BY ZANA RAYBON, FBPE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & FEMC PRESIDENT
The Florida Building Commission’s eighth edition of the Florida Building Code went into effect on Dec. 31, 2023.
Section 471.0195, Florida Statutes, addresses the Florida Building Code and the continuing education that PEs need for it:
All licensees actively participating in the design of engineering works or systems in connection with buildings, structures, or facilities and systems covered by the Florida Building Code shall take continuing education courses and submit proof to the board, at such times and in such manner as established by the board by rule, that the licensee has completed any specialized or advanced courses on any portion of the Florida Building Code applicable to the licensee’s area of practice.
Once a PE has completed an Advanced Building Code, or ABC, course and submitted documentation to the Board, the course shows up under “Special Qualifications” on their licensure record at myfloridalicense.com.
Florida Building Officials regularly verify that Professional Engineers have the qualification when engineering documents are submitted for review. PEs who submit engineering documents without having the qualification are reported to the Board.
FBPE Lead Investigator Wendy Anderson says that in the past year, the Board has received a record 150 certificates from Professional Engineers who completed the course after the period permitted by the rule.
First-time offenders are given a warning and ordered to complete the ABC course; second-time offenders face a citation and a fine, Anderson says.
It is the Professional Engineer’s responsibility — not the continuing-education provider’s — to report and provide documentation of completion of the ABC course to FBPE. PEs should email the documentation to Wendy Anderson at wanderson@fbpe.org as soon as the course is completed.
In addition to the changes in the eighth edition of the code, Professional Engineers in Florida can expect changes within the next month or two in the rule covering their requirements for the Code.
The statute cited above requires PEs “actively participating in the design of engineering works or systems in connection with buildings, structures, or facilities and systems covered by the Florida Building Code” to have completed the ABC course, which would be reflected on their licensure record.
Currently, Rule 61G15-22.001(3), Florida Administrative Code, requires that PEs take the ABC course within 12 months of the effective date of a new edition of the Florida Building Code. That 12-month window goes away with proposed changes to the rule.
The proposed rule would adhere more closely to the statute and require the Advanced Building Code qualification when a PE begins working on affected engineering projects.
The proposed change to 61G15-22.001, F.A.C., reads:
(3) Beginning with the effective date of the Eighth Edition of the Florida Building Code (2023), all licensees actively participating in the design of engineering works or systems in connection with buildings, structures, or facilities and systems covered by the Florida Building Code, as identified within Section 553.73(1)(a), F.S., shall:
(a) Complete at least one advanced Florida Building Code course on each new Edition of the Florida Building Code,
(b) Provide the Board with a copy of a certificate of completion which shows: course number, course hours, Code edition and revision year, and portion of Code or course focus. This course may also count towards the area of practice requirement for continuing education set forth in Rule 61G15-22.001, F.A.C.
Comments regarding this proposed rule change, as well as any others, may be emailed to board@fbpe.org.