The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Commerce and Tourism
BILL: SB 572
INTRODUCER: Senator Baxley
SUBJECT: Engineers
DATE: March 12, 2021 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Kraemer Imhof RI Favorable
2. McMillan McKay CM Favorable
3. RC
I. Summary:
SB 572 authorizes the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (board) to establish minimum
standards of practice for the profession of structural engineering, which includes the structural
analysis and design of components for threshold buildings (those higher than 50 feet/three stories
or with an occupancy of greater than 500 persons) as well as the practice of engineering under
current law.
The bill prohibits, effective March 1, 2023, the practice of professional structural engineering by
any person who is not a licensed professional structural engineer or otherwise exempted from
licensure under ch. 471, F.S., related to engineering.
Under the bill, the following titles may not be used by persons who are not licensed or exempt
from licensing under current law relating to engineering: licensed professional engineer, licensed
structural engineer, professional structural engineer, or registered professional engineer.
The bill authorizes the board to certify persons as qualified to practice structural engineering if
they are licensed or qualify for licensure as an engineer, have at least 4 years of active structural
engineering experience under the supervision of a licensed engineer, have passed certain
professional examinations, and meet other administrative requirements. The bill also requires the
board to certify qualified foreign or out-of-state applicants for licensure by endorsement in
certain circumstances.
SB 574, relating to Fees/Professional Structural Engineer Licensing, is linked to this bill, and
provides for the establishment of licensing fees by the Board of Professional Engineering to be
paid by persons seeking licensure as a professional structural engineer. See Section V, Fiscal
Impact Statement.
The bill provides an effective date of July 1, 2021.
BILL: SB 572 Page 2
II. Present Situation:
Regulation of Professional Engineers
The practice of engineering is regulated by the board. Section 471.005(7), F.S., defines the term
“engineering” to include:
the term “professional engineering” and means any service or creative
work, the adequate performance of which requires engineering education,
training, and experience in the application of special knowledge of the
mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences to such services or
creative work as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, and
design of engineering works and systems, planning the use of land and
water, teaching of the principles and methods of engineering design,
engineering surveys, and the inspection of construction for the purpose of
determining in general if the work is proceeding in compliance with
drawings and specifications, any of which embraces such services or work,
either public or private, in connection with any utilities, structures,
buildings, machines, equipment, processes, work systems, projects, and
industrial or consumer products or equipment of a mechanical, electrical,
hydraulic, pneumatic, or thermal nature, insofar as they involve
safeguarding life, health, or property; and includes such other professional
services as may be necessary to the planning, progress, and completion of
any engineering services. A person who practices any branch of
engineering; who, by verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, or card,
or in any other way, represents himself or herself to be an engineer or,
through the use of some other title, implies that he or she is an engineer or
that he or she is licensed under this chapter; or who holds himself or herself
out as able to perform, or does perform, any engineering service or work or
any other service designated by the practitioner which is recognized as
engineering shall be construed to practice or offer to practice engineering
within the meaning and intent of this chapter [ch. 471, Engineering].
Unlike most Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) professions, the
administrative, investigative, and prosecutorial services for the board are not provided by the
DBPR. The DBPR contracts with the Florida Engineers Management Corporation (FEMC), a
nonprofit corporation, to provide such services.1 The FEMC is a public-private nonprofit
association that has contracted with the DBPR to handle administrative, investigative, and
prosecutorial services for the Board of Professional Engineers.2
Section 471.008, F.S., authorizes the board to adopt rules to implement the provisions of
ch. 471, F.S., and for ch. 455, F.S., which provides the general licensing procedures for
professional licensing by the DBPR and its professional licensing boards. The board has adopted
1
See s. 471.038, F.S., the Florida Engineers Management Corporation Act, for the duties and authority of the FEMC.
2
See the Annual Report of the FEMC for FY 2019-2020, available at 2019-20-FEMC-Annual-Report.pdf (fbpe.org) (last
visited March 12, 2021), and the contract between DBPR and FEMC for the period between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2021
at https://fbpe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FEMC-DBPR-Contract-2017.pdf (last visited March 12, 2021).
BILL: SB 572 Page 3
responsibility rules for the profession of engineering addressing a variety of issues, including the
design of structures and fire protection systems.3
There were 62,475 licensed professional engineers in Fiscal Year 2019-2020.4 The FEMC
processed 451 complaints regarding engineering practice during that period, with 372 of those
complaints found to be legally sufficient to proceed, and filed 27 administrative complaints in
cases where probable cause was found relating to a violation of the Practice Act.5
Professional Engineer License Qualifications and Exemptions
Section 471.013, F.S., provides the license qualifications for a professional engineer. In order to
be licensed as a professional engineer, a person must successfully pass two examinations: the
fundamentals examination and the principles and practices examination. Prior to being permitted
to sit for the fundamentals examination, an applicant must have graduated from:
An approved engineering science curriculum of 4 years or more in a board-approved school,
college, or university; or
An approved engineering technology curriculum of 4 years or more in a board-approved
school, college, or university.6
Under s. 471.015(2), F.S., the board must certify for licensure any applicant who has submitted
proof of being at least 18 years old and has the required engineering experience. For graduates of
an approved engineering science curriculum, the applicant must have a record of at least 4 years
of active engineering experience sufficient to indicate competence to be in responsible charge of
engineering. Graduates of an approved engineering technology curriculum must have a record of
at least 6 years of such qualified experience.7
Section 471.003(2), F.S., identifies the licensing requirement exemptions of ch. 471, F.S.
Special Inspectors of Threshold Buildings
Section 471.015(7), F.S., authorizes the board to establish by rule the qualifications for
certification of licensees as inspectors of threshold buildings. A “threshold building” is “any
building which is greater than three stories or 50 feet in height, or which has an assembly
occupancy classification as defined in the Florida Building Code which exceeds 5,000 square
feet in area and an occupant content of greater than 500 persons.”8
3
The responsibility rules are in Fla. Admin. Code Chapters 61G15-30, 61G15-31, 61G15-32, and 61G15-33 (2021).
4
There were 595 inactive professional engineering licenses in that fiscal year. See Department of Business and Professional
Regulations, Annual Report, Division of Professions, Division of Certified Public Accounting, Division of Real Estate, and
Division of Regulation, Fiscal Year 2019-2020, at p. 20, available at DivisionAnnualReport_FY1920.pdf
(myfloridalicense.com) (last visited March 12, 2021).
5
See the Annual Report of the FEMC for FY 2019-2020, available at 2019-20-FEMC-Annual-Report.pdf (fbpe.org), at p. 2
(last visited March 12, 2021). The FEMC also filed 27 Final Orders with DBPR; entered into eight negotiations, and tried six
administrative hearings; dismissed two cases after re-consideration; issued 11 reprimands, six suspensions, seven probations,
eight project reviews, and three license restrictions; and imposed $43,916.10 in administrative costs and $25,500.00 in fines.
The board also issued 24 Final Orders against licensees.
6
Section 471.013(1), F.S.
7
See ss. 471.015(2)(a)1. and 2., F.S.
8
See s. 553.71(12), F.S.
BILL: SB 572 Page 4
The board is also authorized to establish minimum qualifications for the qualified representative
of the special inspector who is authorized to perform inspections of threshold buildings on behalf
of the special inspector.9 Current law does not authorize the board to establish minimum training
or education requirements for maintaining a certification or qualification as a special inspector.
The agency charged with enforcing the building code (enforcing agency)10 must require a special
inspector to perform structural inspections on a threshold building pursuant to a structural
inspection plan prepared by the engineer or architect of record.11
Use of Engineer Seals
Section 471.025(1), F.S., authorizes the board to prescribe, by rule, one or more forms of seal to
be used by licensed engineers. Each licensee must obtain at least one seal.12 All final drawings,
specifications, plans, reports, or documents prepared or issued by the licensee and filed for
public record and all final documents provided to the owner or the owner’s representative must
be signed by the licensee, dated, and sealed with the seal.13 The signature, date, and seal are
evidence of the authenticity of the document to which they are affixed.14
A licensee may not affix or permit to be affixed his or her seal, name, or digital signature to any
plan, specification, drawing, final bid document, or other document that depicts work which he
or she is not licensed to perform or which is beyond his or her profession or specialty.15
A successor engineer seeking to reuse documents previously sealed by another engineer must be
able to independently re-create all of the work done by the original engineer, and assumes full
professional and legal responsibility by signing and affixing his or her seal to the assumed
documents.16
Use of Descriptive Titles
Section 471.031, F.S., sets forth the permissible and prohibited titles for persons licensed under
ch. 471, F.S., and for persons who are otherwise exempted from such licensure. With certain
exceptions for persons exempted from licensure, the use of the name “professional engineer” or
any other title, designation, abbreviation, or indication that a person holds an active license as an
engineer when the person is not licensed under ch. 489, F.S., is prohibited, along with use of the
following titles:
Agricultural engineer;
9
See s. 471.015(7), F.S.
10
See s. 553.71(5), F.S., a “local enforcement agency” means an agency of local government, a local school board, a
community college board of trustees, or a university board of trustees in the State University System with jurisdiction to
make inspections of buildings and to enforce the codes which establish standards for design, construction, erection, alteration,
repair, modification, or demolition of public or private buildings, structures, or facilities.
11
Section 553.79(5)(a), F.S.
12
Section 471.025(1), F.S.
13
Id.
14
Id.
15
Section 471.025(3), F.S.
16
Section 471.025(4), F.S. The original engineer is released from any professional responsibility or civil liability for work
that is assumed.
BILL: SB 572 Page 5
Air-conditioning engineer;
Architectural engineer;
Building engineer;
Chemical engineer;
Civil engineer;
Control systems engineer;
Electrical engineer;
Environmental engineer;
Fire protection engineer;
Industrial engineer;
Manufacturing engineer;
Mechanical engineer;
Metallurgical engineer;
Mining engineer;
Minerals engineer;
Marine engineer;
Nuclear engineer;
Petroleum engineer;
Plumbing engineer;
Structural engineer;
Transportation engineer;
Software engineer;
Computer hardware engineer; and
Systems engineer.17
Imposition of Discipline by the Board
The conduct that constitute grounds for the imposition of discipline by the board are set forth in
s. 471.033, F.S. Such discipline includes denial of an application for licensure, suspension or
revocation of a license, imposition of fines, reprimands, probation, or restitution, and restriction
of the authorized scope of practice of a licensee.
Voluntary Structural Engineer Associations
The Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA) provides input on building codes and
enforcement and sponsors technical seminars to address common concerns of the profession.18
Members of FSEA become members of the National Council of Structural Engineers
Associations (NCSEA).19 The NCSEA was formed to improve the standard level of practice of
the structural engineering profession and provide an identifiable resource for seeking
communication with the profession.20 Additionally, it advocates for the practice of structural
17
See s. 471.031(b), F.S.
18
See http://www.flsea.com/ and http://www.flsea.com/messages-from-the-president (last visited March 12, 2021).
19
Id.
20
See http://www.ncsea.com/about/ (last visited March 12, 2021).
BILL: SB 572 Page 6
engineering on behalf of its 44 member organizations.21 According to the NCSEA, two states
restrict who may use the title “structural engineer,”22 seven states have a partial practice act for
structural engineers,23 and two states have a full practice act for structural engineers.24
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying is a nonprofit organization
composed of 69 engineering and surveying licensing boards from all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.25 It
provides services including engineering examinations, surveying examinations, exam preparation
materials, records programs, and credentials evaluations among other services to licensing
jurisdictions.26
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
Section 1 of the bill amends s. 471.003, F.S., to prohibit, effective March 1, 2023, the practice of
professional structural engineering by any person who is not a licensed professional structural
engineer or otherwise exempted from licensure under ch. 471, F.S., related to engineering.
The bill prohibits the use of the name or title of “licensed engineer,” “licensed professional
engineer,” “licensed structural engineer,” “professional structural engineer,” or “registered
structural engineer” or any other title that indicates an unlicensed person is a licensed
professional structural engineer in this state. The bill amends s. 471.003(2), F.S., to clarify that
certain persons are not required to be licensed as a licensed professional structural engineer, and
this exemption includes contractors performing work designed by a professional structural
engineer.
Section 2 of th