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The Florida Statutes

The 2024 Florida Statutes

Title XXXIII
REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, INVESTMENTS, AND SOLICITATIONS
Chapter 548
PUGILISTIC EXHIBITIONS
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F.S. 548.002
548.002 Definitions.As used in this chapter, the term:
(1) “Amateur” means a person who has never received nor competed for any purse or other article of value, either for the expenses of training or for participating in a match, other than a prize of $50 or less in value.
(2) “Amateur sanctioning organization” means a business entity organized for sanctioning and supervising matches involving amateurs.
(3) “Boxing” means the unarmed combat sport of fighting by striking with fists.
(4) “Commission” means the Florida Athletic Commission.
(5) “Contest” means a boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts engagement in which persons participating strive to win using strikes and blows to the head or other full-contact maneuvers.
(6) “Department” means the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
(7) “Event” means one or more matches comprising a show.
(8) “Exhibition” means a boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts engagement in which persons participating show or display their skill without necessarily striving to win using strikes and blows to the head or other full-contact maneuvers.
(9) “Face value” means the dollar value of a ticket equal to the dollar amount that a customer is required to pay or, for complimentary tickets, would have been required to pay to purchase a ticket with equivalent seating priority in order to view the event. If the ticket specifies the amount of admission charges attributable to state or federal taxes, such taxes are not included in the face value.
(10) “Full contact” means the use of strikes and blows during a match which:
(a) Are intended to break the plane of the receiving participant’s or amateur’s body;
(b) Are delivered to the head, face, neck, or body of the receiving participant or amateur; and
(c) Cause the receiving participant or amateur to move in response to the strike or blow.
(11) “Judge” means a person licensed by the commission who evaluates and scores a match using a designated scoring system.
(12) “Kickboxing” means the unarmed combat sport of fighting by striking with the fists, hands, feet, legs, or any combination thereof. The term does not include any form of ground fighting techniques.
(13) “Manager” means a person who, directly or indirectly, controls or administers the boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts affairs of a participant.
(14) “Match” means a contest or exhibition.
(15) “Matchmaker” means a person who brings together professionals or arranges matches for professionals.
(16) “Mixed martial arts” means the unarmed combat sport involving the use of a combination of techniques, including, but not limited to, grappling, kicking, striking, and using techniques from different disciplines of the martial arts, including, but not limited to, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, jujitsu, and wrestling.
(17) “Participant” means a professional competing in a boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts match.
(18) “Physician” means a person who is approved by the commission, who has a license to practice medicine issued pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459, and whose license to practice medicine is unencumbered and in good standing.
(19) “Professional” means a person who has received or competed for a purse or other article of a value greater than $50, either for the expenses of training or for participating in a match.
(20) “Promoter” means a person or entity, including an officer, director, trustee, partner, or owner of a corporate promoter or promoter partnership, who produces, arranges, or stages a match involving a professional.
(21) “Purse” means the financial guarantee or other remuneration for which a professional is participating in a match and includes the professional’s share of any payment received for radio broadcasting and television, including pay-per-view or closed-circuit.
(22) “Second” or “cornerman” means a person who assists a participant in preparing for a match and between rounds, and who maintains the corner of a participant during a match.
(23) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation.
(24) “Unarmed combat” means a form of competition in which a strike or blow is struck that may reasonably be expected to inflict injury.
History.ss. 2, 4, ch. 84-246; s. 1, ch. 88-365; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 112, ch. 99-251; s. 1, ch. 2002-172; s. 2, ch. 2004-69; s. 48, ch. 2009-195; s. 1, ch. 2014-128; s. 26, ch. 2021-135.