Lawmakers Propose Repealing Dealer Fairness Law

Your immediate member payment is cruicial to funding efforts to stop this dangerous proposal. Any delay on your part could jeapordize dealer franchise laws. Join now by printing and completing this
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To give you more information and to answer your questions, the FMDA hosted a dealer call. Listen to a complete update here.

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View a Copy of the proposal HERE

You’ve borrowed money and invested your resources into a dealership to create a business to support your family. Because of your personal investment, manufacturers, with their corporate financing options, can bully you around. Corporate honchos can make new rules for you and force you to follow them. You have the choice of walking away from your investment or complying. In response to years of manufacturers’ bullying, Florida imposed laws to protect your dealership investment. Now, those protections are being threatened.

A proposal in Tallahassee completely eliminates all of the laws preventing manufacturers from bullying you. This impacts you in many ways, including:

  • Elimination of the dealer protest process if manufacturers unfairly terminate your dealership. An expensive contract lawsuit in the city and state specified in your dealer agreement is your only recourse.
  • No more legal protections preventing manufacturers from selling inventory to you at higher prices than to other “high volume” dealers.
  • Repeal of the protections against manufacturers forcing you to buy inventory to receive better models. Now the reins are off and manufacturers can require anything they want, even if it is unfair compared to other dealers.
  • Removal of any territory protections under Florida law and repeal of any process to protest additional dealers in your area. The motor company can open a dealer across the street from you; sure, you can hire attorneys and sue them, but at what cost?
  • No more legal requirements about service reimbursements. Manufacturers can force you to accept their terms, or they’ll find a new dealer.
  • Without current laws, manufacturers can make it difficult for you to sell your dealership to a willing buyer. Current laws prevent manufacturers from unfairly rejecting your buyer. Under the new proposal in Tallahassee, those protections disappear and make it harder for you to sell the business you have built.

It has never been more important for you to become a member of the Florida Motorcycle Dealers Association. The FMDA has hired a lobbyist to represent your interests and to communicate your message to lawmakers. In addition, we are launching a campaign with dealers to energize their employees and communities, so they will contact their local legislators asking them to keep protections for Florida employers.

This is not a ploy to sensationalize some nonsense to get dealers to join through fear. Auto dealers are facing the same problem. Check out a copy of the actual proposal at www.FloridaMotorcycle.org. Join the Florida Motorcycle Dealers Association, so we can fight this proposal and keep you informed about the efforts to defeat it in your local area.