If the owner revokes the listing and lists with another broker who sells the property, the original broker may be entitled to damages or commission.

• A. The original broker is not entitled to any damages
• B. The original broker may be entitled to damages or commission
• C. The original broker is entitled to damages only if the sale occurs
• D. The original broker is entitled to a finder’s fee

Answer: (B)

In Florida real estate practice, an exclusive listing protects the broker’s right to a commission if the broker’s efforts are what bring about a sale within the listing period. If the owner revokes the listing and sells through another broker, the first broker can still be entitled to compensation if their actions were the procuring cause of the sale—the chain of events that led to the deal, kept alive by their efforts.

Damages or the commission come from the breach of contract by the owner and the fact that the original broker contributed directly to selling the property. This isn’t about a separate “finder’s fee” or about requiring the sale to occur strictly under the original broker’s hands; it’s about whether the broker’s efforts were the force that produced the sale, and whether the contract supports recovery of the expected commission when the owner breaches by switching brokers.

So, the original broker may be entitled to damages or commission because their efforts may have been the proximate cause of the sale despite the owner’s revocation and switch to another broker.