October 2009

In This Issue:

• Message From The Secretary
  
• Message From The Chair
• Message From The Executive Director
• Helpful Reminder
• Accelerate Florida
• Licensee Numbers
• 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 Chair Cheryl Phipps

Greetings to all. This year has proven to be a very challenging year for the piloting profession.

We would like to recognize a heroic event since our last newsletter.  The incident occurred in Tampa Bay.  Captain John Wrasse and Boatman Jeff Hillard assisted in the rescue of a man clinging to a buoy about one mile southeast of Mullet Key.  Without the assistance of Captain Wrasse and Mr. Hillard, this story might have been disastrous.  We are grateful for their courageous efforts.

Also, in Port Everglades, Captain Bruce Cummings and Captain Mark Patterson were recognized by the United States Coast Guard for their efforts in Kuwait. They travel to Kuwait as reservists to pilot ships for the United States Navy.

This brings me to a brief reminder for those that may not be aware of how important pilots are for the State of Florida and the United States.  Pilots are the local experts in the ports that they represent.  Pilots act on their specific knowledge in the ports where they are trained with expertise in ship handling, navigation and a very keen sense of motion.  They make decisions objectively without the pressures associated by the demands of the ship owners.  They are dedicated to the state and port in which they serve.  Piloting is a dangerous and stressful job.  Pilots may face financial ruin and even jail time based on their decisions and actions. There were several deaths of pilots and a pilot boat captain in a 13-month period in 2006-2007. Harbor pilots train on the sea, and have extensive training on simulators.  They often create and perform scenarios on which the Army Corp. of Engineers bases multimillion dollar construction projects and dredging for ports and channels in our state.  The schedule for pilots is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in all kinds of weather.  We enjoy our jobs and take pride in offering the very best skills possible.

We all look forward to a safe year and a turn in our economies that will benefit everyone.

Captain Cheryl Phipps, Chair
Board of Pilot Commissioners

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Message from the Executive Director
Robyn Barineau

Greetings from the staff of the Board of Pilot Commissioners!  We hope it has been smooth sailing for you and yours since the last newsletter.

Over the last year, the board conducted their meetings in four Florida port cities:  Port Canaveral, Fort Pierce, Fernandina Beach, and Tampa.  We were able to visit with many of you during these board meetings, and we appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with pilots and pilot association staff.  We have scheduled all board meetings through April 2010. 

Check out the board meeting schedule included in this newsletter.  Should your schedule permit, please join us for a meeting.  If you are unable to join us for a meeting, be sure to check the board’s Web site for complete information on the deliberations of the board.  You can find this information in the executive summaries and minutes of all board meetings.

Please ensure that you send your current Merchant Mariner Physical Examination Report, drug test, and the number of handles to the board office.  You can mail them direct to the board office at Post Office Box 5377, Tallahassee, Florida, 32314-5377.

Finally, congratulations to Commissioner Cheryl Phipps and Commissioner Eric Bryson for their unanimous reelection as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Board of Pilot Commissioners.

Happy holidays!

Robyn Barineau, Executive Director
Board of Pilot Commissioners

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Helpful Reminder

As a reminder, in order to retain your license, you must file a current medical physical form and a drug test with the board office.  In addition, you must submit the form, which will be included with your renewal notice, indicating your number of handles to the board office.  You may access the medical physical form at www.MyFloridaLicense.com > “Doing Business with us” > “Pilot Commissioners” > “Medical Physical Form.” You can mail them direct to us at Board of Pilot Commissioners, Post Office Box 5377, Tallahassee, Florida, 32314-5377.

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Accelerate Florida

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 most local jurisdictions require proof of a state contractor’s license before they will issue an occupational license;
• 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 the statewide Florida Building Code has been in effect since March 1, 2002;
• 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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Licensee Numbers

As of Sept.18, 2009, there are 93 current, active State Pilots and 5 current, active Deputy Pilots in 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