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Continuing Education

The Home Builders Association of West Florida is a strong advocate of professionalism and is committed to providing quality education for its members. Every August, the HBA provides 14 hours of Continuing Education (CE) via the Construction Industry Licensing Board Approved Courses.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation is reminding all certified and registered contractors that they will need to meet new continuing education requirements, one hour of laws and rules-related training. Enforcement of the new requirement will begin with the expiration of certified licenses on August 31, 2008, and the expiration of registered licenses on August 31, 2009.

During the 2007 Legislative Session, House Bill 7163 revised the continuing education requirements for certified and registered contractors licensed by the Construction Industry Licensing Board. Certified and registered contractors will have to complete one hour of laws and rules-related continuing education as part of the fourteen hours that is currently required for each licensure cycle.

Licensees who fail to meet the new continuing education requirements by the license expiration date may face non-renewal or disciplinary action.

CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) REQUIREMENTS

1. What are the CE requirements for license renewal?
   Prior to renewal, 14 hours of CE must be completed. Of those hours, you must complete one hour each of workplace safety, business practices, workers’ compensation, laws and rules, and one hour of advanced building code modules. The remaining 9 hours are classified as general credits.
2. What are the requirements for the Florida Building Code Core Course?
   The Core Course is a requirement under Sections 489.115 and 553.841 of the Florida Statutes and the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Information can be obtained on the DCA website at www.dca.state.fl.us.
3. What is the deadline for the Florida Building Code Core Course?
   You have two years from the date of initial licensure to complete the course.
4. I am changing my license status to inactive. Am I required to maintain my continuing education?
   No. However, when you reactivate your license, you must show proof of completing 14 hours for each inactive renewal cycle. Included in each of the 14 hours, you must show one hour of workplace safety, business practices, workers’ compensation, and advanced building code modules.
5. Can continuing education be completed online?
   Yes. There are certain providers who are approved to teach online courses. A list of approved providers can be found online at www.MyFlorida.com/dbpr. Direct to Our Divisions > Construction Industry > Information for Licensees > Continuing Education Provider List. Providers with the “C / I” or “I” designation are approved to offer online courses.
6. When did continuing education become a requirement?
   The requirement became effective in the Florida Statutes in December 1993. For registered contractors, the first reporting cycle was 1993-1995. For certified contractors, the first reporting cycle was 1994-1996.
7. When did business practices become a requirement?
   Business practices was added as a mandatory hour in 1998 affecting the 1998-2000 renewal cycle for certified contractors and the 1997-1999 renewal cycle for registered contractors.
8. When did the advanced building code module become a requirement?
   It became a requirement in September 2005. It began during the 2004-2006 renewal cycle for certified contractors and the 2005-2007 renewal cycle for registered contractors.
9. How can I check on the number of hours of CE that I have completed?
   Simply go to www.MyFloridaLicense.com, to log on or activate your account and verify your completed CE hours. The requirement for providers to report completion of courses was not established until September 1, 2001. Therefore, the only hours tracked are those completed since that date. Licensees should maintain their individual course completion certificates. Online accounts will only reflect hours for the current renewal cycle. Licensees will not be able to view past hours once a renewal cycle has ended and/or the license has been renewed.

How to Verify Your DBPR CE Credit Hours Online

• Log onto your internet provider;
• Type in www.MyFlorida.com;
• In the right column you will see "Business & Professional Licenses", click on this link;
• In the middle column you will see "My Continuing Education", click on this link;
• Click on "View My Continuing Education", at the bottom in the left column
• On the next screen, if you are a first time user, you will be prompted to "Activate your Online Services Account";
• On the next screen you will be requested to enter the Board, your license type, your license number and your PIN number which is normally the last four (4) digits of your social security number.
• Once this information has been put into the system, you will click "Continue" which should complete the process of establishing your account and viewing your continuing education.

How to Correct Your CE Credits History for Licensing Requirements

If you receive a letter of deficiency or if you view your continuing education credits online and notice a discrepancy in the hours obtained, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations (FL DBPR) recommends you fax a cover letter and copies of your course Certificates of Completion to fax 850-922-2316 (Tallahassee). They will manually post your credits to correct your information.

To view your account or update your contact information, go to the FL DBPR website: https://www.myfloridalicense.com/Default.asp You must setup an online account to view your CE history. If you have questions about how to setup your online account call 850.487.1395