My state of Florida almost abolished its athlete agent licensing system. While it would have saved me and many other agents who recruit in the state of Florida a lot of money, until a federal system exists, it is probably not prudent to do away with Florida’s regulation of the sports agent profession. Truthfully, I was very surprised that it was being considered, since Florida has been known to be one of the more strict states when it comes to athlete agent regulation. Its Department of Business and Professional Regulation even had plans to hold a round-table meeting late 2010 to discuss licensing issues, including a discussion about whether “runners” should be licensed as agents, or whether some other type of registration or credential would be appropriate.
Anyway, Republicans in Florida planned on de-regulating multiple professions in order to spur job creation. My alma mater, the University of Florida, was instrumental in taking the athlete agent profession out of that proposal. In particular, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley called Florida’s Senate Budget Chairman to encourage the removal of sports agents from the de-regulation package. The Chairman says that he had already decided to oppose the inclusion of sports agents in the deal.
Want to do business as a sports agent in Florida? Sorry, but you still must pay the fee and get licensed in the Sunshine State.
5 replies on “Florida Almost De-Regulates Sports Agent Profession”
Verrrryyy interesting. I actually wish the Feds would get involved in something for once in my life.
It’s also interesting that talent agents were almost de-regulated, as well.
I suspect that the NCAA would have pitched a fit over Florida dropping regulation of the sports agent business. How do Florida’s rules for agent regulation compare with those of other states?
The actual rules between UAAA states vary slightly. There is disparity in enforcement of those rules across states.
Leave it to the State of Florida Legislature to almost make another poor decision. Being that Florida is a hot-bed of both young talent and college football this decision, gone the wrong way, could have spelled disaster for both current agents and athletes statewide. The barriers of entry to a career exist for a reason…