Know who investigates, who decides, and which deadline applies. Try 8 free scored questions, explanations of every choice, a seven-step complaint guide, and six worked scenarios covering FREC penalties and the Recovery Fund. No account needed.
Rules in effect through . Reviewed . Review and sources
Quiz mode · Test yourself
8 practice questions on violations and penalties, scored, each with a full explanation after you answer. Every question is also written out below if you would rather study at your own pace.
All 8 questions and explanations are free. Violations and Penalties carries 3% of the published sales associate exam outline, about 3 questions. This focused set does not predict your state-exam score.
01 / Follow the case
Use this sequence to learn each body's role. Dismissal, a correction notice, citation, or settlement can resolve a case before it reaches the later steps.
DBPR
A legally sufficient complaint alleges facts that, if true, would violate an applicable law or rule. Written, signed complaints are the ordinary route. Anonymous complaints can qualify under the statute's additional conditions.
DBPR / Division of Real Estate
Investigators gather evidence. DBPR can dismiss a case when the evidence does not support prosecution. A consumer withdrawing the complaint does not require the department to stop investigating.
Probable cause panel
The panel decides whether the case has sufficient grounds to proceed. It may request more information or issue a letter of guidance instead of finding probable cause. This is not the final finding of a violation.
DBPR prosecutes
When prosecution proceeds, the administrative complaint sets out the alleged violations. The licensee receives notice and an opportunity to request a hearing. A stipulation or settlement may resolve the case.
DOAH or FREC, depending on the dispute
Disputed material facts call for a formal hearing before a DOAH administrative law judge, who issues a recommended order. If no material facts are disputed, an informal FREC hearing may address the legal issues and penalty.
FREC
FREC enters the final order in the disciplinary case. Members who served on its probable cause panel do not take part in that final decision. Chapter 120 limits when FREC can reject an ALJ's findings of fact.
District court of appeal
An adversely affected party can seek review within 30 days after rendition of the order under the appellate rules. Filing alone does not stay enforcement. A stay or supersedeas addresses whether the order is paused during review.
“I never made that disbursement” disputes a fact. “I admit the facts but think the fine is too high” does not. The ALJ's recommended order and FREC's final order are different documents.
02 / Attach a trigger to each number
Learn the event and the action together. These are separate statutory periods, not a single deadline for responding to every DBPR document.
| Event and period | Trigger and action |
|---|---|
| Respond to an investigative complaint20 days | After service of the complaint copy The subject may submit a written response for DBPR to consider. This is the investigative response under 455.225(1)(b), not the hearing election on a later administrative complaint. |
| Correct a listed initial minor violation15 days | From receipt of the notice of noncompliance Comply within the period in Rule 61J2-24.003. Failure leads to a citation if one is available, or regular disciplinary proceedings. |
| Dispute a citation30 days | After the citation is served Dispute it with the department. If it is not disputed within this period, the citation becomes a final order and constitutes discipline. |
| Report a crime to the board30 days | After a guilty or no-contest plea, conviction, or finding of guilt Report in writing under 455.227(1)(t), regardless of adjudication. The duty covers a crime in any jurisdiction, including misdemeanors. Section 475.25(1)(p) separately states the felony reporting duty. |
| Ordinary complaint confidentiality10 days after probable cause | The probable cause determination Complaint and investigative information ordinarily remain confidential until this point, or until the subject waives confidentiality earlier. Statutory exceptions include unlicensed-activity enforcement and authorized agency disclosures. |
| File an administrative complaint5 years, with a discovery alternative | The act, or its actual or reasonably diligent discovery Section 475.25(5) allows five years after the act or five years after it was discovered or should have been discovered with due diligence. This is separate from Recovery Fund timing. |
| Make a Recovery Fund claim2 years, subject to a 4-year outside limit | The act, or its actual or reasonably diligent discovery The claim must fall within the two-year act/discovery rule and cannot be made more than four years after the act. Later discovery does not remove the four-year limit. |
| Notify FREC of the civil action for a fund claimWhen the action starts | Commencement of the civil action The statute calls for certified-mail notice to FREC at commencement. It permits FREC to honor an otherwise valid claim despite missing notice, so this omission is not an automatic disqualification. |
| Seek judicial review of a final order30 days | After rendition of the order Follow the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. This clock is separate from the citation dispute and crime-reporting periods, even though all three use 30 days. |
For an actual proceeding, read the served document and its notice of rights for the applicable filing procedure and deadline. This study table does not replace a case-specific notice or address every procedural exception.
03 / Match the consequence to the forum
The same conduct can lead to more than one proceeding. The result of one does not automatically decide the others.
Administrative / FREC
FREC can impose reprimand, license probation, suspension of up to 10 years under 475.25, revocation, and fines. It can also deny an application or renewal.
The statutory ceiling is not the default sanction. Apply the adopted guidelines and circumstances.
Civil / Courts
A civil action may produce a damages judgment or another authorized remedy. FREC's administrative fine is not a civil damages award to the consumer.
An unpaid qualifying judgment may support a Recovery Fund claim, subject to its separate conditions.
Criminal / Courts
Courts impose criminal punishment, including authorized imprisonment and fines. The offense's classification comes from the governing statute.
FREC does not send a licensee to jail. License discipline can proceed alongside a criminal case.
A violation listed in 475.42 where the chapter does not provide a different penalty.
Violating the fee-based rental information requirements in 475.453(1), such as the required refund provisions.
Operating as a broker or sales associate without the required valid, current, active license under 475.42(1)(a).
These are general degree-based limits, not sentencing predictions. F.S. 775.082: general imprisonment limits sets imprisonment limits. F.S. 775.083: general criminal fine limits and exceptions permits higher fines in specified circumstances, including double the gain or loss or a higher amount authorized by statute. Costs and applicable sentencing provisions are separate.
A notice of noncompliance gives an opportunity to correct a listed initial minor violation. For example, Rule 61J2-24.003 lists an initial failure to maintain the required office entrance sign. A citation carries a designated penalty and can become final discipline. It is not simply a warning.
04 / Check eligibility before the dollars
The ordinary public-claim route is a limited remedy for qualifying misconduct in a Florida real property transaction. An unpaid judgment alone is not enough.
Payment limits
The transaction cap is shared even if several people or parcels are involved. Available funds and earlier approved claims also matter.
Section 475.483 excludes the judgment debtor's spouse or the spouse's personal representative, a licensee acting as single agent or transaction broker in the transaction, and specified ownership or own-account transactions. Inactive or unlicensed status at the time of the transaction and a judgment only against a brokerage entity also prevent eligibility under the listed conditions.
The statute permits a limited waiver of the final-judgment requirement following the licensee's death or qualifying bankruptcy-court action that prevents a judgment despite due diligence. A bankruptcy filing alone is not a blanket waiver. FREC may also honor an otherwise valid claim despite missing notice of the civil action.
A payment on the ordinary public-claim route under 475.482(1) automatically suspends the license on the payment date. Full repayment plus interest is required before reinstatement, subject to the federal bankruptcy-law exception stated in 475.484(7). No further administrative action is needed for that automatic suspension.
This is a separate statutory consequence. Do not apply the ordinary 10-year disciplinary suspension ceiling as a substitute for the fund repayment condition.
Under 475.482(2), a broker or sales associate who follows an escrow disbursement order and faces a qualifying judgment can seek the separate protection provided by the fund. The licensee must notify FREC of the action and diligently defend it, among the statutory conditions.
Section 475.483(3) addresses reasonable attorney fees and court costs for qualifying claims. The automatic suspension provision in 475.484(7) applies to the public-claim route under 475.482(1), not this separate escrow-order route. Do not extend the fee exception or the absence of automatic suspension to ordinary fraud claims.
05 / Apply the distinction
Decide what should happen before opening the reasoning. The fund examples illustrate statutory caps; they do not determine a real claim's eligibility.
Worked scenario 01
After DBPR starts investigating alleged fraud, the broker repays the consumer. The consumer withdraws the complaint. Must DBPR close the case?
No. Repayment and withdrawal do not require dismissal.
DBPR may continue investigating a withdrawn complaint. Section 475.25(1)(b) also makes clear that paying the loss after discovery does not erase the violation. Consumer harm and the regulatory case are related, but resolving one does not automatically resolve the other.
Worked scenario 02
One licensee says the alleged escrow disbursement never happened. Another admits the material facts but argues that the proposed penalty is too severe. Which hearing route fits each?
Disputed material facts: formal DOAH hearing. Undisputed material facts: informal FREC hearing.
The distinction is whether an important fact is disputed, not whether the licensee dislikes the proposed outcome. In a formal disciplinary hearing, the ALJ issues a recommended order and FREC enters the final agency order within Chapter 120's limits.
Worked scenario 03
A disciplinary case establishes three separate counts subject to the $5,000-per-count fine ceiling. What is the combined statutory fine ceiling for those counts?
$15,000. The maximum is not the automatic penalty.
Three counts × $5,000 = $15,000. FREC applies the relevant disciplinary guidelines and circumstances to determine the actual sanction. Other authorized sanctions and recoverable costs are separate from this fine calculation.
Worked scenario 04
Two otherwise eligible consumers have unpaid compensatory judgments of $30,000 and $40,000 from the same transaction. Does each receive a separate $50,000 fund allowance?
$50,000 is the combined transaction ceiling, not $70,000.
The $50,000 limit applies in the aggregate to the transaction, regardless of the number of claimants or parcels. It is a cap, not a promise of payment. These facts do not determine how an approved payment would be allocated between the claimants.
Worked scenario 05
The fund has already paid $130,000 on judgments against one licensee. A new, separate transaction produces an otherwise eligible $40,000 unpaid compensatory claim. Assuming no other claims compete and funds are available, what remains under the licensee cap?
$20,000 remains under the $150,000 aggregate licensee cap.
Subtract prior payments: $150,000 − $130,000 = $20,000. The new transaction's $50,000 ceiling does not reset the licensee's aggregate limit. The remaining cap is still subject to claim approval and all statutory conditions.
Worked scenario 06
A licensee enters a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor in another state. Adjudication is withheld. Can the licensee wait until renewal to tell FREC?
No. Report it in writing within 30 days of the plea.
Section 455.227(1)(t) reaches a crime in any jurisdiction, regardless of adjudication. It is broader than the separate felony provision in 475.25(1)(p). Reporting is required here; whether and how the underlying conduct supports discipline is a separate question.
06 / Know the terms in context
Use the exact facts and provision. Similar words can describe different documents, grounds for discipline, or stages of the case.
Legal sufficiency asks whether the alleged facts, if true, violate an applicable law or rule. Probable cause comes after investigation and asks whether there are grounds to proceed. Neither is the final adjudication. Under 455.225(4), a panel has at least two members. FREC's rule requires at least one current commissioner and permits a former commissioner as provided by statute; consumer-member participation is subject to the statutory conditions.
A false material statement, withholding a material fact, dishonest dealing, and serious neglect of a duty can raise different grounds under 475.25(1)(b). Breach of trust concerns misuse of confidence or authority placed in the licensee. Read the facts and the charged provision. An honest mistake is not automatically intentional fraud, and actual financial loss is not required for every disciplinary violation.
Moral turpitude concerns seriously dishonest or morally wrongful conduct in the legal sense, not simply conduct someone dislikes. Section 475.25(1)(f) identifies crimes related to brokerage or involving moral turpitude, fraud, or dishonest dealing as disciplinary grounds. That is distinct from the broader duty to report a crime under 455.227(1)(t). Reporting a misdemeanor does not mean every misdemeanor automatically requires revocation.
A subpoena commands testimony or production of evidence. A stipulation records an agreement between the parties; a proposed settlement needs the applicable agency approval. A letter of guidance is a possible probable cause panel response instead of a probable cause finding. These documents serve different purposes and are not interchangeable with a final disciplinary order.
Immediate serious danger to public health, safety, or welfare can support emergency action with the procedural safeguards in 120.60(6). Under 455.225(8), the DBPR secretary or designee issues the final summary suspension order. A suspension or revocation proceeding must also be promptly instituted and acted upon. Do not assign this emergency authority to the ALJ or treat it as the ordinary seven-stage route.
Revocation removes the license. Voluntary relinquishment can resolve a disciplinary matter, with the accepted terms determining its consequences; it is not a way to erase the case. Section 475.25(2) separately permits revocation or cancellation of a license issued by mistake or inadvertence without prejudice to a later application. That limited provision is not a promise that every revoked license can be restored.
Rule 61J2-24.001 gives ranges for particular violations, including first and subsequent offenses. Aggravating or mitigating circumstances can justify a departure when established as the rule requires. Examples include harm, the number of counts, disciplinary history, license status, and financial hardship. Distinguish a guideline range from the statutory maximum and from a penalty imposed in a particular case.
Section 475.482 provides annual assessments of $3.50 for brokers and $1.50 for sales associates, with collection discontinued at the end of the renewal cycle when the fund exceeds $1 million. The assessment is not imposed again unless the fund falls below $500,000 because of authorized disbursements. Fines collected under 475.25 and 475.42 also go to the fund. These funding thresholds are separate from the claim payment caps.
07 / Review every answer
Open the concept you want to review. Every question, answer, wrong-choice explanation, and source is available without completing the quiz or signing in.
Try each question before opening its answer. These are original practice items, not actual or recalled Pearson VUE exam questions.
Question 1 · vio-1 · DBPR investigation and legal sufficiency
Answer B. DBPR, through its investigative authority
DBPR determines legal sufficiency and investigates qualifying complaints through the Division of Real Estate. Legal sufficiency means the alleged facts, if true, would violate an applicable law or rule. The probable cause panel has a later review role. A complaint can be dismissed or otherwise resolved without every stage of a contested disciplinary case.
Remember: DBPR investigates. The panel reviews probable cause. FREC enters the final disciplinary order when the case reaches that stage.
A. FREC commissioners personally investigating the alleged conduct
The commissioners are not assigned the department’s initial investigative role.
C. A local Realtor association deciding state-license discipline
An association’s professional standards process does not replace DBPR’s state-license investigation.
D. The circuit court entering a disciplinary order before investigation
A civil court does not conduct this initial administrative investigation.
Sources: F.S. 455.225: complaints, investigation, and discipline · FREC Course I syllabus: Section 6 learning objectives
Report a problem with vio-1Question 2 · vio-2 · Formal hearings and recommended orders
Answer D. A DOAH administrative law judge
A formal hearing on disputed material facts ordinarily goes to an administrative law judge at the Division of Administrative Hearings. The ALJ issues a recommended order. FREC enters the final agency order, subject to Chapter 120’s limits on changing findings of fact. When material facts are not disputed, an informal FREC hearing may be appropriate.
Remember: A formal administrative complaint is the charging document. Whether the hearing is formal depends on disputed material facts.
A. FREC in an informal hearing that assumes no disputed material facts
The question expressly says material facts are disputed, so the informal route does not fit.
B. A county court acting as the probable cause panel
A county court is not the probable cause panel or the DOAH hearing forum.
C. The Florida Supreme Court as the initial fact-finder
The Supreme Court is not the initial hearing forum for this disciplinary fact dispute.
Sources: F.S. 120.57: formal and informal hearings · F.S. 455.225: complaints, investigation, and discipline
Report a problem with vio-2Question 3 · vio-3 · The fine ceiling applies per count
Answer A. $5,000
The statutory administrative fine ceiling is $5,000 for each count or separate offense. It is not a single $5,000 ceiling for an entire multi-count case. The actual penalty depends on the violation, applicable disciplinary guidelines, and circumstances; the maximum is not automatically imposed.
Remember: Identify both the amount and its unit: up to $5,000 per count.
B. $1,000
$1,000 is below the statutory per-count ceiling, even though a particular penalty may be that amount.
C. $10,000
$10,000 could be the combined ceiling for two separate counts, not one.
D. $25,000
$25,000 could be the combined ceiling for five separate counts, not one.
Sources: F.S. 475.25: grounds, penalties, and complaint time limit · Rule 61J2-24.001: adopted disciplinary guidelines
Report a problem with vio-3Question 4 · vio-4 · Administrative sanctions versus court penalties
Answer C. License probation, suspension, revocation, and reprimand
FREC can impose license probation, suspension of up to 10 years under 475.25, revocation, reprimand, and an authorized fine. It can also deny an application or renewal. Criminal sentences are imposed through the courts. The separate automatic Recovery Fund suspension has its own repayment conditions and should not be treated as an ordinary fixed-term suspension.
Remember: The forum matters. A criminal sentence, a civil judgment, and a license sanction are different consequences.
A. Imprisonment and criminal probation ordered directly by FREC
FREC does not sentence a licensee to imprisonment or criminal probation.
B. Eviction and a criminal conviction entered by the probable cause panel
The probable cause panel does not issue eviction orders or enter criminal convictions.
D. A civil damages judgment entered by a DOAH investigator
A DOAH ALJ is not an investigator and does not award this civil damages judgment in the disciplinary hearing.
Sources: F.S. 475.25: grounds, penalties, and complaint time limit · F.S. 475.42: criminal violations and separate proceedings · F.S. 475.484: fund payment caps and automatic suspension
Report a problem with vio-4Question 5 · vio-5 · Recovery Fund eligibility and shared caps
Answer B. The Florida Real Estate Recovery Fund
The Real Estate Recovery Fund may pay eligible unpaid actual or compensatory damages when the statutory transaction, judgment, collection, timing, and claimant conditions are met. Claims from one transaction share a $50,000 ceiling. Payments on judgments against one licensee also face a $150,000 aggregate cap. An unpaid judgment alone does not establish eligibility.
Remember: Check eligibility first. The $50,000 limit belongs to the transaction, not separately to each claimant.
A. FDIC deposit insurance
FDIC insurance protects qualifying bank deposits; it is not the real estate misconduct remedy described.
C. The brokerage escrow account, automatically charged for the judgment
Escrow funds belong to the parties entitled to them and are not automatically available to pay this judgment.
D. A fund guaranteeing every decline in a property’s market value
The Recovery Fund does not insure investment performance or every property loss.
Sources: F.S. 475.482: Recovery Fund purpose and covered transactions · F.S. 475.483: Recovery Fund conditions and exclusions · F.S. 475.484: fund payment caps and automatic suspension
Report a problem with vio-5Question 6 · vio-6 · Citation authority and the dispute period
Answer A. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation
DBPR issues the citation; FREC designates citation offenses and penalties by rule. The licensee may dispute the citation with the department within 30 days after service. If it is not disputed within that period, it becomes a final order and constitutes discipline. A notice of noncompliance for a listed initial minor violation is a different procedure.
Remember: The board defines the citation offenses. The department issues the citation. The licensee’s dispute clock starts at service.
B. The Division of Administrative Hearings
DOAH handles formal administrative hearings; it does not issue this DBPR citation.
C. The local circuit court clerk
A court clerk does not exercise the citation authority given to the department.
D. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement
FDLE’s law-enforcement role is separate from this professional-regulation citation process.
Sources: F.S. 455.224: citations and the 30-day dispute period · Rule 61J2-24.002: adopted citation offenses and penalties · Rule 61J2-24.003: initial minor violations and 15-day correction
Report a problem with vio-6Question 7 · vio-7 · Administrative complaint limitation and discovery
Answer D. Five years after the act, or five years after it was discovered or should have been discovered with due diligence
Section 475.25(5) provides two alternative five-year measures: one from the act, and one from actual or reasonably diligent discovery. The Recovery Fund has a separate two-year act/discovery rule and an absolute four-year limit. Do not substitute the fund’s claim period for the department’s administrative-complaint period.
Remember: First identify what is being filed: an administrative complaint or a Recovery Fund claim.
A. One year after the act, with no discovery alternative
The provision uses five-year measures, not a one-year limit.
B. Two years after discovery, subject to a four-year outside limit
Those are Recovery Fund claim limits, not the administrative-complaint rule asked here.
C. No filing limit applies to an administrative complaint
The statute expressly imposes a filing limit.
Sources: F.S. 475.25: grounds, penalties, and complaint time limit · F.S. 475.483: Recovery Fund conditions and exclusions
Report a problem with vio-7Question 8 · vio-8 · Felony reporting and the broader crime-reporting duty
Answer C. Within 30 days of the plea
The felony provision requires written notice within 30 days of the plea, conviction, or finding of guilt. Do not wait for sentencing or renewal. The broader duty in 455.227(1)(t) covers a crime in any jurisdiction, regardless of adjudication, and includes misdemeanors. Adjudication being withheld does not remove that reporting duty.
Remember: The felony question tests 30 days. It does not mean only felonies must be reported.
A. Within 10 days of the plea
Ten days is not the reporting period in this provision.
B. At the next license renewal
Renewal may occur after the reporting deadline and does not replace it.
D. Only after sentencing and formal adjudication
The plea itself triggers the stated duty, and the broader reporting law applies regardless of adjudication.
Sources: F.S. 475.25: grounds, penalties, and complaint time limit · F.S. 455.227(1)(t): reporting a crime regardless of adjudication
Report a problem with vio-8Your next step toward exam day
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08 / Check the full objective
The published outline has six main headings for this area. Section 6 of the Course I syllabus supplies the detailed learning objectives.
In this resource: The process diagram, hearing comparison, and timeline.
Also review: Anonymous complaint conditions, panel composition, settlements, and judicial review.
In this resource: Fraud, repayment, license sanctions, and criminal reporting.
Also review: Read the full charged provision, including escrow, advertising, and duties covered in the related brokerage topics.
In this resource: Administrative, civil, and criminal consequences and the general criminal penalty comparison.
Also review: Distinguish the offense's classification from the sanction imposed in a particular case.
In this resource: Eligibility, deadlines, payment caps, automatic suspension, and the escrow-order exception.
Also review: Review the judgment, notice, collection, and exclusion conditions together.
In this resource: Legal sufficiency, probable cause, hearing orders, subpoena, stipulation, and emergency action.
Also review: Explain each term using a fact pattern before memorizing its label.
In this resource: Citation and noncompliance distinctions, penalty ranges, and aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
Also review: Use the adopted rule's exact offense and first or subsequent violation column when a question supplies that detail.
DBPR candidate booklet: Violations, Penalties and Procedures, 3% supplies the 3% weight and six headings. FREC Course I syllabus: Section 6 learning objectives supplies the Section 6 objectives. Completing eight questions is a starting point, not proof that every objective is mastered.
Start with the decision-maker. DBPR investigates and prosecutes. The probable cause panel decides whether there are grounds to proceed. A DOAH judge handles disputed material facts; FREC enters the final disciplinary order.
Then identify the document and its trigger. An investigative complaint, notice of noncompliance, citation, and final order have different response rules. A 30-day deadline is only useful when you know what starts it.
For the Recovery Fund, check eligibility before doing the math. Apply the unpaid compensatory-damages limit, the shared transaction cap, and the aggregate licensee cap. Keep the separate claim deadlines and escrow-disbursement-order provisions in view.
Questions about violations and penalties practice
The published DBPR sales associate candidate booklet assigns this area 3%, about three questions on the 100-question exam. Its six headings cover the complaint process, grounds for discipline, types of penalties, Recovery Fund, legal terms, and disciplinary guidelines. The free eight-question set samples these subjects; the guide maps them to the broader objectives.
DBPR, through the Division of Real Estate, handles the investigation. The probable cause panel later determines whether there are grounds to proceed. FREC enters the final disciplinary order when the case reaches that stage. Not every investigated complaint results in prosecution or discipline.
A written, signed, legally sufficient complaint is the ordinary route under 455.225. An anonymous written complaint can also be investigated if it is legally sufficient, alleges a substantial violation, and the department has reason to believe the allegations after a preliminary inquiry. The statute also permits department-initiated investigations and qualifying confidential sources.
A formal hearing addresses disputed material facts, ordinarily before a DOAH administrative law judge. The judge issues a recommended order and FREC enters the final agency order within Chapter 120’s limits. An informal FREC hearing applies when material facts are not disputed. Disagreement with the proposed penalty alone does not create a factual dispute.
Under 475.25, FREC may impose an administrative fine of up to $5,000 per count or separate offense and suspend a license for up to 10 years. These are statutory ceilings, not automatic penalties. The separate automatic suspension following certain Recovery Fund payments has its own repayment requirements.
No. Under Rule 61J2-24.003, a notice gives 15 days from receipt to correct a listed initial minor violation. A citation identifies a designated offense and penalty. Under 455.224, a citation not disputed within 30 days after service becomes a final order and constitutes discipline.
Yes, when the reporting trigger in 455.227(1)(t) occurs. A guilty or no-contest plea, conviction, or finding of guilt for a crime in any jurisdiction must be reported to the board in writing within 30 days, regardless of adjudication. This includes misdemeanors. Section 475.25(1)(p) separately addresses felonies.
Under 455.225(10), complaint and investigative information ordinarily remain confidential until 10 days after probable cause is found, or until the subject waives confidentiality earlier. The statute provides exceptions, including unlicensed-activity enforcement and authorized disclosures to law-enforcement or regulatory bodies. An ordinary complaint is not automatically public when filed.
Yes. Section 455.225 permits the department to continue investigating a withdrawn complaint. Repaying a loss after discovery also does not erase a violation under 475.25(1)(b). The consumer’s civil remedy and the state’s license-regulation duties are separate.
No. Claims arising from one transaction share a $50,000 aggregate limit, regardless of the number of claimants or parcels. Payments on judgments against one licensee also cannot exceed $150,000 in the aggregate. Actual payment depends on eligibility, unpaid qualifying damages, the caps, and available funds.
The ordinary public-claim route concerns qualifying misconduct by an individual who held a valid, current, active Florida license and acted solely as a licensee in a Florida real property transaction without the excluded ownership role. The claimant must meet the judgment, collection, timing, notice, and other conditions in 475.483. A judgment only against a brokerage entity is insufficient.
Section 475.483 requires a claim within two years after the act or two years after it was discovered or should have been discovered with due diligence, and never more than four years after the act. The separate administrative-complaint limit in 475.25(5) uses five-year act or discovery measures.
A payment on the ordinary public-claim route under 475.482(1) automatically suspends the license on the payment date. Reinstatement requires full repayment plus interest, subject to the federal bankruptcy-law exception stated in 475.484(7). The separate qualifying escrow-disbursement-order route under 475.482(2) is not subject to that automatic suspension provision.
Ordinary public-claim payments cover eligible unpaid actual or compensatory damages, not punitive damages. Section 475.484 excludes treble damages, attorney fees, court costs, and interest except as provided in 475.483. Qualifying escrow-disbursement-order claims have separate provisions for reasonable attorney fees and court costs.
Yes. A license sanction, a civil damages judgment, and a criminal sentence serve different purposes. Section 475.42 states that the pendency or result of one proceeding does not stay or control the others. FREC does not impose imprisonment.
All eight questions, 24 explanations of wrong choices, six worked scenarios, and the reference guide are free without an account. Open the Pass Florida web app or download the mobile app for more practice, missed-answer review, weak-area practice, and full-length timed exams across all 19 topics. These are original practice items, not actual or recalled Pearson VUE questions.
Sources and editorial review
Published by Pass Florida. Reviewed on for material applicable through .
This review checked the questions, deadlines, penalty distinctions, and fund examples against the published DBPR outline, FREC Course I syllabus, Florida statutes, and adopted FREC rules.
The 3% weight comes from the January 2025 candidate booklet. Section 6 of the published Course I syllabus, effective January 1, 2023, supplies the learning objectives. The cited disciplinary, citation, and noncompliance rules have adopted versions effective March 2, 2023; the probable cause rule is effective November 8, 2012. These publication dates are not presented as a newly issued 2026 syllabus.
Found an error? Use the correction link under a question or send the question ID and supporting source.
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