Petitioner: DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
Respondent: DORA LEONORA SMITH
Judges: SUSAN BELYEU KIRKLAND
Agency: Department of Financial Services
Locations: Tallahassee, Florida
Filed: Jun. 30, 2003
Status: Closed
Settled and/or Dismissed prior to entry of RO/FO on Wednesday, September 10, 2003.
Latest Update: Dec. 26, 2024
FELED
yee . May 13> 2005
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES 20 PH Mt
TOM GALLAGHER ava
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER A Mf fh "
HE
IN THE MATTER OF:
CASE NO. 67168-03-AG
DORA LEONORA SMITH
/ D%- DAIS PL
ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT
TO: DORA LEONORA SMITH
12620 US Hwy 301
Dade City, Florida 33525
DORA LEONORA SMITH
5422 Emerald Drive
Ridgemanor, Florida 33523
You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, are hereby notified that pursuant to Chapter 626,
Florida Statutes, the Chief Financial Officer of the State of Florida, has caused to be made an
investigation of your activities while licensed as an insurance agent in this state, as a result of
which it is alleged:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
1. You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, are currently licensed in the state as a general
lines insurance agent, and as a legal expense agent.
2. At all time pertinent to the dates and occurrences referred to in this
Administrative Complaint you, DORA LEONORA SMITH, were licensed as an insurance agent
in this state.
3. At all times pertinent to the dates and occurrences referred to in this
Administrative Complaint you, DORA LEONORA SMITH, were an officer and director of Gene
Smith Insurance Agency, Inc., a Florida incorporated insurance agency.
4. At all times pertinent to the dates and occurrences referred to in this
Administrative Complaint all funds received by you, DORA LEONORA SMITH, pursuant to
Section 626.561, Florida Statutes, from consumers or on behalf of consumers were trust funds
received in a fiduciary capacity and were to be paid over to persons entitled thereto in the regular
course of business.
COUNT I
5. Paragraphs one through four are realleged and incorporated herein by reference.
6. On or about January 31, 2002, you, DORA LEONORA SMITH, received from
Mark Romano of Ridge Manor, Florida a check in the amount of $172.00 made payable to Gene
Smith Insurance. These funds were intended by Mark Romano to be an initial premium payment
on a boat owners marine insurance policy. You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, represented to
Mark Ramono that his boat was insured from January 31, 2002. Mark Romano made two
additional premium payments on February 28, 2002 and March 29, 2002 to a premium finance
company.
7. You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, submitted the application and premium
payment for Mark Romano’s marine insurance policy to Hull & Co., an insurance broker, for
processing and issuance of the policy. On or about February 28, 2002, Hull & Co informed you,
DORA LEONORA SMITH, that additional information would be needed before coverage could
be bound and a policy issued. You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, failed to provide the requested
information to Hull & Co. or inform Mark Romano that additional information was required and
2
that his insurance policy had not been issued. On or about March 7, 2002, Hull & Co. made a
second request to you, DORA LEONORA SMITH, for information but you failed to respond.
8. On or about March 18, 2002, Hull & Company returned your agency check
representing the policy premium payment uncashed to you, DORA LEONORA SMITH, and
informed you that Mark Romano’s insurance policy could not be issued because you had failed
to provide the requested information. You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, failed to inform Mark
Romano that his insurance policy had not been issued and failed to refund the premium payment
to Mark Romano or to the premium finance company.
9. You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, represented to Mark Romano that his boat was
fully insured until April 8, 2002, when his boat sank. These representations were false and
material misstatements of fact. At the time these representations were made, no insurance
company had issued a marine insurance policy to Mark Romano and no insurance coverage had
been bound. You, DORA LEONORA SMITH, were aware of these facts but failed to inform
Mark Romano. As a result, he has suffered a significant financial loss.
IT IS THEREFORE CHARGED that you, DORA LEONORA SMITH, have
violated or are accountable under the following provisions of the Florida Insurance Code and
Rules of the Department of Financial Services which constitute grounds for the suspension or
revocation of your insurance licenses and eligibility for licensure:
(a) Willful misrepresentation of any insurance policy or annuity contract or willful
deception with regard to any such policy or contract. {Section 626.611(5), Florida Statutes};
(b) Demonstrated lack of fitness or trustworthiness to engage in the business of insurance.
[Section 626.611(7), Florida Statutes];
(c) Fraudulent or dishonest practices in the conduct of business under the license or
permit. [Section 626.611(9), Florida Statutes];
(d) In the conduct of business under the license or permit, engaging in unfair methods of
competition or in unfair or deceptive acts or practices, as prohibited under part X of this chapter,
or having otherwise shown himself to be a source of injury or loss to the public. [Section
626.621(6), Florida Statutes]
(e) False statements and entries. —
1. Knowingly:
a. Filing with any supervisory or other public official,
b. Making, publishing, disseminating, circulating,
c. Delivering to any person,
d. Placing before the public,
e, Causing, directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated, delivered to
any person, or placed before the public, any false material statement. [Section 626.9541(1)(e)1,
Florida Statutes].
NOTICE OF RIGHTS
You have the right to request a proceeding to contest this action by the Department
pursuant to sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes, and Rule 28-107, Florida
Administrative Code. The proceeding request must be in writing, signed by you, and must be
filed with the Department within twenty-one (21) days of your receipt of this notice. Completion
of the attached Election of Proceeding form and/or a petition for administrative hearing will
suffice as a written request. The request must be filed with the General Counsel as acting
Agency Clerk, at the Florida Department of Financial Services, 612 Larson Building, 200 East
4
Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0333. Your written response must be received by the
Department no later than 5:00 p.m. on the twenty-first day after your receipt of this notice.
Mailing the response on the twenty-first day will not preserve your right to a hearing.
YOUR FAILURE TO RESPOND IN WRITING WITHIN
TWENTY-ONE (21) DAYS OF YOUR RECEIPT OF THIS
NOTICE WILL CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF YOUR RIGHT TO
REQUEST A PROCEEDING ON THE MATTERS ALLEGED
HEREIN AND AN ORDER OF REVOCATION WILL BE
ENTERED AGAINST YOU.
If you request a proceeding, you must provide information that complies with the
requirements of Rule 28-107.004, Florida Administrative Code. As noted above, completion of
the attached Election of Proceeding form conforms to these requirements. Specifically, your
response must contain:
(a) The name and address of the party making the request, for purpose of service;
(b) A statement that the party is requesting a hearing involving disputed issues of
material fact, or a hearing not involving disputed issues of material fact; and
(c) A reference to the notice, order to show cause, administrative complaint, or other
communication that the party has received form the agency.
If a hearing of any type is requested, you have the right to be represented by counsel or
other qualified representative at your expense, to present evidence and argument, to call and
cross-examine witnesses, and to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of
documents by subpoena.
If a proceeding is requested and there is no dispute of material fact, the provisions of
section 120.57(2), Florida Statutes, apply. In this regard, you may submit oral or written
evidence in opposition to the action taken by the Department or a written statement challenging
ene mt me ames ete ame SEER: ORTH w=
the grounds upon which the Department has relied. While a hearing is normally not required in
the absence of a dispute of fact, if you feel that a hearing is necessary, one will be conducted in
Tallahassee, Florida, or by telephonic conference call upon your request.
However, if you dispute material facts which are the basis for the Department’s action,
you must request an adversarial proceeding pursuant to sections 120.569 and 120.57(1), Florida
Statutes. These proceedings are held before a State administrative law judge of the Division of
Administrative Hearings. Unless the majority of witnesses are located elsewhere, the
Department will request that the hearing be conducted in Tallahassee, Florida.
Failure to follow the procedure outlined with regard to your response to this notice may
result in the request being denied. All prior oral communication or correspondence in this matter
shall be considered freeform agency action, and no such oral communication or correspondence
shall operate as a valid request for an administrative proceeding. Any request for an
administrative proceeding received prior to the date of this notice shall be deemed abandoned
unless timely renewed in compliance with the guidelines as set out above.
Mediation of this matter pursuant to section 120.573, Florida Statutes, is not available.
No Department attorney will discuss this matter with you until the response has been received by
the Department of Financial Services.
DATED this 43th gayof May , 2003.
KAREN CHANDLER
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
SLATE OF SERVICE
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing Administrative
Complaint was mailed by certified mail to: DORA LEONORA SMITH, 12620 US Hw
Dade City,
y 301,
FL 33525 and to DORA LEONORA SMITH at 5422 Emerald Drive, Ridgemanor,
FL 33523 on this 13th dayof May
, 2003.
>
Division of Legal Services
612 Larson Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0333
(850) 413-4125
Docket for Case No: 03-002395PL
Issue Date |
Proceedings |
Sep. 11, 2003 |
Notice of Cancelling Depositions (M. Romano, A. Romano, and D. Romano) filed.
|
Sep. 10, 2003 |
Order Closing File. CASE CLOSED.
|
Sep. 10, 2003 |
Notice of Taking Deposition (M. Romano, A. Romano and D. Romano) filed.
|
Sep. 09, 2003 |
Motion to Relinquish Jurisdiction filed by Petitioner.
|
Jul. 10, 2003 |
Notice of Hearing (hearing set for September 17, 2003; 9:00 a.m.; New Port Richey, FL).
|
Jul. 10, 2003 |
Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
|
Jul. 08, 2003 |
Joint Response to Initial Order (filed by Petitioner via facsimile).
|
Jul. 01, 2003 |
Initial Order.
|
Jun. 30, 2003 |
Administrative Complaint filed.
|
Jun. 30, 2003 |
Election of Proceeding filed.
|
Jun. 30, 2003 |
Agency referral filed.
|