A bill moving swiftly through the Florida House of Representatives could help ease the shortage of customer representatives at insurance agencies by waiving longstanding education requirements.
House Bill 1343 would allow insurance customer representatives to forego the courses now required for a customer service representative license in the state, as long as the applicant completes high school courses on insurance and personal finance.
The bill’s co-sponsor, state Rep. Brian Hodgers, one of only two insurance agents in the Legislature, said that agencies across the state have had difficulty hiring and keeping customers reps, especially in recent years as escalating property insurance premiums have prompted many irate policyholders to call agencies in frustration.
“Over the last six years, a lot of phone calls have been adversarial, and customer reps are the first line of defense,” said Hodgers, who owns two agencies, in Viera and Davies. “They’re the ones getting yelled at.”
That, and the state’s 9 credit hours of education, have discouraged some high school grads from seeking insurance jobs, he said. Those that do often look for underwriting or carrier-based positions.
The bill, which Hodgers said was crafted with input from the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, would direct the state Department of Education to develop a high school course worth 0.5 credit hours in insurance and personal finance. The course would have to cover “basic property and casualty lines of insurance,” and be consistent with existing insurance instruction as outlined in state law, an analysis of the bill explains.
The applicant for a CSR license would have to apply for a license within four years of completing the high-school course, the bill notes.
Florida, under a law approved in 2022 that was promoted by former Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis, already requires a class for high schoolers on financial literacy, which includes personal insurance. Hodgers’ bill would take it a step or two further, requiring a more comprehensive curriculum in insurance and personal finance.
He said he received some pushback from the Florida Department of Education but differences were resolved.
So far, the measure has moved steadily through House committees. It was approved by the Insurance and Banking Subcommittee in January, then by the Careers and Workforce Subcommittee last week. It now awaits action by the full House Commerce Committee.
A similar bill, Senate Bill 1504, was passed by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee with no opposition.
The 2026 legislative session ends March 13.
Topics
Florida
K-12
Education
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