Title: Licensure Requirements for Surveyors and Mappers

Summary: Requires Board of Professional Surveyors & Mappers to establish & administer 1st Step Florida Surveyors & Mappers Credentialing & Licensing Protocol as temporary alternative pathway to licensure; provides requirements for eligibility to take surveyor & mapper licensure examination under protocol.

Full Text:
An act relating to licensure requirements for surveyors and mappers; amending s. 472.013, F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made by the act; requiring the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers to establish and administer the 1st Step Florida Surveyors and Mappers Credentialing and Licensing Protocol as a temporary alternative pathway to licensure; providing requirements for eligibility to take the surv eyor and mapper licensure examination under the protocol; providing for the expiration of licenses granted pursuant to the protocol; requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide certain notice to applicants; reenacting s. 472.015(4), F.S., relating to licensure, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 472.013, F.S., in a reference thereto; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 472.013, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 472.013 Examinations;, prerequisites;alternative pathway to licensure.-(1) A person desiring to be licensed as a surveyor and CS/HB 2025 hb339-01-c1 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Smapper shall apply to the department for licensure. (2) An applicant shall be entitled to take the li censure examination to practice in this state as a surveyor and mapper if the applicant is of good moral character and has satisfied one of the following requirements or the requirements under subsection (3):(a) The applicant has received a bachelor's degree, its equivalent, or higher in surveying and mapping or a similarly titled program, including, but not limited to, geomatics, geomatics engineering, and land surveying, from a college or university recognized by the board and has a specific experience record of or more years as a subordinate to a professional surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping, which experience is of a nature indicating that the applicant was in responsible charge of the accuracy and correctness of th esurveying and mapping work performed. Work experience acquired as a part of the education requirement may not be construed as experience in responsible charge. (b) The applicant has received a bachelor's degree, its equivalent, or higher in a course of study, other than in surveying and mapping, at an accredited college or university and has a specific experience record of or more years as a subordinate to a registered surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping, years of whi ch shall be of a nature indicating that the applicant was in responsible charge CS/HB 2025 hb339-01-c1 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Sof the accuracy and correctness of the surveying and mapping work performed. The applicant must have completed a minimum of semester hours from a college or university appro ved by the board in surveying and mapping subjects or in any combination of courses in civil engineering, surveying, mapping, mathematics, photogrammetry, forestry, or land law and the physical sciences. Any of the required semester hours of study compl eted not as a part of the bachelor's degree, its equivalent, or higher may be approved at the discretion of the board. Work experience acquired as a part of the education requirement may not be construed as experience in responsible charge. (3) The Legis lature recognizes that it is imperative that this state meet the increasing demand for surveyors and mappers. Therefore, as a substitute for the degree requirements to take the exams for licensure as outlined in subsection (2), the board shall establish an dadminister a certification and licensing program known as the 1st Step Florida Surveyors and Mappers Credentialing and Licensing Protocol to provide a temporary alternative pathway to licensure. (a) Beginning January 30, 2026, pursuant to the protocol, a person desiring to be licensed as a surveyor and mapper who does not meet the requirements imposed under subsection (2) may take the licensure examination to practice in this state as a surveyor and mapper if he or she is of good moral character and all of the following requirements are met: CS/HB 2025 hb339-01-c1 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE S1. The applicant has paid the fees required under s. 472.011. 2. The applicant provides a letter of recommendation to the department from his or her employer or a prospective employer, provided that such employer or prospective employer is a licensed surveyor or mapper. 3. The applicant has worked as a subordinate to a licensed surveyor or mapper for at least years. (b) Licensure granted pursuant to the protocol expires on December 15, 2031. The department shall notify all persons who apply for licensure under this subsection of this expiration date and that they must have completed a minimum of semester hours from a college or university approved by the board in surveying and mapping subjects or in any co mbination of courses in civil engineering, surveying, mapping, mathematics, photogrammetry, forestry, or land law and the physical sciences as a condition of continuing to practice as a surveyor and mapper after that date. (c) This subsection is exempt from the prohibition on licensure based solely on a passing score on the examination in s. 472.015(3)(a). (4) A person shall be entitled to take an examination for the purpose of determining whether he or she is qualified as a surveyor and mapper intern if: (a) The person is in good standing in, or is a graduate CS/HB 2025 hb339-01-c1 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Sof, a bachelor degree program, its equivalent or higher, at an accredited college or university and has obtained a minimum of semester hours in surveying, mapping, mathematics, photogrammetry,forestry, civil engineering, or land law and the physical sciences, or any combination thereof; or (b) The person has obtained, from an accredited college or university, a minimum of semester hours in surveying, mapping, mathematics, photogrammetry, forestry, civil engineering, or land law and the physical sciences, or any combination thereof, and has a specific surveying and mapping experience record of or more years as a subordinate to a registered surveyor and mapper. This subsection may not be construed as a substitute for the degree requirement to take the exams for licensure as outlined in subsection (2). (5)(4) The board shall adopt rules providing for the review and approval of schools and colleges and the courses of study in surveying an dmapping in such schools and colleges. The rules shall be based on the educational requirements for surveying and mapping as defined in s. 472.005. The board may adopt rules providing for the acceptance of the approval and accreditation of schools and cou rses of study by a nationally accepted accreditation organization. (6)(5)(a) Good moral character means a personal history of CS/HB 2025 hb339-01-c1 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Shonesty, fairness, and respect for the rights of others and for the laws of this state and nation. (b) The board may refuse to certify an applicant for failure to satisfy this requirement only if: 1. There is a substantial connection between the lack of good moral character of the applicant and the professional responsibilities of a registered surveyor and mapper; and 2. The finding by the board of lack of good moral character is supported by clear and convincing evidence. (c) When an applicant is found to be unqualified for a license because of a lack of good moral character, the board shall furnish the applicant a statemen tcontaining 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 applicant to a rehearing and appeal. Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment made by this act to section 472.013, Florida Statutes, in a reference thereto, subsection (4) of section 472.015, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 472.015 Licensure.-(4) The board shall certify for licensure any applicant who satisfies the requirements of s. 472.013 and who has passed the licensing examination. The board may refuse to certify any applicant who has violated any of the provisions of s. 472.031. Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.