January 2009

In This Issue:

• Message From The Secretary
• Message From The Chair
• Message From The Executive Director
• Reminders to Continuing Education Providers
• Helpful Reminders
• Contact Information Updates
• Zip + 4
• eNewsroom

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Message From The Secretary

Back in August, when I was appointed the Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, I set several goals for my first few months. Now that we are in the holiday season and nearing the end of this year, I have taken the time to reflect on those goals and assess my progress. I would like to share some of these goals and the progress we have made in reaching those goals during my time as Secretary.

One of the first goals I set for myself was to improve the licensure application process. We have started to achieve this goal by examining our applications and comparing them to law and rule. We want to ensure that we are only asking from you what the laws and rules require and nothing more. In several instances, we have been asking for more than what is required. We are now removing those requirements. We also are identifying requirements that are in law and rule that may no longer be necessary. In those cases, we will be asking the legislature and individual boards for their input. This is a tedious task but an important one, and I am pleased with the progress we have made.

Within my first few weeks as Secretary, I realized that it can be difficult working in a statewide agency based in Tallahassee, as I am not always readily able to meet with customers in other areas of the state. Knowing that insight provided by the end-user is the most valuable, I wanted to develop an initiative based on that fact. That is why we started the "On the Road to Better Business." I have traveled to our district offices across the state and given licensees the opportunity to meet with me in person. I have brought their feedback back to Tallahassee, and we are already making changes based on the feedback from those meetings.

Meeting with licensees and consumers provided me with great insight, but I also wanted to meet and form relationships with my fellow Governor appointees. DBPR provides services and support to 19 different boards and councils. It was my goal to meet or attend one meeting of each professional board before the end of the year. Looking back, this was a lofty goal. Although I will be just shy of my goal by the end of the December, I am scheduled to meet with all of the Boards before the end of January. I know that as public servants, we have the same goal to provide great service to our licensees and protect the public. We must work together to achieve our goals.

My first few months as Secretary of DBPR have been so rewarding. We have made great progress and we are working hard to achieve our goals. As I continue to assess our progress, we will have achieved some goals, some will carry over into next year and new goals will be created. We will continue to look for ways to serve you better while keeping public safety as our first priority. It is our duty to you and the citizens of Florida.

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Message from the Chair, Bob McCormick

The incredible speed with which time passes is magnified when one is asked to write an article for a newsletter that is published only periodically.  It seems, literally, like only yesterday that I wrote “Another year nearly past…” for the last fall/winter Building Code Administrators and Inspectors newsletter.  At this time last year, the magnitude and effects of the housing sales and construction slowdown were becoming clearer and, since then, many building departments and private providers have had to downsize staffs and scale back operations significantly.  No one doubts that construction and housing sales will rebound later rather than sooner, and many of the licensees of this board continue to struggle to find work suitable to their skills and experience while the dominoes of the economy continue to fall.

In recent months, the board deliberated, prompted by a declaratory statement request, which certification discipline/category is assigned responsibility for review of plans and inspection of buildings for compliance with Chapter 13 of the Florida Building Code – Building, more commonly referred to as “the energy code.”   The board acknowledged that different jurisdictions have different resources available to them, as well as differing organizational structures within departments, and the board determined that the building official should manage his/her resources in such a way that the provisions of Chapter 468, Florida Statutes, are not violated. It is the responsibility of the building official to administer and supervise review, enforcement and inspection activities necessary to comply with construction codes adopted by state law or local ordinance.  Section 468.603(7), Florida Statutes, states that plans examiners are responsible for reviewing plans to assure compliance with the energy code, but it does not say which plans examiners. The definition of “inspector” does not include any mention of the energy code whatsoever. Since thereare no "energy code" inspector or plans examiner categories, it is left to the Building Official to assign duties as he/she believes correct and appropriate.

Another issue was identified at a recent board meeting and is presented here as a reminder of responsibilities related to Threshold Buildings.  A threshold building is one: 1) which is greater than three stories or 50 feet in height, or 2) which has an assembly occupancy classification that exceeds 5,000 square feet in area and an occupant content of greater than 500 persons.  Threshold buildings are subject to more than the minimum number of inspections required by the Florida Building Code, and they must have a structural inspection plan and a special inspector to ensure compliance with that plan. "Special inspector" means a licensed architect or registered engineer who is certified under Chapters 471 or 481, Florida Statutes, to conduct inspections of threshold buildings.  Threshold buildings are common in densely populated areas but less so in rural or sparsely populated cities and counties.  Please be sure to review the additional requirements for threshold buildings in Section 553.79, Florida Statutes, if such a building is to be constructed in your jurisdiction.

Prior to the regular board meeting every two months, the Application Review Committee meets to consider new applications for certification and appeals of applications that were previously denied.  It is a public meeting, but is most often attended only by those who have an application before the committee.  The trends noted by the committee are consistent with those of the construction community statewide.  Not too long ago, it was not unusual for the committee to review 400 or more new applications at one meeting.  Those numbers have dropped gradually and have now leveled off at around 150.  When the numbers were much higher, it was common to find current license holders seeking certification in additional categories in order to be of greater value to their employers and increase their own compensable value.  Now, new applications are often from those who have enjoyed the seemingly everlasting construction boom in the state as contractors, superintendents and tradespersons for so many years.  Also notable are the number of applicants who have been providing quality control or threshold inspection services in the private sector.  Even a few home inspectors seek to enhance their qualifications by requesting certification by the board.  For the last several meetings, the rates of approvals/denials for new or resubmitted applications have been about 50/50.

All certification renewals are due in 2009.  You would be well advised to attend and document the 14 continuing education hours required no later than the end of August this coming year.  Please do not forget the relatively new requirement for one hour of “Ethics” training.

We acknowledge that this year has been a difficult one for many in the construction-related professions and hope you will accept the sincerest wishes of the Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board members and staff for good health and enduring happiness at your family gatherings over these coming holidays.

Sincerely,
Bob McCormick, Chair, Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board

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Message from the Executive Director,
Robyn Barineau

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Bob McCormick for his service as Chair of the Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board.  Chair McCormick has been a very effective leader, and his commitment to the building code industry is remarkable.  I appreciate his cooperative spirit, his willingness to assist the Department and the board, and his service to the citizens of our great state.  Thanks, Bob!

Let me remind you that you must complete at least three hours of the required 14 classroom hours of continuing education on state law, rules, and ethics relating to professional standards of practice, duties, and responsibilities of the certificate holder.  Completion of this course will be required in order for you to renew your license for the Nov. 30, 2009, renewal period.  I encourage you to continue to check your reported continuing education by accessing 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, you may obtain a listing of board-approved continuing education providers and courses online at www.MyFloridaLicense.com.

The board has tentatively scheduled their meetings for 2009.  To accommodate as many individuals as possible, the board will host several of their 2009 meetings in the Orlando area.  Be sure to check the board meeting schedule included in this newsletter.  Should your schedule permit, join us for our meeting and be enlightened by the work of your board.  

Best wishes for a prosperous 2009!

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Reminders to Continuing Education Providers

• Course providers shall notify the board in writing within 30 days of the effective date of any changes in information required to be listed in the initial registration – please see Rule 61G19-9.003(4), Florida Administrative Code.  This includes changes to telephone numbers or addresses, notice that you are no longer offering a course, and other important information.
• After a course has been approved by the board, any substantive changes in the course content requires reapplication of the course to be submitted for approval by the board – please see Rule 61G19-9.004(10), Florida Administrative Code.
• All individual license numbers should be included in the electronic file transfer to the Department to ensure proper credit for licensees. 
• After a licensee's completion of a course, the information must be submitted to the

Department electronically no later than 30 calendar days thereafter.  However, the continuing education provider shall electronically report to the department completion of a licensee’s course within 10 business days beginning on the 30th day before the renewal deadline or prior to the renewal date, whichever occurs first – please see Section 455.2178(1)(b), Florida Statutes.

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Helpful Reminders for Licensees

• Rule 61G19-6.016(3), Florida Administrative Code, allows individuals with four years of roofing experience with passage of the standardized, board-approved roofing inspectors’ examination to be issued a roofing inspector’s license.  An alternate method of licensure as a roofing inspector is proof of certification as a roofing contractor or a state certified general contractor who was certified prior to 1974.

• Rule 61G19-6.0035(1)(b), Florida Administrative Code, requires all affidavits of work experience be signed by a licensed architect, engineer, contractor or building code administrator who has knowledge of the applicant’s duties and responsibilities during the period indicated.   As a postscript, if the applicant is a licensed architect, engineer, contractor, or building code administrator, they may self-certify their experience.

• Rule 61G19-6.0035(1)(c), Florida Administrative Code, requires applicants for licensure as an inspector or plans examiner provide proof that they have at least one year of hands-on experience in the category of certification sought.

• Rule 61G19-6.0035(1)(d), Florida Administrative Code, requires applicants seeking to qualify through a combination of postsecondary education and work experience must submit an official copy of all college or university transcripts which document the applicant’s education in addition to all required work experience affidavits.
  
  
• Rule 61G19-6.004, Florida Administrative Code, deems an application abandoned whenever an applicant fails to return an application rejected for incompleteness or insufficiency within 90 days; the applicant may file a new application after abandonment along with the required fee.
  
  
• Rule 61G19-9.001(4), Florida Administrative Code, requires that licensees, who are first licensed when there is more than one-half of their initial biennial licensure period remaining, must complete only a minimum of seven hours of continuing education, which shall include a minimum of one hour in the area of accessibility, prior to the end of their initial biennial licensure period.
  
  
• Rule 61G19-9.001(5), Florida Administrative Code, exempts licensees from continuing education requirements if they have been licensed for one-half or less of their initial biennial licensure period.
  
  
• Rule 61G19-9.004(9), Florida Administrative Code, requires that licensees maintain their continuing education course completion certificates for three years.
  
  
• Rule 61G19-9.004(9), Florida Administrative Code, also allows licensees the opportunity to receive up to three hours of continuing education credit by attending a meeting of the Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board if the licensee contacts the board office at least seven days in advance of the meeting.  Licensees shall check in with board staff and must sign in and out for breaks and credit will be awarded on an hour-for-hour basis.

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Contact Information Updates

Please help us by notifying the Department when your address, telephone number, and/or e-mail changes. Service by regular mail to a licensee’s last known address of record constitutes adequate and sufficient notice to the licensee for any official communication, so it is important that your contact information is correct.

You may change your mailing address using our online services at www.MyFloridaLicense.com. If you have any questions regarding this requirement, or need assistance using the online services menu, please telephone the Customer Contact Center at 850.487.1395 or use our convenient contact form to submit any comments and/or questions you may have. In order to better serve you, please include as much information as possible about the nature of your request.

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The Correct Zip Code Makes a Difference!

The Department's Bureau of Central Intake and Licensure, located within the Division of Service Operations, receives and processes your license applications. To ensure your application and required documentation is sent directly to the Bureau of Central Intake and Licensure section for processing, always use the correct zip code, "plus-4" on all correspondence you send to us. The "plus-4" refers to the unique four-digit code that identifies the divisions and offices within the Department. The proper zip code, plus-4 for the Bureau of Central Intake and Licensure is 32399-0783. Thanks for helping us serve you better!

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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.

Visit us on the Web at www.MyFloridaLicense.com

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