In This Issue:

• Message From The Secretary
• Message from the Executive Director
• Message from the Director
• New License Application Center
• eNewsroom

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Message From The Secretary

As a licensed professional in the State of Florida, I know you are concerned with the threat of unlicensed individuals taking your business and cutting into your bottom line.  I share your concern and also know the financial damage unlicensed individuals can cause consumers.  In fact, unlicensed activity is the topic I hear about the most when I talk with DBPR licensees and Florida’s consumers. 

In response to your concerns, DBPR has increased efforts to combat unlicensed activity.  We are working to better use existing tools and come up with new and inventive ways to address unlicensed activity.  We continue to use our three-tiered approach—education, prevention and enforcement—to get the message out. 

One of our new educational tools is a Web page called “What Services Require a DBPR License?”  This new page is prominently featured on the front page of MyFloridaLicense.com and helps educate consumers and potential licensees about the types of services that must be performed by a DBPR-licensed individual or business.  The pages, custom-tailored for each profession, provide helpful information and examples about the jobs that require a DBPR license.  This new tool is a great way to ensure that we clearly communicate licensure requirements.

Every year, the Office of Communications uses a portion of your five-dollar unlicensed activity fee to fund a media campaign.  This campaign is one of our most successful prevention efforts because it reaches such a large group of people.  More than 41 million impressions were made just last year.  Last fiscal year, the theme of the campaign was “Unlicensed Activity is Ugly Business,” and the advertisements, which were created entirely in-house, showcased an artistic, visually engaging, comic book style design intended to grab the attention of consumers and deliver the straightforward message.  I am eager to share with you our campaign for this year.  It is sure to impress and (more importantly) educate!

Finally, we want to send a strong message that unlicensed activity will not be tolerated.  Last fiscal year, the Division of Regulation increased proactive enforcement efforts by 64 percent, performing 505 sweep or sting operations compared to 327 the previous year.  Look for DBPR investigators hitting the streets even more this fiscal year.  The Division of Regulation has set some very high goals for this fiscal year, and I am confident they will deliver. 

I am proud of our increased efforts last fiscal year, and we will not stop working. Through the three-tiered approach, we strive to combat unlicensed activity from all angles.  I am reminded every time a meet with a consumer who has been harmed by an unlicensed individual or a licensee who has been underbid by the unlicensed competition, that our mission is clear.  We must work harder to address your number one concern, unlicensed activity. 

Sincerely,

Charles W. Drago

Secretary

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Message from the Executive Director
Juanita Chastain

ezApply

I am very pleased to announce that the applications for the Board of Landscape Architecture were the first in the department to be streamlined as part of the agency’s ezApply initiative.  The department recognized the need to eliminate unnecessary, and oftentimes confusing, language and requirements in the application process. 

The streamlining process began with a staff review of every item on the application to determine what requirements were mandated by statute or rule and which were discretionary.  If the information requested was discretionary, it was eliminated.

Applications were reduced by 20 to 30 percent each and made more user-friendly.

All application forms will eventually go through this process.  It is a time-consuming task but beneficial to both department staff and applicants by making the application process more efficient. 

Renewals

You should have received your renewal notice by now.  If you did not receive your renewal notice, please go online and check your address to ensure accuracy and, of course, you can also renew online. 

To renew, your must pay the renewal fee of $455 for your business license. The renewal fee to maintain an active individual license is $305 and you must complete the required 16 hours of continuing education. Of the 16 hours of continuing education, two must apply to an advanced building code course, two must apply to Florida laws and rules, and the remaining 12 may be taken in any board-approved courses.

You can view the current listing of approved providers and courses at http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/servop/testing/documents/landscp_ceprov.pdf. I also encourage you to routinely check your account through the department’s Web site at www.MyFloridalicense.com or by contacting the department’s customer contact center at 850.487.1395.

In addition to checking on your continuing education credits, you can also locate advanced Florida building code courses using the same Web site.  To do so, please follow these steps:

• Go to www.MyFloridaLicense.com
• Click on “Doing Business with Us”
• Click on “Find a CE Course”
• Select the board “Board of Landscape Architecture”
• Select the requirement “ADV Code – Advance Code”
• Click the “Search” button (this will provide you with a list of board-approved courses).
• Click on the “info” button under the provider column of the course you are interested in taking.
• The “info” button will give you the name and contact information of a course provider who is authorized to teach the course.

As a reminder, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Board of Landscape Architecture are always concerned about unlicensed activity in the industry. There is a toll-free telephone number to contact if you suspect any unlicensed activity going on in your area. That toll-free telephone number is 1.866.532.1440, or you may download a Uniform Complaint Form located at www.MyFloridaLicense.com > For Consumers > File a Complaint against a Business or Professional and mail it to the department.  It is incumbent upon you to police your area and report unlicensed activity to the department. You have worked hard to obtain and maintain your license and others should be held to the same standards

New Requirement to Report Criminal Convictions

During the 2009 Legislative Session the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 425 which became law on October 1, 2009. Beginning October 1, 2009, HB 425 requires all licensees to report to the department within 30 days of being convicted or found guilty of, or having plead nolo contendere or guilty to a crime in any jurisdiction. A licensee who fails to report that information, may be subject to disciplinary action, including fines, suspension or license revocation.

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Message from the Director Tim Vaccaro

In August of 2008, Governor Charlie Crist announced Accelerate Florida, his initiative to reduce or eliminate unnecessary regulation and to streamline licensing processes. To support the Governor’s initiative, the department reviewed its processes to determine where it could improve customer service and reduce regulatory barriers. The department submitted legislative proposals that became House Bill 425, which Governor Crist signed into law on June 16, 2009. HB 425 reduces regulatory requirements in order to assist individuals who are licensed or apply for licensure with the department. Its highlights include the following:

• Removes notarization requirements for all applications and renewals in order to facilitate electronic submittals. Applicants can now sign an attestation statement regarding the accuracy of their submissions;
• Eliminates the practical examination for barbers and restricted barbers, because practical theory is now included within the written examination;
• Eliminates the requirement for a qualified business license for construction companies, because companies must already have a licensed qualifying agent who is responsible for the company’s actions;
• Removes the requirement that applicants for registered contractor licenses provide a copy of a local occupational license, because occupational licenses do not provide proof of an applicant’s skills;
• Eliminates requirements for building code administrator applicants and licensees in construction-related professions to complete a core curriculum course on Florida Building Code training approved by the Florida Building Commission, because applicants are responsible for knowing the building code before licensure;
• Removes the requirement for Certified Public Accountants to complete the Florida Laws & Rules Examination for license renewal and reactivation of an inactive license, because the Florida Laws & Rules requirement is fulfilled by the continuing education process;
• Clarifies statutes to exclude attorneys practicing as a licensed real estate broker or agent from continuing education requirements under Chapter 475, Florida Statutes, if they are members in good standing of the Florida Bar;
• Provides for greater consumer protection for clients who utilize talent agency services under part VII, Chapter 468, Florida Statutes; and
• Authorizes the Florida State Boxing Commission to adopt criteria for approval of certain amateur sanctioning organizations and to adopt health and safety standards for amateur mixed martial arts.

The department also implemented improvements that did not require legislative changes. A complete list of Accelerate Florida improvements is available on our Web site at www.MyFloridaLicense.com by clicking on “Accelerate Florida.”

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New License Application Center

In our continuing effort to provide better customer service, we have improved our web site home page and created a user-friendly application center. We hope that these changes will make it easier for you to do business with us. The new features are intended to make the Web site more user-friendly and provide simple ways for our customers to find licensing information and requirements through detailed descriptions and helpful checklists.

The changes to the Web site include: new application features with a full list of license types, a list of detailed license requirements before each application, separate entry points for applications and renewals, and a new page called "What Services Require a DBPR License," which is designed to assist consumers with determining what services require a DBPR license.

We encourage you to provide feedback via the "Feedback" link that is available in the Customer Service Spotlight section on MyFloridaLicense.com.

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eNewsroom

Check out DBPR's eNewsroom, your source for important Department news and information. Here, you can watch public service announcements, read news releases, and subscribe to and flip through our publications.

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Visit us on the Web at www.MyFloridaLicense.com