Florida Security Agency Insurance: Class B, D and G License Guide

Florida security companies need a licensing structure that matches their operation and insurance that matches their promises. A Class B agency license, Class D officer license, and Class G statewide firearm license do different jobs. Neither a license label nor Florida’s statutory insurance minimum answers every contract or coverage question.

This guide covers the Florida Class B agency-insurance rule and the directly related Class D and G distinctions. It is general education, not legal, licensing, firearms, or coverage advice.

Florida’s Class B, D, and G license stack

Florida calls a person or entity that provides or advertises security services for consideration a security agency. A person who guards people or property, or helps prevent theft or unlawful taking, is a security officer. [1]

• Class B is for a person or entity engaging in business as a security agency. It is valid for one location. [2] [3]
• Class D is the individual license required to perform security-officer services. [2] [4]
• Class G is an additional statewide firearm license required when an eligible Class D, manager, or investigative licensee bears a firearm. It supplements the underlying credential; it does not replace Class D for a security officer. [2] [5]

A D or G license by itself is not authority to run a security agency. The business needs the Class B license, and Chapter 493 separately requires an appropriately licensed manager for an agency or branch office. [2] A G license remains in effect only while its holder is employed as an eligible Chapter 493 licensee. [5]

The precise Class B insurance rule in section 493.6110

Before a Class B agency license may be issued, Florida Statutes section 493.6110 requires the applicant to file certification of commercial general liability insurance. The statutory requirement is:

• a combined single limit of at least $300,000 for death, bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury;
• an insurer lawfully engaged to provide insurance in Florida;
• FDACS as an additional insured for the purpose of receiving notices of modification or cancellation; and
• coverage for liability of all FDACS-licensed employees acting in the course of employment. [6]

The licensed agency must notify FDACS of claims against the insurance and immediately notify it of cancellation. The Class B license automatically suspends on the cancellation date unless FDACS receives prior evidence of insurance. [6]

This is a license minimum. It is not a recommended limit, a client-contract limit, a workers’ compensation requirement, or evidence that an armed incident is covered. At renewal, the Class B agency again submits insurance certification. Class B licenses renew every three years; most individual Chapter 493 licenses renew biennially. [7]

Class D and Class G training and renewal differ

For Class D, FDACS requires proof of at least 40 hours of professional training at an FDACS-licensed security-officer school or training facility, subject to listed exceptions. That is an individual-officer credential, not agency licensure. [4]

For Class G, the initial requirement is a 28-hour course of classroom and range firearms training taught by Class K instructor(s), unless a listed alternative-training waiver applies. The statute limits online instruction and requires eight hours of in-person range training. [5] [8]

The Class G renewal obligation is annual within its two-year term: the holder must complete and submit proof of four hours of firearms requalification each year, including requalification for each type and caliber carried in regulated duties. Missing the first-year training automatically suspends the license. Missing the second-year training requires completion of the initial minimum training before renewal. [7]

A license and statutory limit do not establish authority or coverage

A Class D or G license does not confer general police authority. Chapter 493 has a narrow temporary-detention provision for qualifying armed personnel at specified critical-infrastructure facilities, subject to defined conditions and prompt law-enforcement notification. It is not a broad law-enforcement grant for ordinary guard assignments. [9]

Licensure also does not decide an insurance claim. The policy’s insuring agreement, definitions, exclusions, conditions, endorsements, claim facts, and applicable law control. Do not assume that a CGL policy automatically covers allegations involving firearms, use of force, assault and battery, false arrest, or professional services. Ask to review the applicable form and endorsements.

Coverage review beyond the statutory CGL floor

Commercial general liability commonly addresses covered third-party bodily injury, property damage, and personal-and-advertising injury arising from non-professional negligent acts, subject to its terms and exclusions. Workers’ compensation and professional liability may be separate from standard CGL. [10]

For a security agency, separate the exposures rather than treating “liability insurance” as one item:

• General liability: Review operations, locations, clients, and security-specific exclusions or endorsements. Do not infer firearms, assault-and-battery, or false-arrest coverage from a generic label or a certificate.
• Professional liability: Consider whether the services or contract create allegations about security advice, reporting, or failure to perform. Coverage is form-specific.
• Commercial auto: Patrol vehicles have their own liability exposure. A business auto policy can address covered-vehicle liability and selected physical damage; a BOP does not cover vehicles. [11] Read our security patrol commercial auto guide.
• Hired and non-owned auto: Review when staff use personal vehicles for agency business, or the agency rents or borrows vehicles. Covered-auto symbols and policy terms matter. [11]
• Workers’ compensation and umbrella: Workers’ compensation is separate from the Class B CGL rule. An umbrella is not a substitute for a missing underlying coverage and must be reviewed with the underlying policies. [10]

For broader insurance questions, see armed security insurance, armed security general liability, and assault, battery, and firearms insurance questions.

Contracts, COIs, and underwriting information

A client may require limits or endorsements that exceed Florida’s $300,000 licensing floor. Compare every contract insurance requirement with the actual proposed policy and endorsements—not simply its declarations page. Where a contract requests additional-insured status, waiver of subrogation, primary-and-noncontributory wording, or a notice provision, identify the endorsement that supports it.

A certificate of insurance is evidence of the policy described; it does not create coverage beyond the policy or an executed endorsement. State-regulator COI guidance illustrates this general principle: certificate wording cannot exceed the relevant policy, and additional-insured status must be supported by an endorsement. 12 See our security contract, COI, and endorsement guide.

Underwriting also depends on the actual operation. One insurer’s security-services application, for example, requests contracts, loss runs, armed and unarmed payroll or hours, training and screening details, workers’ compensation information, and owned, hired, and non-owned auto information. 13 Prepare accurate data, but do not mistake one carrier’s application for a universal eligibility rule.

Request a Florida security-agency coverage review

Bring the Class B insurance requirement, current or proposed contracts, armed/unarmed staffing profile, loss history, payroll or guard-hour information, vehicle use, and license-renewal dates. That helps identify whether the policy form and a client’s requirements are aligned.

Ellie Insurance Group has access to security-focused commercial auto and general-liability markets for review. Eligibility, limits, exclusions, premiums, and final terms are subject to underwriting and the issued policy. Request a security-agency general-liability quote review, email quote@ellieinsurancegroup.com, or call 813-582-5215.

Frequently asked questions

Is $300,000 the limit every Florida client must accept?

No. It is the Class B licensing floor in section 493.6110. A client contract may require different limits, coverage types, or endorsements. 6

Does a Class G license mean a firearms-related claim is insured?

No. Class G is a licensing credential, not insurance. Coverage depends on the actual policy, endorsements, exclusions, and facts. 5

Does every guard need a separate insurance policy?

Section 493.6110 requires the Class B agency’s specified CGL coverage to insure liability of its FDACS-licensed employees acting in the course of employment. It does not say every guard must buy an individual policy. Contracts, employment arrangements, and policy terms still need review. 6

Does a Class D or G holder have police powers?

No general police authority follows from those licenses. The critical-infrastructure detention provision is limited and conditional. 9

Sources and scope

• Florida Statutes section 493.6101, Definitions
• Florida Statutes section 493.6301, Classes of licenses
• FDACS, Class B Private Security Agency License Requirements
• FDACS, Class D Security Officer License Requirements
• FDACS, Class G Statewide Firearm License Requirements
• Florida Statutes section 493.6110, Licensee's insurance
• Florida Statutes section 493.6113, Renewal application for licensure
• Florida Statutes section 493.6105, Initial application for license
• Florida Statutes section 493.631, Temporary detention at critical infrastructure facilities
• Insurance Information Institute, Commercial general liability insurance
• Insurance Information Institute, Business Vehicle Insurance
• Texas Department of Insurance, Certificates of Insurance Frequently Asked Questions
• Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Security Services Supplemental Application

Educational disclaimer: This article is general educational information, not legal, licensing, firearms, tax, or insurance coverage advice. Florida rules and contracts can change. Verify requirements with FDACS and the relevant client, counsel, and insurance professional. Read the complete policy, endorsements, and exclusions before relying on a coverage statement.