M.D. Fla. 2008). “6 This claim is predicated on the assertion that Defendants could not lawfully collect or attempt to collect the debt because they were not registered with the State of Florida as required by Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1). 7 This subsection provides that “no person shall engage in…”
— 559.553(5) — 1 case
LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, G.P., 552 F. Supp. 2d 1327 (M.D. Fla. 2008). “6 This claim is predicated on the assertion that Defendants could not lawfully collect or attempt to collect the debt because they were not registered with the State of Florida as required by Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1). 7 This subsection provides that “no person shall engage in…”
— 559.553(l) — 1 case
Collins v. Erin Capital Mgmt., LLC, 991 F. Supp. 2d 1195 (S.D. Fla. 2013). “See Fla. Stat. § 559.553 (1) (“[N]o person shall engage in business in this state as a consumer collection agency or continue to do business in this state as a consumer collection agency without first registering in accordance with this part, and thereafter maintaining a valid…”
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