--- source: https://cannabissuretybonds.com/states/florida/ site: Cannabis Surety Bonds, a Surety One, Inc. platform author: C. Constantin Poindexter, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, CICS last_reviewed: 2026-09-21 --- # Florida cannabis and marijuana surety bonds A Florida Medical Marijuana Treatment Center must post a $5,000,000 performance bond, reducible to $2,000,000 once it serves at least 1,000 qualified patients. - **Penal sum:** $5,000,000 - **Regulator:** Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use - **Underwriting:** Application plus financial statements ## What Florida requires of cannabis and marijuana businesses Florida licenses vertically integrated Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs) through the Office of Medical Marijuana Use within the Department of Health. Each MMTC cultivates, processes, transports and dispenses under a single license, and the financial assurance requirement is set to match. Under § 381.986(8)(b), Florida Statutes, an approved applicant must post a performance bond of $5,000,000 issued by an authorized surety insurance company rated in one of the three highest rating categories by a nationally recognized rating service. Once the MMTC is serving at least 1,000 qualified patients, the bond may be reduced to $2,000,000. The statute also allows an irrevocable letter of credit in place of the bond. **Florida cannabis, marijuana and hemp bonds written by Surety One** | Bond | Penal sum | Who files it | Obligee | Authority | | Florida Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Performance Bond | $5,000,000, reducible to $2,000,000 | Approved MMTC licensees | Florida Department of Health | § 381.986(8)(b), Fla. Stat. | ## What the bond guarantees This is the largest standard cannabis bond in the United States. It secures the MMTC's performance of its statutory duties across the whole vertical. A surety approaches it the way it approaches a large commercial performance obligation: CPA prepared financial statements, personal financial statements from each owner at ten percent or more, a review of the complete state application and, in most cases, a discussion about collateral. Like every surety bond, this is a three party agreement and it is not insurance for the operator. If the surety pays a valid claim to the obligee, the principal must reimburse the surety under the general indemnity agreement signed when the bond is issued. [Read how the different cannabis bond obligations work.](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/bond-types/) ## How we underwrite Florida cannabis and marijuana bonds This obligation is larger than, or worded more heavily than, a simple compliance bond, so it is underwritten on financial disclosure: the application, a current personal financial statement from each owner holding ten percent or more, current business financial statements (CPA prepared for the largest bonds) and a copy of your complete state or local license application. A cannabis bond is in substance an unsecured credit instrument. The surety extends its credit to you in front of the regulator, so financial strength, operating experience and the exact wording of the bond form drive both the decision and the rate. Where the numbers are thin, partial collateral can close the gap. No applicant is automatically declined. [More on cost, credit and collateral.](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/cost-and-underwriting/) ## The parties to a Florida bond On a Florida bond the principal is your licensed business, named exactly as it appears on the license or application. The obligee is Florida Department of Health. The surety is an insurance company admitted in Florida, placed by Surety One, Inc. as producer and underwriting manager. Who files in Florida: Approved MMTC licensees ($5,000,000, reducible to $2,000,000). ## Claims, cancellation and renewal in Florida If Florida Department of Health believes the bonded obligation has been breached, it makes a written claim on the surety. The surety opens a file, asks for documentation and notifies you, and you have the opportunity to respond and to cure. A valid, unresolved claim is paid up to the penal sum, and the surety then recovers that payment and its expenses from the business and the individual indemnitors. Because the Florida obligation is large or carries performance, decommissioning or supply language, a claim can reach the full penal sum, which is why the indemnity agreement deserves the same attention as a personal guarantee on a loan. Most forms let the surety cancel on written notice to the obligee, commonly 30 to 90 days. If a replacement is not on file before the effective date, the regulator can suspend the medical marijuana license. We send renewal notices 45 days ahead, and renewing at least 30 days early removes the risk of a gap. ## Getting a Florida bond issued, step by step - **Confirm the form and amount.** Ask Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use for the current bond form and penal sum, or send us the license type and we will confirm them. - **Apply.** Complete the [online application](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/apply/?state=florida). It collects the business details and the name, home address and Social Security number of each owner for a soft inquiry credit report. - **Send financial statements.** Personal financial statements from owners of ten percent or more, current business financials and your license application let us quote in about three to five business days. - **Bind and file.** Pay the premium and sign the indemnity agreement. We deliver the executed bond to you and, where it accepts electronic filing, to the obligee. Wet signature originals go out overnight. ## Keeping a Florida bond in good standing - File and pay every medical marijuana tax and fee on time. Delinquent taxes are the most common trigger for claims. - Keep seed to sale records reconciled to physical inventory, and document every destruction event with photographs, witnesses and waste manifests. - Tell us before you change the business name, ownership, location or license type, so the bond can be amended by rider before the regulator notices a mismatch. - Protect the personal credit of every indemnitor and keep quarterly financial statements. Both are reviewed at renewal. Terms such as penal sum, obligee and indemnitor are defined in the [glossary](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/glossary/). Changes to Florida and other state requirements are logged with dates in [regulatory updates](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/updates/), and an underwriter is available through the [contact page](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/contact/). ## What to send us - [Cannabis license bond application](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/downloads/cannabis-license-bond-application.pdf) - [Personal financial statement](https://suretyone.com/pdf/surety-personal-financial-statement.pdf) from each owner of ten percent or more - Current business financial statements - A copy of your complete license application Send documents to [Cannabis@SuretyOne.com](mailto:Cannabis@SuretyOne.com) or [apply online](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/apply/). Confirm the current form and amount with the [Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use](https://knowthefactsmmj.com/) before you file. A note on vocabulary: cannabis and marijuana are the same plant and, for bonding purposes, the same business. Florida law uses the term "medical marijuana". Operators look for this bond as a Florida marijuana bond, a Florida marijuana license bond, a Florida cannabis bond and a Florida cannabis surety bond. They are one instrument, and this site uses the words interchangeably. See [marijuana surety bonds](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/marijuana-surety-bonds/). ## Primary sources Official texts behind this page. We link to citation based addresses on legislature, code and agency sites because those are the least likely to move. - [§ 381.986, Florida Statutes, medical use of marijuana (Online Sunshine, Florida Legislature)](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0381/Sections/0381.986.html) ## Florida marijuana and cannabis bond questions **Q: When can a Florida MMTC reduce its bond?** When it is serving at least 1,000 qualified patients the statute permits a reduction from $5,000,000 to $2,000,000. The reduction is requested from the Department and documented with a rider or replacement bond. **Q: Is a letter of credit better than a bond?** A letter of credit ties up bank credit or cash dollar for dollar. A surety bond is priced as a percentage of the penal sum and leaves bank lines free, though large bonds may still require partial collateral. **Q: Is a Florida marijuana bond the same as a Florida cannabis bond?** Yes. Marijuana bond, cannabis bond, marijuana license bond and cannabis surety bond are different names for the same instrument. Florida law uses the term medical marijuana, operators search under all of these names, and the bond form and amount are the same whichever word you use. **Q: How much does a Florida cannabis or marijuana surety bond cost?** You pay a premium, not the penal sum. The premium is a small fraction of the bond amount and depends on the size and wording of the obligation, your credit and your financial strength. Small compliance bonds carry low fixed annual premiums. Larger Florida bonds are rated individually. Quotes are free. **Q: Can I get a Florida medical marijuana bond with bad credit?** Yes in most cases. Surety One does not automatically decline any applicant. Files with damaged or limited credit go to our non-standard program, which carries a higher rate and sometimes partial collateral. **Written and reviewed by [C. Constantin Poindexter](https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantinpoindexter/), MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, CICS.** Founder of Surety One, Inc., Cannabis Insurance Coverage Specialist, attorney and surety underwriter for more than thirty years. Author of [The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds](https://constantinpoindexterauthor.com/). [View his cannabis insurance credentials.](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/about/) Last reviewed September 21, 2026. ## Need your Florida cannabis or marijuana bond? Application review and quoting are free, and there is no obligation to buy. Bonds of $25,000 or less are usually issued the same business day. [Apply for a bond](https://cannabissuretybonds.com/apply/)[Talk to an underwriter: (919) 859-5294](tel:+19198595294)[Toll free (800) 373-2804](tel:+18003732804)