721.11 Advertising materials; oral
statements. ---
(1)
(a) Any advertising material relating to a timeshare plan, including
prize and gift promotional offers, shall be filed with the division by the
developer 10 days prior to use. All such advertising materials must be
substantially in compliance with this chapter and in full compliance with the
mandatory provisions of this chapter. In the event that any such material is
not in compliance with this chapter, the division may require the developer to
correct the deficiency by notifying the developer of the deficiency; and, if
the developer fails to correct the deficiency, the division may file
administrative charges against the developer and exact such penalties or
remedies as provided in s. 721.26.
(b) The director of the division shall have the discretion to accept
other assurances from the developer to assure the developer will comply with
the provisions of this chapter regarding all advertising materials, including
prize and gift promotional offers, used by the developer. Such assurances
shall include, but not be limited to, a surety bond issued by a company
authorized and licensed to do business in this state as surety or an
irrevocable letter of credit in the amount of $10,000. Upon the acceptance by
the director of such assurances from the developer, the developer shall be
entitled to file and use advertising materials, including prize and gift
promotional offers, in accordance with paragraph (c). In the event the
developer intends to file and use any lodging or vacation certificates as
advertising material pursuant to paragraph (c), the director shall have the
discretion to increase the assurances to an amount deemed sufficient by the
director to fully secure the performance of the certificate promoter, or to
provide refunds to certificateholders in the event of nonperformance by the
certificate promoter. The purpose of such other assurances, if accepted by
the director, shall be to provide the division with a source of funds to
secure the developer's promise in any prize and gift promotional offer to
deliver the prize or gift represented in such offer to any prospective
purchaser not receiving the represented prize or gift.
(c) A developer from whom other assurances have been accepted by the
director of the division pursuant to paragraph (b) shall file all advertising
material, including prize and gift promotional offers with the division at the
time of use. All such advertising materials must be substantially in
compliance with this chapter and in full compliance with the mandatory
provisions of this chapter. In the event that any such material is not in
compliance with this chapter, the division may require the developer to
correct the deficiency by notifying the developer of the deficiency; and, if
the developer fails to correct the deficiency after receiving such notice, the
division may file administrative charges against the developer and exact such
penalties or remedies as provided in s. 721.26. So long as the developer
prepares and disseminates the advertising material in good faith, the division
shall not penalize the developer for any deficiencies which the division
determines to exist in any advertising material which the developer uses prior
to receipt of a notice of deficiency from the division regarding the
advertising material. For purposes of this section, "good faith" shall
mean that the developer has reasonably attempted to comply with the provisions
of this chapter relating to advertising material, and that any deficiency
determined to exist by the division is not material and adverse to a
prospective purchaser.
(2) The term "advertising material" includes:
(a) Any promotional brochure, pamphlet, advertisement, or other
material to be disseminated to the public in connection with the sale of a
timeshare plan.
(b) A transcript of any radio or television advertisement.
(c) Any lodging or vacation certificate.
(d) A transcript of any standard oral sales presentation.
(e) Any billboard or other sign posted on or off the premises, except
that such billboard or sign shall not be required to contain the disclosure
set forth in paragraph (5)(a) or paragraph (5)(b), unless it relates to a
prize and gift promotional offer. For purposes of this section, a "sign"
shall mean advertising which is affixed to real or personal property and which
is not disseminated by other than visual means to prospective
purchasers.
(f) Any photograph, drawing, or artist's representation of
accommodations or facilities of a timeshare plan which exists or which will or
may exist.
(g) Any paid publication relating to a timeshare plan which exists or
which will or may exist.
(h) Any other promotional device or statement related to a timeshare
plan, including any prize and gift promotional offer as described in s.
721.111.
(3) The term "advertising material" does not include:
(a) Any stockholder communication such as an annual report or interim
financial report, proxy material, registration statement, securities
prospectus, registration, property report, or other material required to be
delivered to a prospective purchaser by an agency of any other state or the
Federal Government.
(b) Any communication addressed to and relating to the account of any
person who has previously executed a contract for the sale and purchase of a
timeshare period in the timeshare plan to which the communication relates,
except when directed to the sale of additional timeshare periods.
(c) Any audio, written, or visual publication or material relating to
an exchange company or exchange program.
(d) Any audio, written, or visual publication or material relating to
the promotion of the availability of any accommodations or facilities, or
both, for transient rental, so long as a mandatory tour of a timeshare plan or
attendance at a mandatory sales presentation is not a term or condition of the
availability of such accommodations or facilities, or both, and so long as the
failure of any transient renter to take a tour of a timeshare plan or attend a
sales presentation does not result in any reduction in the level of services
which would otherwise be available to such transient renter.
(e) Any oral or written statement disseminated by a developer to
broadcast or print media, other than paid advertising or promotional material,
regarding plans for the acquisition or development of timeshare property,
including possible accommodations or facilities of a timeshare plan or
possible component sites of a multisite timeshare plan pursuant to s.
721.553(1). However, any rebroadcast or any other dissemination of such oral
statements to a prospective purchaser by a seller in any manner, or any
distribution of copies of newspaper or magazine articles, press releases, or
any other dissemination of such written statements to a prospective purchaser
by a seller in any manner, shall constitute advertising
material.
(4) No advertising or oral statement made by any seller shall:
(a) Misrepresent a fact or create a false or misleading impression
regarding the timeshare plan or promotion thereof.
(b) Make a prediction of specific or immediate increases in the price
or value of timeshare periods.
(c) Contain a statement concerning future price increases by the
seller which are nonspecific or not bona fide.
(d) Contain any asterisk or other reference symbol as a means of
contradicting or substantially changing any previously made statement or as a
means of obscuring a material fact.
(e) Describe any improvement to the timeshare plan that is not
required to be built or that is uncompleted unless the improvement is
conspicuously labeled as "NEED NOT BE BUILT," "PROPOSED," or
"UNDER CONSTRUCTION" with the date of promised completion clearly
indicated.
(f) Misrepresent the size, nature, extent, qualities, or
characteristics of the offered accommodations or facilities.
(g) Misrepresent the amount or period of time during which the
accommodations or facilities will be available to any purchaser.
(h) Misrepresent the nature or extent of any incidental
benefit.
(i) Make any misleading or deceptive representation with respect to
the contents of the public offering statement and the contract or the rights,
privileges, benefits, or obligations of the purchaser under the contract or
this chapter.
(j) Misrepresent the conditions under which a purchaser may exchange
the right to use accommodations or facilities in one location for the right to
use accommodations or facilities in another location.
(k) Misrepresent the availability of a resale or rental program
offered by or on behalf of the developer.
(l) Contain an offer or inducement to purchase which purports to be
limited as to quantity or restricted as to time unless the numerical quantity
or time limit applicable to the offer or inducement is clearly stated.
(m) Imply that a facility is available for the exclusive use of
purchasers if the facility will actually be shared by others or by the general
public.
(n) Purport to have resulted from a referral unless the name of the
person making the referral can be produced upon demand of the division.
(o) Misrepresent the source of the advertising or statement by
leading a prospective purchaser to believe that the advertising material is
mailed by a governmental or official agency, credit bureau, bank, or attorney,
if that is not the case.
(p) Misrepresent the value of any prize, gift, or other item to be
awarded in connection with any prize and gift promotional offer, as described
in s. 721.111, or any incidental benefit.
(5)
(a) No written advertising material, including any lodging
certificate, gift award, premium, discount, or display booth, may be utilized
without one of the following disclosures in conspicuous type: This
advertising
material is being used for the purpose of soliciting sales of timeshare
periods; or This advertising material is being used for the purpose of
soliciting sales of a vacation (or vacation membership or vacation ownership)
plan. If a filing of a timeshare plan containing accommodations and
facilities located outside of this state has been approved by the situs
jurisdiction and by the division, an alternate disclosure consistent with that
required by the situs jurisdiction, or by such other jurisdiction or
jurisdictions where the advertising material will be used, may be utilized
with the prior approval of the director of the division so long as the
alternate disclosure is substantially similar to that required by this
paragraph.
(b) This subsection does not apply to any advertising material which
involves a project or development which includes sales of real estate or other
commodities or services in addition to timeshare periods, including, but not
limited to, lot sales, condominium or home sales, or the rental of resort
accommodations. However, if the sale of timeshare periods, as compared with
such other sales or rentals, is the primary purpose of the advertising
material, a disclosure shall be made in conspicuous type that: This
advertising material is being used for the purpose of soliciting the sale of
(Disclosure shall include timeshare periods and may include other types
of sales). Factors which the division may consider in determining
whether the primary purpose of the advertising material is the sale of
timeshare periods include:
1. The retail value of the timeshare periods compared to the retail
value of the other real estate, commodities, or services being offered in the
advertising material.
2. The amount of space devoted to the timeshare portion of the
project in the advertising material compared to the amount of space devoted to
other portions of the project, including, but not limited to, printed
material, photographs, or drawings.
History: s. 1, ch. 81-172; s. 157, ch. 83-216; s. 10, ch. 83-264; s. 2, ch.
87-343; s. 54, ch. 90-339; s. 64, ch. 91-110; s. 7, ch. 91-236; s. 7, ch.
93-58; s. 10, ch. 95-274.