The Florida Senate

489.517  Renewal of certificate or registration; continuing education.--

(1)  The department shall renew a certificate or registration upon receipt of the renewal application and fee and proof of meeting all continuing education requirements.

(2)  The department shall adopt rules establishing a procedure for the biennial renewal of certificates and registrations.

(3)(a)  Each certificateholder or registrant shall provide proof, in a form established by rule of the board, that the certificateholder or registrant has completed at least 14 classroom hours of at least 50 minutes each of continuing education courses during each biennium since the issuance or renewal of the certificate or registration. The board shall by rule establish criteria for the approval of continuing education courses and providers and may by rule establish criteria for accepting alternative nonclassroom continuing education on an hour-for-hour basis.

(b)  Each certificateholder or registrant shall provide to the board proof of completion of the core curriculum courses or passing the equivalency test of the Building Code Training Program established under s. 553.841, specific to the licensing category sought, within 2 years after commencement of the program or of initial certification or registration, whichever is later. Classroom hours spent taking core curriculum courses shall count toward the number required for renewal of certificate or registration. A certificateholder or registrant who passes the equivalency test in lieu of taking the core curriculum courses shall receive full credit for core curriculum course hours.

(4)(a)  If a certificateholder or registrant holds a license under both this part and part I and is required to have continuing education courses under s. 489.115(4)(b)1., the certificateholder or registrant may apply those course hours for workers' compensation, workplace safety, and business practices obtained under part I to the requirements under this part.

(b)  Of the 14 classroom hours of continuing education required, at least 7 hours must be on technical subjects, 1 hour on workers' compensation, 1 hour on workplace safety, 1 hour on business practices, and for alarm system contractors and electrical contractors engaged in alarm system contracting, 2 hours on false alarm prevention.

(5)  By applying for renewal, each certificateholder or registrant certifies that he or she has continually maintained the required amounts of public liability and property damage insurance as specified by board rule. The board shall establish by rule a procedure to verify the public liability and property damage insurance for a specified period, based upon a random sampling method.

(6)  The board shall require, by rule adopted pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54, a specialized number of hours in specialized or advanced module courses, approved by the Florida Building Commission, on any portion of the Florida Building Code, adopted pursuant to part VII of chapter 553, relating to the contractor's respective discipline.

History.--ss. 8, 17, ch. 79-272; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 9, 21, 23, ch. 88-149; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 277, ch. 94-119; s. 27, ch. 98-287; s. 41, ch. 98-419; s. 1, ch. 2004-76.