What Debt Collectors Are Not Allowed To Do In Florida

The laws that limit collectors

Debt collection in Florida is governed by more than one law at the same time. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and its companion, Regulation F, set national rules for collectors. Florida adds its own layer: the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act, or FCCPA (Fla. Stat. 559.55–559.785). Together, these laws set limits on what a collector can say to you, what a letter must contain, and how they can contact you.

Your 30-day window to demand proof

Under the FDCPA and Regulation F, you generally have 30 days from the date on the collection letter to demand that the collector prove the debt is real and is yours. This is called validation. The 30 days is counted from the letter date, not from when you read it.

You do not have to pay or promise to pay before validation.
Once you dispute in writing within the window, collection activity is generally supposed to stop until they verify the debt.

Could the debt be too old to collect?

Florida sets a statute of limitations on debt at Fla. Stat. 95.11. This is the window within which a creditor can sue you over a debt. A letter can still arrive after that window closes, but that does not automatically mean the debt is uncollectable in every sense.

The clock has exceptions. A payment or a written acknowledgement of the debt can restart it.
Whether a specific debt is past the limitations window depends on facts — dates, payments, acknowledgements — that only your own paperwork can show.

What we don't know without your letter

This page can describe the rules in general. It cannot tell you, without seeing your letter, whether required disclosures are missing, whether your 30-day window has already started or expired, or whether your particular debt is past Florida's statute of limitations. Those answers depend on the dates and details in your own letter.

This is not legal advice and cannot confirm whether a debt is yours or time-barred. Free help is available: Florida legal aid at floridalawhelp.org, the CFPB, or a consumer attorney — FDCPA cases often cost you nothing.

What to do next

The free Debt Letter Decoder reads your own letter or the details of the calls you describe. It checks what the FDCPA, Regulation F, and Florida's FCCPA require the letter to contain, computes your 30-day validation deadline from the letter date you provide, checks the letter's dates against Florida's statute of limitations, and flags anything the collector did that the law forbids. It can also prepare a validation/dispute letter for you to send by certified mail, keeping a copy for your records.

Use the free tool

Debt Letter Decoder is an informational tool based on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, CFPB Regulation F, the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (Fla. Stat. 559.55–559.785) and Fla. Stat. 95.11 as of 2025–26. It is not legal advice; statutes of limitations have exceptions (a payment or written acknowledgement can restart the clock) and depend on facts this tool cannot see. It does not send letters. It is not affiliated with any collector, creditor or agency.