ENROLLED
2013 Legislature CS for SB 1398, 1st Engrossed
20131398er
1
2 An act relating to real estate appraisers; amending s.
3 475.617, F.S.; revising terminology applicable to
4 education requirements for registered trainee
5 appraisers, certified residential appraisers, and
6 certified general appraisers; authorizing qualifying
7 education courses completed by applicants for
8 registration as a trainee or certification as a
9 residential appraiser or general appraiser to be
10 completed through distance learning; revising the
11 education and experience requirements for certified
12 residential appraisers and certified general
13 appraisers according to certain real property
14 appraiser qualification criteria adopted by the
15 Appraiser Qualifications Board of the Appraisal
16 Foundation on a specified date; authorizing the use of
17 a distance learning course; providing requirements for
18 a distance learning course and a final examination;
19 providing an effective date.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Section 475.617, Florida Statutes, is amended to
24 read:
25 475.617 Education and experience requirements.—
26 (1) To be registered as a trainee appraiser, an applicant
27 must present evidence satisfactory to the board that she or he
28 has successfully completed at least 100 hours of approved
29 qualifying education academic courses in subjects related to
30 real estate appraisal, which must include coverage of the
31 Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, or its
32 equivalent, as established by rule of the board, from a
33 nationally recognized or state-recognized appraisal
34 organization, career center, accredited community college,
35 college, or university, state or federal agency or commission,
36 or proprietary real estate school that holds a permit pursuant
37 to s. 475.451. The board may increase the required number of
38 hours to not more than 125 hours. All qualifying education
39 courses may be completed through in-person classroom instruction
40 or distance learning. A classroom hour is defined as 50 minutes
41 out of each 60-minute segment. Past courses may be approved on
42 an hour-for-hour basis.
43 (2) To be certified as a residential appraiser, an
44 applicant must present satisfactory evidence to the board that
45 she or he has met the minimum education and experience
46 requirements prescribed by rule of the board. The board shall
47 prescribe by rule education and experience requirements that
48 meet or exceed the following real property appraiser
49 qualification criteria adopted on December 9, 2011 February 20,
50 2004, by the Appraisal Qualifications Board of the Appraisal
51 Foundation:
52 (a) Has at least 2,500 hours of experience obtained over a
53 24-month period in real property appraisal as defined by rule.
54 (b) Has successfully completed at least 200 classroom
55 hours, inclusive of examination, of approved qualifying
56 education academic courses in subjects related to real estate
57 appraisal, which must include a 15-hour National Uniform
58 Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course, or its
59 equivalent, as established by rule of the board, from a
60 nationally recognized or state-recognized appraisal
61 organization, career center, accredited community college,
62 college, or university, state or federal agency or commission,
63 or proprietary real estate school that holds a permit pursuant
64 to s. 475.451. All qualifying education courses may be completed
65 through in-person classroom instruction or distance learning. A
66 classroom hour is defined as 50 minutes out of each 60-minute
67 segment. Past courses may be approved by the board and
68 substituted on an hour-for-hour basis.
69 (3) To be certified as a general appraiser, an applicant
70 must present evidence satisfactory to the board that she or he
71 has met the minimum education and experience requirements
72 prescribed by rule of the board. The board shall prescribe
73 education and experience requirements that meet or exceed the
74 following real property appraiser qualification criteria adopted
75 on December 9, 2011 February 20, 2004, by the Appraisal
76 Qualifications Board of the Appraisal Foundation:
77 (a) Has at least 3,000 hours of experience obtained over a
78 30-month period in real property appraisal as defined by rule.
79 (b) Has successfully completed at least 300 classroom
80 hours, inclusive of examination, of approved qualifying
81 education academic courses in subjects related to real estate
82 appraisal, which must include a 15-hour National Uniform
83 Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course, or its
84 equivalent, as established by rule of the board, from a
85 nationally recognized or state-recognized appraisal
86 organization, career center, accredited community college,
87 college, or university, state or federal agency or commission,
88 or proprietary real estate school that holds a permit pursuant
89 to s. 475.451. All qualifying education courses may be completed
90 through in-person classroom instruction or distance learning. A
91 classroom hour is defined as 50 minutes out of each 60-minute
92 segment. Past courses may be approved by the board and
93 substituted on an hour-for-hour basis.
94 (4) A distance learning course may be approved by the board
95 as an option to classroom hours for satisfactory completion of
96 the academic courses required under this section. The schools
97 authorized by this section have the option of providing
98 classroom courses, distance learning courses, or both.
99 (a) A distance learning course must use a delivery method
100 that is certified or approved by a board-authorized independent
101 certifying organization.
102 (b) A distance learning course intended for use as academic
103 education must include a written, closed-book final examination.
104 As used in this paragraph, the term “written” refers to an exam
105 that might be written on paper or administered electronically on
106 a computer workstation or other device. Oral exams are not
107 acceptable.
108 (5)(4) Each applicant must furnish, under oath, a detailed
109 statement of the experience for each year of experience she or
110 he claims. Upon request, the applicant shall furnish to the
111 board, for its examination, copies of appraisal reports or file
112 memoranda to support the claim for experience. Any appraisal
113 report or file memoranda used to support a claim for experience
114 must be maintained by the applicant for no less than 5 years
115 after the date of certification.
116 (6)(5) The board may implement the provisions of this
117 section by rule.
118 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.