Over the next few months, just over 3 percent of Florida’s more than 43,000 Professional Engineers will be audited to verify completion of their continuing education.
PEs renewing their Florida licenses must attest that, by the Feb. 28 renewal deadline, they have completed 18-hours of continuing education during the previous two years. PEs must retain completion and attendance certificates, which are provided by CE providers, for four years, or two renewal periods.
PEs renewing their license without having met the CE requirement can be disciplined by the Board.
Of the 1,263 PEs audited during the previous biennium, 152 cases were opened after PEs were unable to provide records or did not respond to requests for records by Board investigators. Of those 152 cases, 84 Final Orders have been issued by the Board so far, and two engineers voluntarily relinquished their licenses.
Under Rule 61G15-19.004, Florida Administrative Code, penalties for a first violation, in addition to the costs of the investigation, can range from a Reprimand and a $1,000 fine, to a one-year suspension, a two-year probation, and a $5,000 fine.
If you are the 1,200 licensees randomly selected for the audit, you will be notified by email and must electronically submit evidence of completing your CE credits. Do not mail your records to the Board office.
You should log into your account at myfloridalicense.com and confirm that your email address and other contact information is up to date.