Florida is pulling out-of-state bail bond insurers into its premium-reporting regime, with the new rules live July 1, 2026.
Governor Ron DeSantis approved HB 271 on May 6, 2026, after the state legislature passed it with near-unanimous support. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Susan Valdes, amends section 624.4094 of the Florida Statutes. It extends to foreign and alien bail bond insurers the same reporting and record-keeping duties that already apply to domestic carriers writing bail bonds in Florida.
The bill cleared the House 107-1 on February 17 and the Senate 34-0 on March 6. It was filed as Chapter No. 2026-61 on May 7.
Under the amended statute, every domestic, foreign, or alien insurer must report direct written premiums for bail bonds net of any amounts retained by licensed bail bond agents or appointed managing general agents. The reports go to the Office of Insurance Regulation under section 624.424.
There is a floor. The statute says "in no case shall the direct written premiums for bail bonds be less than 6.5 percent of the total consideration received by the agent for all bail bonds written by the agent." The same provision governs compliance checks under section 624.4095.
The legislature explains its reasoning at the top of the section: "a significant portion of bail bond premiums is retained by the licensed bail bond agents or appointed managing general agents." The new language brings foreign and alien insurers under the same lens.
Assumed premiums must be reported consistent with subsections (1) and (4). And every domestic, foreign, or alien bail bond insurer must keep complete and accurate records of the total consideration paid for all bail bonds it writes.
The annual statement disclosures are listed in subsection (4). In the notes to the annual statement, insurers must disclose: gross bail bond premiums written in each state by agents for the company; the amount of premium taxes incurred by the company in each state; total consideration withheld by agents and not reported as an expense by the insurer; and the amount of bail bond premium included on the surety line of the annual statement.
The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
For carriers writing Florida bail bonds from outside the state, the message is plain. Agent-retention disclosure is no longer a domestic-only chore. Compliance teams have until summer to line up annual statement notes, surety-line reporting, and agent-consideration records.
