(1) The management corporation shall renew a license upon receipt of the renewal application and fee.

(2) The board shall adopt rules establishing a procedure for the biennial renewal of licenses.

(3)(a) The board shall require a demonstration of continuing professional competency of engineers as a condition of license renewal or relicensure. Every licensee must complete 9 continuing education hours for each year of the license renewal period, totaling 18 continuing education hours for the license renewal period. For each renewal period for such continuing education:

1. One hour must relate to this chapter and the rules adopted under this chapter.

2. One hour must relate to professional ethics.

3. Four hours must relate to the licensee’s area of practice.

4. The remaining hours may relate to any topic pertinent to the practice of engineering.

Continuing education hours may be earned by presenting or attending seminars, in-house or nonclassroom courses, workshops, or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, webinars, conventions, or conferences, including those presented by vendors with specific knowledge related to the licensee’s area of practice. Up to 4 hours may be earned by serving as an officer or actively participating on a committee of a board-recognized professional or technical engineering society. The 2 required continuing education hours relating to this chapter, the rules adopted pursuant to this chapter, and ethics may be earned by serving as a member of the Legislature or as an elected state or local official. The hours required pursuant to s. 471.0195 may apply to any requirements of this section except for those required under subparagraph 1.

(b) The board shall adopt rules that are substantially consistent with the most recent published version of the Continuing Professional Competency Guidelines of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, and shall allow nonclassroom hours to be credited. The board may, by rule, exempt from continuing professional competency requirements retired professional engineers who no longer sign and seal engineering documents and licensees in unique circumstances that severely limit opportunities to obtain the required continuing education hours.

History.—ss. 7, 42, ch. 79-243; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 14, 15, ch. 89-30; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 213, ch. 94-119; s. 11, ch. 98-287; s. 36, ch. 2000-356; s. 7, ch. 2000-372; s. 4, ch. 2014-125.