§ 551.107 — Slot machine occupational license; findings; application; fee

Florida § 551.107

• Jurisdiction: Florida
• Title: XXXIII
• Ch. 551: SLOT MACHINES

Text

(1) The Legislature finds that individuals and entities that are licensed under this section require heightened state scrutiny, including the submission by the individual licensees or persons associated with the entities described in this chapter of fingerprints for a criminal history record check.

(2)(a) The following slot machine occupational licenses shall be issued to persons or entities that, by virtue of the positions they hold, might be granted access to slot machine gaming areas or to any other person or entity in one of the following categories: 1. General occupational licenses for general employees, including food service, maintenance, and other similar service and support employees having access to the slot machine gaming area. 2. Professional occupational licenses for any person, proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or other entity that is authorized by a slot machine licensee to manage, oversee, or otherwise control daily operations as a slot machine manager, a floor supervisor, security personnel, or any other similar position of oversight of gaming operations, or any person who is not an employee of the slot machine licensee and who provides maintenance, repair, or upgrades or otherwise services a slot machine or other slot machine equipment. 3. Business occupational licenses for any slot machine management company or company associated with slot machine gaming, any person who manufactures, distributes, or sells slot machines, slot machine paraphernalia, or other associated equipment to slot machine licensees, or any company that sells or provides goods or services associated with slot machine gaming to slot machine licensees. (b) The commission may issue one license to combine licenses under this section with pari-mutuel occupational licenses and cardroom licenses pursuant to s. 550.105(2)(b). The commission shall adopt rules pertaining to occupational licenses under this subsection. Such rules may specify, but need not be limited to, requirements and restrictions for licensed occupations and categories, procedures to apply for any license or combination of licenses, disqualifying criminal offenses for a licensed occupation or categories of occupations, and which types of occupational licenses may be combined into a single license under this section. The fingerprinting requirements of subsection (7) apply to any combination license that includes slot machine license privileges under this section. The commission may not adopt a rule allowing the issuance of an occupational license to any person who does not meet the minimum background qualifications under this section. (c) Slot machine occupational licenses are not transferable.

(3) A slot machine licensee may not employ or otherwise allow a person to work at a licensed facility unless such person holds the appropriate valid occupational license. A slot machine licensee may not contract or otherwise do business with a business required to hold a slot machine occupational license unless the business holds such a license. A slot machine licensee may not employ or otherwise allow a person to work in a supervisory or management professional level at a licensed facility unless such person holds a valid slot machine occupational license. All slot machine occupational licensees, while present in slot machine gaming areas, shall display on their persons their occupational license identification cards.

(4)(a) A person seeking a slot machine occupational license or renewal thereof shall make application on forms prescribed by the commission and include payment of the appropriate application fee. Initial and renewal applications for slot machine occupational licenses must contain all information that the commission, by rule, determines is required to ensure eligibility. (b) A slot machine license or combination license is valid for the same term as a pari-mutuel occupational license issued pursuant to s. 550.105(1). (c) Pursuant to rules adopted by the commission, any person may apply for and, if qualified, be issued a slot machine occupational license valid for a period of 3 years upon payment of the full occupational license fee for each of the 3 years for which the license is issued. The slot machine occupational license is valid during its specified term at any licensed facility where slot machine gaming is authorized to be conducted. (d) The slot machine occupational license fee for initial application and annual renewal shall be determined by rule of the commission but may not exceed $50 for a general or professional occupational license for an employee of the slot machine licensee or $1,000 for a business occupational license for nonemployees of the licensee providing goods or services to the slot machine licensee. License fees for general occupational licensees shall be paid by the slot machine licensee. Failure to pay the required fee constitutes grounds for disciplinary action by the commission against the slot machine licensee, but it is not a violation of this chapter or rules of the commission by the general occupational licensee and does not prohibit the initial issuance or the renewal of the general occupational license.

(5) The commission may: (a) Deny an application for, or revoke, suspend, or place conditions or restrictions on, a license of a person or entity that has been refused a license by any other state gaming commission, governmental department, agency, or other authority exercising regulatory jurisdiction over the gaming of another state or jurisdiction; or (b) Deny an application for, or suspend or place conditions on, a license of any person or entity that is under suspension or has unpaid fines in another state or jurisdiction.

(6)(a) The commission may deny, suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew any slot machine occupational license if the applicant for such license or the licensee has violated the provisions of this chapter or the rules of the commission governing the conduct of persons connected with slot machine gaming. In addition, the commission may deny, suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew any slot machine occupational license if the applicant for such license or the licensee has been convicted in this state, in any other state, or under the laws of the United States of a capital felony, a felony, or an offense in any other state that would be a felony under the laws of this state involving arson; trafficking in, conspiracy to traffic in, smuggling, importing, conspiracy to smuggle or import, or delivery, sale, or distribution of a controlled substance; racketeering; or a crime involving a lack of good moral character, or has had a gaming license revoked by this state or any other jurisdiction for any gaming-related offense. (b) The commission may deny, revoke, or refuse to renew any slot machine occupational license if the applicant for such license or the licensee has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in this state, in any other state, or under the laws of the United States if such felony or misdemeanor is related to gambling or bookmaking as described in s. 849.25. The restrictions authorized in this paragraph may be waived by the commission if the applicant establishes that she or he is of good moral character, that she or he has been rehabilitated, and that the crime she or he was convicted of is not related to slot machine gaming and is not a capital offense. (c) For purposes of this subsection, the term “convicted” means having been found guilty, with or without adjudication of guilt, as a result of a jury verdict, nonjury trial, or entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere.

(7) Fingerprints for all slot machine occupational license applications shall be taken in a manner approved by the commission and shall be submitted electronically to the Department of Law Enforcement for state processing and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for national processing for a criminal history record check. All persons as specified in s. 550.1815(1)(a) employed by or working within a licensed premises shall submit fingerprints for a criminal history record check and may not have been convicted of any disqualifying criminal offenses specified in subsection (6). Commission employees and law enforcement officers assigned by their employing agencies to work within the premises as part of their official duties are excluded from the criminal history record check requirements under this subsection. For purposes of this subsection, the term “convicted” means having been found guilty, with or without adjudication of guilt, as a result of a jury verdict, nonjury trial, or entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere. (a) Fingerprints shall be taken in a manner approved by the commission upon initial application, or as required thereafter by rule of the commission, and shall be submitted electronically to the Department of Law Enforcement for state processing. The Department of Law Enforcement shall forward the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for national processing. The results of the criminal history record check shall be returned to the commission for purposes of screening. Licensees shall provide necessary equipment approved by the Department of Law Enforcement to facilitate such electronic submission. The commission requirements under this subsection shall be instituted in consultation with the Department of Law Enforcement. (b) The cost of processing fingerprints and conducting a criminal history record check for a general occupational license shall be borne by the slot machine licensee. The cost of processing fingerprints and conducting a criminal history record check for a business or professional occupational license shall be borne by the person being checked. The Department of Law Enforcement may invoice the commission for the fingerprints submitted each month. (c) All fingerprints submitted to the Department of Law Enforcement and required by this section shall be retained by the Department of Law Enforcement and entered into the statewide automated biometric identification system as authorized by s. 943.05(2)(b) and shall be available for all purposes and uses authorized for arrest fingerprints entered into the statewide automated biometric identification system pursuant to s. 943.051. (d) The Department of Law Enforcement shall search all arrest fingerprints received pursuant to s. 943.051 against the fingerprints retained in the statewide automated biometric identification system under paragraph (c). Any arrest record that is identified with the retained fingerprints of a person subject to the criminal history screening requirements of this section shall be reported to the commission. Each licensed facility shall pay a fee to the commission for the cost of retention of the fingerprints and the ongoing searches under this paragraph. The commission shall forward the payment to the Department of Law Enforcement. The amount of the fee to be imposed for performing these searches and the procedures for the retention of licensee fingerprints shall be as established by rule of the Department of Law Enforcement. The commission shall inform the Department of Law Enforcement of any change in the license status of licensees whose fingerprints are retained under paragraph (c). (e) The commission shall request the Department of Law Enforcement to forward the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history records check every 3 years following issuance of a license. If the fingerprints of a person who is licensed have not been retained by the Department of Law Enforcement, the person must file a complete set of fingerprints as provided for in paragraph (a). The commission shall collect the fees for the cost of the national criminal history record check under this paragraph and shall forward the payment to the Department of Law Enforcement. The cost of processing fingerprints and conducting a criminal history record check under this paragraph for a general occupational license shall be borne by the slot machine licensee. The cost of processing fingerprints and conducting a criminal history record check under this paragraph for a business or professional occupational license shall be borne by the person being checked. The Department of Law Enforcement may invoice the commission for the fingerprints submitted each month. Under penalty of perjury, each person who is licensed or who is fingerprinted as required by this section must agree to inform the commission within 48 hours if he or she is convicted of or has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any disqualifying offense, regardless of adjudication.

(8) All moneys collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the Pari-mutuel Wagering Trust Fund.

(9) The commission may deny, revoke, or suspend any occupational license if the applicant or holder of the license accumulates unpaid obligations, defaults in obligations, or issues drafts or checks that are dishonored or for which payment is refused without reasonable cause.

(10) The commission may fine or suspend, revoke, or place conditions upon the license of any licensee who provides false information under oath regarding an application for a license or an investigation by the commission.

(11) The commission may impose a civil fine of up to $5,000 for each violation of this chapter or the rules of the commission in addition to or in lieu of any other penalty provided for in this section. The commission may adopt a penalty schedule for violations of this chapter or any rule adopted pursuant to this chapter for which it would impose a fine in lieu of a suspension and adopt rules allowing for the issuance of citations, including procedures to address such citations, to persons who violate such rules. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, the commission may exclude from all licensed slot machine facilities in this state, for a period not to exceed the period of suspension, revocation, or ineligibility, any person whose occupational license application has been declared ineligible to hold an occupational license or whose occupational license has been suspended or revoked by the commission.

Legislative History

s. 1, ch. 2005-362; s. 6, ch. 2007-252; s. 54, ch. 2013-116; s. 53, ch. 2022-7; s. 14, ch. 2024-115.