March 2014

PE REPORT
Florida Society Supports Broadening Continuing Education Options

Florida legislators are considering a bill that will broaden the options to obtain and raise the number of continuing education hours for professional engineers to maintain licensure.

The legislation (S.B. 692), introduced in January, will increase the continuing education requirement to 10 hours for each year of the renewal period, from four hours, while significantly broadening the options engineers have for obtaining their credits. The changes are a step in a positive direction for professional engineers in Florida, says FES Executive Director Frank Rudd. The continuing education changes, he adds, are essential to bringing the state closer to standards set by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.

The new continuing education requirements call for the following: four hours must be related to the state PE law and professional ethics, four hours must be devoted to the licensee’s area of practice, and the remaining hours can cover various topics related to the practice of engineering. Hours can be earned by presenting or attending seminars, in-house courses, workshops, and professional or technical presentations at meetings and conferences. A maximum of four hours may be earned by serving as an officer or actively participating on an FES committee.

The bill also changes the qualifications and procedures for appointing members to the Board of Professional Engineers, creating more flexibility in appointments. Nine members of the 11-member board must be licensed engineers.