S1830 GENERAL BILL by Argenziano (Similar H 0315) Home Inspection Services; provides for licensure of persons providing said services; provides legislative intent & definitions; provides standards of practice; creates Fla. Home Inspection Advisory Council; provides licensure requirements, including grandfathering provisions; provides for complaints & discipline; requires liability insurance; exempts from duty to provide repair cost estimates; provides for reciprocity, etc. Creates 501.935. APPROPRIATION: $642,463. EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/01/2005. 02/24/05 SENATE Filed
This matching bill to HB 315 is significant in that there needs to be identical bills in both legislative branches for it to become law. Without this bill a new Florida HI law could never be passed.
There is now a greater chance for Florida to adopt HI Licensing. All Florida home inspectors should contact their Representatives and Senators to let them know how you feel about this proposal. Many are opposed and have sent their Representatives a copy of the Position Statement issued by the Florida Association of Professional Home Inspectors
What I find interesting is that there is $642K of appropriations attached to this bill... Your tax dollars at work I guess.
I suggest that you become informed and get involved, from my understanding this proposed law protects no one and provides limited benefits to a select few, the rest of us should expect to be burdened by fairly useless regulation.
-- Joseph Burkeson, RPI (Hooperette)
?Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle.?
~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Originally Posted By: jbushart This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Joe,
Are there any measures being taken in Florida to educate the legislature that the main proponent of the bills being considered, FABI, mandates in their by-laws that all of their members support licensing regardless of their individual opinion? This is what Hooper has published on the H6 board, and it diminishes any credibility to the "82% of FABI members" who support the bill.
Originally Posted By: jburkeson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I bumped this thread because action took place today on HB 315, you can click on the link located on the top thread to see the progress. As my awareness of this bill grows my opposition wanes, I am no longer truly opposed to this bill and have moved back on the fence.
Added to Business Regulation Committee agenda Monday, April 04, 2005 4:06 PM
-- Joseph Burkeson, RPI (Hooperette)
?Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle.?
~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Originally Posted By: gbell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hey Joe,
Did you get the link for the PAC today?
I thought it was great how they had the letter all ready for us all we had to do was enter our name and e-mail. I had two legislators mail me back after they received mine.
As I understand it they will discuss it on the 6th. Maybe we will know this week if it passes or not.
Originally Posted By: dedwards This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The meeting on the 6th is to discuss about 9 bills in a 45 minute meeting. Don’t know if anyone can do much of anything in that short of period of time. Do a Ceasar’s vote and pass it on.
Originally Posted By: jburkeson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Grandfathering is back…
Senator Argenziano moved the following amendment: 05/03/05
12
13 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
14 On page 3, between lines 14 and 15,
15
16 insert:
17 (3) GRANDFATHERING.--To be eligible to be a home
18 inspector under this section for 2006, a home inspector must:
19 (a) Have successfully completed high school or its
20 equivalent or have been in the business of home inspection
21 services for at least 5 years;
22 (b) Have been engaged in the practice of home
23 inspection for compensation for not less than 3 years before
24 January 1, 2006; and
25 (c) Have performed not fewer than 250 home inspections
26 for compensation.
27
28 (Redesignate subsequent sections.)
29
30
31
Originally Posted By: rzimmerman This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
jburkeson wrote:
Grandfathering is back...
Senator Argenziano moved the following amendment: 05/03/05
12
13 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
14 On page 3, between lines 14 and 15,
15
16 insert:
17 (3) GRANDFATHERING.--To be eligible to be a home
18 inspector under this section for 2006, a home inspector must:
19 (a) Have successfully completed high school or its
20 equivalent or have been in the business of home inspection
21 services for at least 5 years;
22 (b) Have been engaged in the practice of home
23 inspection for compensation for not less than 3 years before
24 January 1, 2006; and
25 (c) Have performed not fewer than 250 home inspections
26 for compensation.
27
28 (Redesignate subsequent sections.)
29
30
31
This would allow an inspector in my area to continue. This inspector conducts home inspections in 30 min or less, does not walk roofs, does not review the attic, tests no appliances or electricial.
This does nothing to protect the consumer 
Originally Posted By: jmertins This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Don’t get ahead of yourself…this is a grandfathering clause. I believe all that do not meet the grandfathering clause will be required to meet the other qualifications to continue business after Jan. 1 2006.
Originally Posted By: rzimmerman This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
jmertins wrote:
Don't get ahead of yourself..this is a grandfathering clause. I believe all that do not meet the grandfathering clause will be required to meet the other qualifications to continue business after Jan. 1 2006.
My point is this inspector meets the grandfather. He has been doing these lousy inspections for several years. The Realtors love him. He never kills a deal.
Originally Posted By: jmertins This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Well that is troubling…It is unfortunate that Ma and Pa Homebuyer do not shop for a full service inspector that will check the whole house as a complete inspection. We just have to accept that people will make that choice and they live with the results. All we can do is market the best we can and our demographic that wants the best inspection $$ can buy will find us or we will reach them…
We cannot force the consumer...at some point they have to make a choice between hamburger and a Filet.
Originally Posted By: dedwards This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
the amazing thing is…who is going to check all of these new or for that matter any of the other requirements? There is no license, there is no registration. All we will be doing is continueing to go buy our occupational licenses and things pretty much stays the same. Who will I have to show my HS diploma to? The clerk at the Tax Collectors office? This just smacks of more outside influences diddling with the wording of the bill. We could end up with a bill that looks like succotash.
Originally Posted By: Robert Ritz This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Ok now that we have to be licensed where should a new guy go to get started in his 80 hours plus of training to qualify for the exam ?
I can believe I have been caught in this again. I was caught in the alarm business around 1987 or so they did the exact same thing grand fathering an issuing a (limited license) and so on. And then they limited what you could do if you were grandfather in. Later on the people working for you had to be license, ( BASA & FASA Certified more training and so on.
I watched it go from a simple fee of $ 200 and a few years of experience to qualify for the exam, and if you passed you could do everything under the sun. Now the days of a simple $200.00 and a few years of experience are long gone. I won't even tell you now what it takes to qualify now.
My advice to anyone in the business right now forget about grandfathering except to keep your doors open and sign up now and get the exam out of the way, NOW!
This is only the start.
PS: I still need to find out where I need to go to get started.
Originally Posted By: Scott Todd This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I called Senator Nancy Argenziano’s office and spoke at length with her Legislative Aid regarding this bill and he actually had the FABI lobbyist call me back to discuss the bill, here is what I found.
Governor Bush told the legislature that he would not sign the bill if there was a license (ie, government regulation), so this bill does not form an oversight agency to issue licenses.
According to the lobbyist, you will not need to show any proof to anyone that you 1) have a high school degree, 2) have attended the proper training 3) have the proper insurance.
This bill will leave the enforcement up to other home inspectors and the general public. If for example I was practicing without the proper requirements and you were, you could begin legal charges against me for deceptive and unfair trade practices.
Again according to the lobbyist, this bill is just laying the foundation to determine if actual government regulation is needed for inspections.
So grandfathering and such is basically a moot point until there is actual government regulation.
Originally Posted By: gporter This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
You can only file a complaint. You cannot bring criminal charges. The state does that. You would first get a stop work notice until you could show proof.How would I know as another home inspector that you do not meet requirements ? If i made a false claim and you actually had the requirements. I think you could sue me. Food for thought before myself or anyone leaps to turn someone in.
