FBPE COMMITTEE UPDATES
The Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) has many responsibilities and obligations to its licensees and to the health, safety and welfare of the general public. In addition to reviewing and approving applications for licensure, the FBPE is also responsible for managing, updating and enforcing the rules that govern the practice of engineering and to guard against the unlicensed practice of engineering within the State of Florida.
The board accomplishes this through its regular meetings and also by utilizing administrative and technical committees to help conduct its business. These committees meet on alternate months from the full board meetings and are used to accept or solicit input from Florida’s licensees, individually or through their respective organizations.
In the last several issues of FBPE’s quarterly Connection newsletter, we have shared information and updates about the board’s committees and their activities. Recently, the number of committees and their makeup were updated.
FBPE’s standard, active committees include: the Application Review – Experience Committee, chaired by board member Warren G. Hahn, PE; the Application Review – Education Committee, chaired by board member Michelle D. Roddenberry, PhD, PE; and the Rules Committee, chaired by board member William C. Bracken, PE, SI, CFM.
FBPE recently expanded the Structural/Threshold Rules Committee, chaired by board member Kevin Fleming, PE to include board members Anthony Fiorillo, PE, SI, CGC, John Pepper, PE, SI and Babu Varghese, PE, SE, CGC, CCC. This committee has been charged with reviewing Rule 61G15-35.003, F.A.C., Qualification Program for Special Inspectors of Threshold Buildings, and its corresponding application. This effort is being initiated in response to Florida’s building code officials requiring threshold inspectors on the restoration of existing threshold buildings.
Additionally, in response to recent board correspondence and a recent board presentation on Florida’s engineering laws and rules, the FBPE added an Electrical Rules Committee, also chaired by board member Kevin Fleming, PE. This committee is tasked with reviewing and updating Rule 61G15-33, F.A.C., Responsibility Rules Of Professional Engineers Concerning The Design Of Electrical Systems. Given that this committee was just created, Committee Chair Fleming has yet to select the remaining board members. This is another opportunity for licensees and licensees’ organizations to participate.
Finally, FBPE has assigned board member Kenneth Todd, PE with researching Rule 61G15-22.0105, F.A.C., Approval of Continuing Education Courses in Laws and Rules and Courses in Professional Ethics. Ultimately, based on board member Todd’s findings, the board will create a committee to address concerns raised by Florida’s licensees relating to a lack of quality in a number of Professional Ethics Continuing Education (CE) courses.
All FBPE Board and FBPE committee meetings are open to the public and licensees are encouraged to attend. To view a listing of upcoming meetings on the Board’s calendar, go to our Home page at www.fbpe.org and select “View Full Events Calendar” under Latest Events. If you are interested in learning more about these committees, how you can get involved or have questions or concerns, contact the Board by sending an email to board@fbpe.org.
You can access the most current laws and rules as it relates to the practice of engineering, including the Florida Administrative Codes mentioned here, by going to the Statutes and Rules page in the Legal section of FBPE’s website, or by selecting this link: https://www.fbpe.org/index.php/legal/statutes-and-rules.
