489.511  Certification; application; examinations; endorsement.--

(1)  Any person desiring to be certified as a contractor shall apply to the department in writing to take the certification examination.

(2)

(a)  A person shall be entitled to take the certification examination for the purpose of determining whether he or she is qualified to engage in contracting throughout the state as a contractor if the person:

1.  Is at least 18 years of age;

2.  Is of good moral character; and

3.  Meets eligibility requirements according to one of the following criteria:

a.  Has, within the 6 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, at least 3 years' proven management experience in the trade or education equivalent thereto, or a combination thereof, but not more than one-half of such experience may be educational equivalent;

b.  Has, within the 8 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, at least 4 years' experience as a foreman, supervisor, or contractor in the trade for which he or she is making application;

c.  Has, within the 12 years immediately preceding the filing of the application, at least 6 years of comprehensive training, technical education, or broad experience associated with an electrical or alarm system installation or servicing endeavor; or

d.  Has been licensed for 3 years as an engineer.

(b)  For purposes of this subsection, "supervisor" means a person having the experience gained while having the general duty of overseeing the technical duties of the trade, provided that such experience is gained by a person who is able to perform the technical duties of the trade without supervision.

(3)  Any registered unlimited electrical contractor or certified or registered specialty contractor who, prior to October 1, 1987, passed an examination determined by the board to be substantially equivalent to the examination required for certification as either an unlimited electrical contractor or an alarm system contractor and who has satisfied the other requirements of this section shall be certified as an alarm system contractor I without further examination.

(4)

(a)  "Good moral character" means a personal history of honesty, fairness, and respect for the rights of others and for laws of this state and nation.

(b)  The board may determine that an individual applying for certification is ineligible to take the examination for failure to satisfy the requirement of good moral character only if:

1.  There is a substantial connection between the lack of good moral character of the individual and the professional responsibilities of a certified contractor; and

2.  The finding by the board of lack of good moral character is supported by clear and convincing evidence.

(c)  When an individual is found to be unqualified for examination because of a lack of good moral character, the board shall furnish such individual a statement containing the findings of the board, a complete record of the evidence upon which the determination was based, and a notice of the rights of the individual to a rehearing and appeal.

(5)

(a)  The board shall, by rule, designate those types of specialty electrical or alarm system contractors who may be certified under this part. The limit of the scope of work and responsibility of a certified specialty contractor shall be established by the board by rule. However, a certified specialty contractor category exists as a voluntary statewide licensing category and does not create a mandatory licensing requirement. Any mandatory statewide electrical or alarm system contracting licensure requirement may only be established through specific statutory provision.

(b)  For those specialty electrical or alarm system contractors applying for certification under this part who work in jurisdictions that do not require local licensure for those activities for which the applicant desires to be certified, the experience requirement may be met by demonstrating at least 6 years of comprehensive training, technical education, or broad experience in the type of specialty electrical or alarm system work for which certification is desired. An affidavit signed by the applicant's employer stating that the applicant performed the work required under this paragraph shall be sufficient to demonstrate to the board that the applicant has met the experience requirement.

(6)  The board shall certify as qualified for certification by endorsement any individual applying for certification who:

(a)  Meets the requirements for certification as set forth in this section; has passed a national, regional, state, or United States territorial licensing examination that is substantially equivalent to the examination required by this part; and has satisfied the requirements set forth in s. 489.521; or

(b)  Holds a valid license to practice electrical or alarm system contracting issued by another state or territory of the United States, if the criteria for issuance of such license was substantially equivalent to the certification criteria that existed in this state at the time the certificate was issued.