The Florida Real Estate Commission has been coming down hard on one of the most common violations.  Last month, there were two cases at the Florida Real Estate Commission for the same offense.  If the DBPR prosecutes you for a violation, even if you are innocent, it is a pain in the neck.  You have to participate in the investigation.  You have to go to Orlando for the FREC meeting.  You have to plan to sit there for the entire day because you don’t know what time your case will be called.  You may want to hire an attorney.  It is a pain in the neck.  And recently, FREC has been prosecuting licensees for something that they used to ignore.

If a licensee changes their address or their email address, they have to notify the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) within 10 days.  This applies to a mailing address or an email address.  Previously, the DBPR used to issue a citation (think traffic ticket) for this infraction.  You would pay the fine and move on.  Lately, FREC has been prosecuting them.  In other words, it is no longer like a traffic ticket; now it is like a DUI.  I saw one case last month, where the licensee had the wrong zip code.  His street address, city, and state were correct.  But the zip code was incorrect.  Maybe the post office just reassigned his zip code.  The DBPR found out about it and prosecuted him.  He has a $1,000 fine and an infraction on his record that the public will see.

Further, they will send the complaint to the old address.  A complaint is not a subpoena.  The entire hearing can happen without you even knowing it happened.  That’s rare because they want you to know about it.  They work diligently to find you before the case happens.  But there comes a point where they have to proceed.

To change your address, click here and fill out Form RE10.

Save yourself the time, money, and aggravation – be sure you have a valid and current address and email address on file with the DBPR.

Please note that Karen Climer has no affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate.  Her father, Ron Climer, sold Climer School of Real Estate in 2014.  It has since been involved in several mergers and acquisitions and is owned by a large investment company.  Karen owns Demetree School of Real Estate in Orlando, Florida.