Important Information (Hot Topics)
CE Requirement Changes
Starting with the renewal cycle beginning December 1, 2021 licensees will be required to complete 16 hours of continuing education to include 1 hour Florida Building Code Advanced Module and 1 hour Laws and Rules.
Certificates of Authorization
On June 30, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis signed “The Occupational Freedom and Opportunity Act” (HB 1193) which eliminates unnecessary regulations and reduces barriers to entry for certain professions. The bill eliminates Certificates of Authorization for Landscape Architecture Businesses effective July 1, 2020. The business information from the Certificate of Authorization will be retained and linked to the qualifying Registered Landscape Architect’s license.
What does this mean?
- Certificates of Authorization (COA) will now show online as “Landscape Architecture Business Information”, there will not be a license number or expiration date.
- The license for a Registered Landscape Architect, who is the qualifier for a business, will now print with the name of the business below the licensee’s name.
- Online searches at myfloridalicense.com of the business name will show the “Landscape Architecture Business Information”, and following the related license link you will find a link to the qualifier’s license.
- All new advertising in the business name should include the qualifying Registered Landscape Architect’s license number, rather than the COA license number.
Additional information on qualifiers can be found in the FAQ’s.
LACES Courses
On June 30, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis signed “The Occupational Freedom and Opportunity Act” (HB 1193) which eliminates unnecessary regulations and reduces barriers to entry for certain professions. The bill allows for licensees to use courses approved by the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LACES) toward continuing education requirements for renewal. Detailed information on submitting LACES courses for credit can be found in the FAQ’s.
2019 Renewal Fee Holiday for RLA’s
In July 2019 the Board of Landscape Architecture approved a full fee holiday for all Registered Landscape Architect licenses for the 2019 renewal. This means Landscape Architects whose licenses are current will not have to pay any fees to renew their licenses this year. Once a licensee’s continuing education credits are completed and reported to the DBPR system the license can be renewed.
Paperless Licensing, effective 08/02/2019
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation is excited to announce an advancement in how we license landscape architects in the State of Florida.
The Department has implemented an innovative way to expedite the licensing process for landscape architects and landscape architect businesses. The Department will no longer be mailing licenses upon issuance, as licensees can now print their licenses by logging into their secure online account with the Department. This will allow new licensees to enter the work force at least 7 to 10 business days early, whereas, in the past, they would have to wait for the license to arrive in the mail. In addition to new licenses, this process will allow licensees to renew online and print the license at their convenience, as well as print duplicate licenses as needed without paying a fee.
Fee Changes
On November 27, 2014, Rule 61G10-12.002, Florida Administrative Code, was amended to reduce by 25% the initial licensure and biennial renewal fees for Landscape Architects as well as the biennial renewal fees for Certificates of Authorization.
Once an applicant has passed all of the required examinations a license fee will be due and must be received by the Department before the license can be issued. If an applicant passes all required examinations and sends in a fee between August 30th of an odd year and November 30th of an even year, a fee of $230 is due. If the examinations are passed and the fee is sent between December 1st of an even year and August 29th of an odd year a fee of $117.50 is due. The fee amount is based on the payment postmark date.
The biennial renewal fee for a Certificate of Authorization is $342.50. If the license is renewed after November 30, the delinquent fee is $100 in addition to the renewal fee.
HB 517 was approved by Governor Rick Scott on April 6, 2012 and reduces the continuing education required to activate an inactive license. You now only have to complete one renewal cycle of continuing education instead of completing continuing education for all the renewal cycles your license was in an inactive status. Effective July 1, 2012, in order to reactivate an inactive license, you will need to complete the continuing education requirements in place at the time of the last renewal for your profession. That includes 16 hours of board-approved continuing education that was taken during the last, or current, renewal period. Of the 16 hours two hours in an approved advanced building code course and two hours in laws and rules.
