For the purposes of this part, the term:
(1) “Accommodations” means any hotel or motel room, condominium or cooperative unit, cabin, lodge, or apartment; any other commercial structure designed for occupancy by one or more individuals; or any lodging establishment as provided by law. The term does not include long-term home rentals covered under a lease pursuant to chapter 83.
(2) “Certifying party” means a seller of travel registering under s. 559.928 or a seller of travel who is exempt under s. 559.935(2) or (3).
(3) “Contract” means any contract, certificate, reservation request or confirmation form, membership application or use agreement, license, or reservation confirmation whereby the purchaser obtains the right to benefits and privileges of the prearranged travel or tourist service, or to a vacation certificate, or any such other document, writing, or form committing the seller of travel to provide travel services or privileges pertaining to reservations, tour or travel arrangements, and accommodations.
(4) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
(5) “Independent agent” means a person who represents a seller of travel by soliciting persons on its behalf, who has a written contract with a seller of travel that is operating in compliance with this part and any rules promulgated thereunder, who does not receive a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration directly from the purchaser for the sale of travel, who does not at any time have any unissued ticket stock or travel documents in his or her possession, and who does not have the ability to issue tickets, vacation certificates, or any other travel documents.
(6) “Offer for sale” means direct or indirect representation, claim, or statement or making an offer or undertaking, by any means or method, to arrange for, provide, or acquire travel reservations or accommodations, tickets for domestic or foreign travel by air, rail, ship, or other medium of transportation, or hotel and motel accommodations or sightseeing tours by a seller of travel who maintains a business location in Florida or who offers to sell to persons in Florida.
(7) “Prearranged travel or tourist-related services” includes, but is not limited to, car rentals, lodging, transfers, and all other such services that are reasonably related to air, sea, rail, motor coach, or other medium of transportation, or accommodations for which a purchaser receives a premium or contracts or pays before or after departure. This term also includes services for which a purchaser, whose legal residence is outside the United States, contracts or pays before departure, and any arrangement by which a purchaser prepays for, receives a reservation or any other commitment to provide services before departure for, or otherwise arranges for travel directly to a terrorist state and which originates in Florida.
(8) “Purchaser” means the purchaser of, or person otherwise entitled to receive, prearranged travel or tourist-related services for a fee or commission, or who has acquired a vacation certificate for personal use.
(9) “Registrant” means any person registered as a seller of travel.
(10) “Satisfactory consumer complaint history” means no unresolved complaints regarding prearranged travel or tourist-related services are on file with the department. A complaint is unresolved when a seller of travel does not respond to the department’s efforts to mediate the complaint or a complaint where the department has determined that a violation of this part has occurred and the complaint has not been satisfied by the seller of travel.
(11) “Seller of travel” means any resident or nonresident person, firm, corporation, or business entity that offers, directly or indirectly, prearranged travel or tourist-related services for individuals or groups, including, but not limited to, vacation packages, or vacation certificates in exchange for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration. The term includes such person, firm, corporation, or business entity who sells a vacation certificate to third-party merchants for a fee, or in exchange for a commission, or who offers such certificates to consumers in exchange for attendance at sales presentations. The term also includes any business entity offering membership in a travel club or travel services for an advance fee or payment, even if no travel contracts or certificates or vacation or tour packages are sold by the business entity. The term does not include third parties who may offer prearranged travel or tourist-related services, but do not participate in travel fulfillment or vacation certificate redemption.
(12) “Student tour operator” means any resident or nonresident person, firm, corporation, or business entity that offers, directly or indirectly, prearranged travel or tourist-related services for groups within the educational community, school districts, educators, and students and their families, in exchange for a fee, a commission, or any other valuable consideration.
(13) “Terrorist state” means any state, country, or nation designated by the United States Department of State as a state sponsor of terrorism.
(14) “Vacation certificate” means any arrangement, plan, program, vacation package, or advance travel purchase that promotes, discusses, or discloses a destination or itinerary or type of travel, whereby a purchaser is entitled to the use of travel, accommodations, or facilities for any number of days, whether certain or uncertain, during the period in which the certificate can be exercised, and no specific date or dates for its use are designated. A vacation certificate does not include prearranged travel or tourist-related services when a seller of travel remits full payment for the cost of such services to the provider or supplier within 10 business days of the purchaser’s initial payment to the seller of travel. The term does not include travel if exact travel dates are selected, guaranteed, and paid for at the time of the purchase.