CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    

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11  Senator Lee moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 17, line 3, through page 18, line 12, delete

15  sections 11 and 12

16

17  and insert:

18         Section 11.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of section

19  489.129, Florida Statutes, is amended and subsection (12) is

20  added to that section to read:

21         489.129  Disciplinary proceedings.--

22         (1)  The board may take any of the following actions

23  against any certificateholder or registrant:  place on

24  probation or reprimand the licensee, revoke, suspend, or deny

25  the issuance or renewal of the certificate, registration, or

26  certificate of authority, require financial restitution to a

27  consumer for financial harm directly related to a violation of

28  a provision of this part, impose an administrative fine not to

29  exceed $5,000 per violation, require continuing education, or

30  assess costs associated with investigation and prosecution, if

31  the contractor, financially responsible officer, or business

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    





 1  organization for which the contractor is a primary qualifying

 2  agent, a financially responsible officer, or a secondary

 3  qualifying agent responsible under s. 489.1195 is found guilty

 4  of any of the following acts:

 5         (d)  Knowingly violating the applicable building codes

 6  or laws of the state or of any municipalities or counties

 7  thereof.

 8         (12)  When an investigation of a contractor is

 9  undertaken, the department shall promptly furnish to the

10  contractor or the contractor's attorney a copy of the

11  complaint or document that resulted in the initiation of the

12  investigation. The department shall make the complaint and

13  supporting documents available to the contractor. The

14  complaint or supporting documents shall contain information

15  regarding the specific facts that serve as the basis for the

16  complaint. The contractor may submit a written response to the

17  information contained in such complaint or document within 20

18  days after service to the contractor of the complaint or

19  document. The contractor's written response shall be

20  considered by the probable cause panel. The right to respond

21  does not prohibit the issuance of a summary emergency order if

22  necessary to protect the public. However, if the secretary, or

23  the secretary's designee, and the chair of the board or the

24  chair of the probable cause panel agree in writing that such

25  notification would be detrimental to the investigation, the

26  department may withhold notification. The department may

27  conduct an investigation without notification to a contractor

28  if the act under investigation is a criminal offense.

29         Section 12.  Subsections (2), (7) and (10) and

30  paragraphs (c) of subsection (6) of section 489.131, Florida

31  Statutes, are amended to read:

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    





 1         489.131  Applicability.--

 2         (2)  The state or any county or municipality shall

 3  require that bids submitted for construction, improvement,

 4  remodeling, or repair on of public projects buildings be

 5  accompanied by evidence that the bidder holds an appropriate

 6  certificate or registration, unless the work to be performed

 7  is exempt under s. 489.103.

 8         (6)

 9         (c)  Each local board or agency that licenses

10  contractors must transmit quarterly monthly to the board a

11  report of any disciplinary action taken against contractors

12  and of any administrative or disciplinary action taken against

13  unlicensed persons for engaging in the business or acting in

14  the capacity of a contractor including any cease and desist

15  orders issued pursuant to s. 489.113(2)(b) and any fine issued

16  pursuant to s. 489.127(5).

17         (7)(a)  It is the policy of the state that the purpose

18  of regulation is to protect the public by attaining compliance

19  with the policies established in law.  Fines and other

20  penalties are provided in order to ensure compliance; however,

21  the collection of fines and the imposition of penalties are

22  intended to be secondary to the primary goal of attaining

23  compliance with state laws and local jurisdiction ordinances.

24  It is the intent of the Legislature that a local jurisdiction

25  agency charged with enforcing regulatory laws shall issue a

26  notice of noncompliance as its first response to a minor

27  violation of a regulatory law in any instance in which it is

28  reasonable to assume that the violator was unaware of such a

29  law or unclear as to how to comply with it.  A violation of a

30  regulatory law is a "minor violation" if it does not result in

31  economic or physical harm to a person or adversely affect the

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    





 1  public health, safety, or welfare or create a significant

 2  threat of such harm.  A "notice of noncompliance" is a

 3  notification by the local jurisdiction agency charged with

 4  enforcing the ordinance, which is issued to the licensee that

 5  is subject to the ordinance.  A notice of noncompliance should

 6  not be accompanied with a fine or other disciplinary penalty.

 7  It should identify the specific ordinance that is being

 8  violated, provide information on how to comply with the

 9  ordinance, and specify a reasonable time for the violator to

10  comply with the ordinance.  Failure of a licensee to take

11  action correcting the violation within a set period of time

12  would then result in the institution of further disciplinary

13  proceedings.

14         (b)  The local governing body of a county or

15  municipality, or its local enforcement body, is authorized to

16  enforce the provisions of this part as well as its local

17  ordinances against locally licensed or registered contractors,

18  as appropriate.  The local jurisdiction enforcement body may

19  conduct disciplinary proceedings against a locally licensed or

20  registered contractor and may require restitution, impose a

21  suspension or revocation of his or her local license, or a

22  fine not to exceed $5,000, or a combination thereof, against

23  the locally licensed or registered contractor, according to

24  ordinances which a local jurisdiction may enact.  In addition,

25  the local jurisdiction may assess reasonable investigative and

26  legal costs for the prosecution of the violation against the

27  violator, according to such ordinances as the local

28  jurisdiction may enact.

29         (c)  In addition to any action the local jurisdiction

30  enforcement body may take against the individual's local

31  license, and any fine the local jurisdiction may impose, the

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    





 1  local jurisdiction enforcement body shall issue a recommended

 2  penalty for board action.  This recommended penalty may

 3  include a recommendation for no further action, or a

 4  recommendation for suspension, revocation, or restriction of

 5  the registration, or a fine to be levied by the board, or a

 6  combination thereof.  The local jurisdiction enforcement body

 7  shall inform the disciplined contractor and the complainant of

 8  the local license penalty imposed, the board penalty

 9  recommended, his or her rights to appeal, and the consequences

10  should he or she decide not to appeal.  The local jurisdiction

11  enforcement body shall, upon having reached adjudication or

12  having accepted a plea of nolo contendere, immediately inform

13  the board of its action and the recommended board penalty.

14         (d)  The department, the disciplined contractor, or the

15  complainant may challenge the local jurisdiction enforcement

16  body's recommended penalty for board action to the

17  Construction Industry Licensing Board.  A challenge shall be

18  filed within 60 days after the issuance of the recommended

19  penalty to the board.  If challenged, there is a presumptive

20  finding of probable cause and the case may proceed without the

21  need for a probable cause hearing.

22         (e)  Failure of the department, the disciplined

23  contractor, or the complainant to challenge the local

24  jurisdiction's recommended penalty within the time period set

25  forth in this subsection shall constitute a waiver of the

26  right to a hearing before the board.  A waiver of the right to

27  a hearing before the board shall be deemed an admission of the

28  violation, and the penalty recommended shall become a final

29  order according to procedures developed by board rule without

30  further board action. The disciplined contractor may appeal

31  this board action to the district court.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    





 1         (f)1.  The department may investigate any complaint

 2  which is made with the department.  However, the department

 3  may not initiate or pursue any if the department determines

 4  that the complaint against a registered contractor who is not

 5  also a certified contractor where a local jurisdiction

 6  enforcement body has jurisdiction over the complaint, unless

 7  summary procedures are initiated by the secretary pursuant to

 8  s. 455.225(8), or unless the local jurisdiction enforcement

 9  body has failed to investigate and prosecute a complaint, or

10  make a finding of no violation, within 6 months of receiving

11  the complaint. The department shall refer the complaint to the

12  local jurisdiction enforcement body for investigation, and if

13  appropriate, prosecution. However, the department may

14  investigate such complaints to the extent necessary to

15  determine whether summary procedures should be initiated is

16  for an action which a local jurisdiction enforcement body has

17  investigated and reached adjudication or accepted a plea of

18  nolo contendere, including a recommended penalty to the board,

19  the department shall not initiate prosecution for that action,

20  unless the secretary has initiated summary procedures pursuant

21  to s. 455.225(8).

22         2.  Upon a recommendation by the department, the board

23  may make conditional, suspend, or rescind its determination of

24  the adequacy of the local government enforcement body's

25  disciplinary procedures granted under s. 489.117(2).

26         (g)  Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to

27  allow local jurisdictions to exercise disciplinary authority

28  over certified contractors.

29         (10)  No municipal or county government may issue any

30  certificate of competency or license for any contractor

31  defined in s. 489.105(3)(a)-(o) after July 1, 1993, unless

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    





 1  such local government exercises disciplinary control and

 2  oversight over such locally licensed contractors, including

 3  forwarding a recommended order in each action to the board as

 4  provided in subsection (7). Each local board that licenses and

 5  disciplines contractors must have at least two consumer

 6  representatives on that board. If the board has seven or more

 7  members, at least three of those members must be consumer

 8  representatives. The consumer representative may be any

 9  resident of the local jurisdiction that is not, and has never

10  been, a member or practitioner of a profession regulated by

11  the board or a member of any closely related profession.

12

13  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

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15

16  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

17  And the title is amended as follows:

18         On page 2, lines 2-7, delete those lines

19

20  and insert:

21         restrictions; amending s. 489.129, F.S.;

22         providing procedures and responsibilities when

23         the department undertakes an investigation of a

24         contractor; deleting a ground for disciplinary

25         action; amending s. 489.131, F.S.; requiring

26         that bids for public projects be accompanied by

27         certain evidence; requiring local boards or

28         agencies that license contractors to transmit

29         quarterly reports; clarifying the department's

30         authority to initiate disciplinary actions;

31         providing that local boards that license and

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 2084

    Amendment No.    





 1         discipline contractors must have at least 2

 2         consumer representatives; providing an

 3         effective date.

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