The Florida Senate

475.612  Certification, licensure, or registration required.--

(1)  A person may not use the title "certified real estate appraiser," "licensed real estate appraiser," or "registered trainee real estate appraiser," or any abbreviation or words to that effect, or issue an appraisal report, unless such person is certified, licensed, or registered by the department under this part. However, the work upon which an appraisal report is based may be performed by a person who is not a certified or licensed appraiser or registered trainee appraiser if the work is supervised and approved, and the report is signed, by a certified or licensed appraiser who has full responsibility for all requirements of the report and valuation service. Only a certified or licensed appraiser may issue an appraisal report and receive direct compensation for providing valuation services for the appraisal report. A registered trainee appraiser may only receive compensation for appraisal services from her or his authorized certified or licensed appraiser.

(2)  This section does not preclude a Florida licensed real estate broker, sales associate, or broker associate who is not a Florida certified or licensed real estate appraiser from providing valuation services for compensation. Such persons may continue to provide valuation services for compensation so long as they do not represent themselves as certified, licensed, or registered under this part.

(3)  This section does not apply to a real estate broker or sales associate who, in the ordinary course of business, performs a comparative market analysis, gives a price opinion, or gives an opinion of the value of real estate. However, in no event may this comparative market analysis, price opinion, or opinion of value of real estate be referred to or construed as an appraisal.

(4)  This section does not prevent any state court or administrative law judge from certifying as an expert witness in any legal or administrative proceeding an appraiser who is not certified, licensed, or registered; nor does it prevent any appraiser from testifying, with respect to the results of an appraisal.

(5)  This section does not apply to any full-time graduate student who is enrolled in a degree program in appraising at a college or university in this state, if the student is acting under the direct supervision of a certified or licensed appraiser and is engaged only in appraisal activities related to the approved degree program. Any appraisal report by the student must be issued in the name of the supervising individual who is responsible for the report's content.

(6)  This section does not apply to any employee of a local, state, or federal agency who performs appraisal services within the scope of her or his employment. However, this exemption does not apply where any local, state, or federal agency requires an employee to be registered, licensed, or certified to perform appraisal services.

History.--ss. 9, 11, ch. 91-89; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 224, ch. 96-410; s. 1119, ch. 97-103; s. 21, ch. 98-250; s. 3, ch. 2000-198; ss. 4, 50, ch. 2003-164; s. 2, ch. 2006-198.