THE BILL ITSELF
CS/SB 158
Pet Insurance
Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 158 By the Committee on Banking and Insurance; and Senator Jones 597-02496-26 2026158c1
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A bill to be entitled
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An act relating to pet insurance; amending s.
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627.71545, F.S.; revising requirements for disclosures
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from a pet insurer to a policyholder; prohibiting
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agents from soliciting the sale of pet insurance
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policies or pet wellness products under certain
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circumstances; authorizing agents to rely on certain
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standards and materials; specifying that certain
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training standards are not part of certain continuing
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education requirements; providing that certain courses
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are eligible for certain continuing education credit;
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deleting a requirement that insurers ensure their
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agents are trained in a specified manner; requiring
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pet insurers to file annually a specified report with
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the Office of Insurance Regulation; specifying the
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requirements of such report; providing an effective
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date.
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Section 1. Present subsection (11) of section 627.71545,
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Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (12), a new
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subsection (11) is added to that section, and paragraph (e) of
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subsection (6) and paragraph (a) of subsection (10) of that
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section are amended, to read:
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627.71545 Pet insurance; noninsurance wellness programs.—
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(6)
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(e) At the time a pet insurance policy is issued or
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delivered to a policyholder, the pet insurer shall provide the
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policyholder with a copy of the Insurer Disclosure of Important
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Policy Provisions document required under paragraph (d), in at
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least 12-point type. At such time, the pet insurer shall also
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include a written disclosure with all of the following:
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1. Contact information for the Division of Consumer
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Services of the department, including a link and toll-free
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telephone number, for consumers to submit inquiries and
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complaints relating to pet insurance products regulated by the
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department or office.
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2. The address and customer service telephone number of the
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pet insurance agent.
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3. A summary of the key policy features, written in plain
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language and on a form adopted by the commission by rule,
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including, at a minimum, coverage limits and deductibles,
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waiting periods, exclusions, preexisting condition rules, and
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whether the policy includes wellness benefits.
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(10)(a) 1. An agent may not solicit the sale of a pet
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insurance policy or a pet wellness product unless the agent has
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adequate knowledge of the policy or product, is in compliance
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with the insurer’s standards applicable to the sale of the
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policy or product, and completes a biennial 2-hour training
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course on the topics specified in paragraph (b). An agent may
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rely on insurer-provided, policy, or product-specific training
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standards and materials to comply with this subsection.
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2. The insurer-provided, policy, or product-provided
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training standards specified in subparagraph 1. are not part of
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an agent’s continuing education requirement in s. 626.2815;
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however, if a course provider submits and receives approval from
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the department, the course is eligible for continuing education
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credit pursuant to s. 626.2815 A pet insurer must ensure that
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its agents are trained on the topics specified in paragraph (b)
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and that its agents have been appropriately trained on the
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coverages and conditions of its pet insurance products .
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(11) Each pet insurer authorized to transact pet insurance
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under this section shall file with the office by March 1 of each
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year a report containing all of the following information for
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the preceding calendar year:
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(a) The number of pet insurance policies issued, renewed,
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and canceled.
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(b) Aggregate premium and claims data.
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(c) Data on policy denials and rescissions, including the
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reason for each denial or rescission.
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(d) Information on waiting periods, exclusions, and
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wellness program offerings.
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(e) Any other information required by rule of the
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commission.
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Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.