Issues Newsletter

FUBA’s New Workers’ Comp Program for Members

FUBA is proud to announce a new sponsorship offering the highest quality workers’ compensation coverage we have ever made available to our members.

Effective August 1st, FUBA will be endorsing Lancer Indemnity Company, a member of the Lancer Financial Group, to provide workers’ compensation coverage to eligible FUBA members.  Lancer Indemnity is rated “A- Excellent” by A.M. Best.

The workers’ compensation coverage that will be available to eligible members of FUBA through this new program is non-assessable and fully insured.  Businesses insured through FUBA’s new program will have the peace of mind knowing that their workers’ comp policy is with an A- rated carrier providing the highest quality coverage available.

For more information about FUBA’s new workers’ comp program, please call our offices at 800-262-4483 or contact your insurance agent.

State Contracting Licenses Must be Renewed by August 31st

If you hold one of the following state contracting licenses issued by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, your license expires on August 31st of every even-numbered year:

• State-certified building contractor
• State-certified electrical contractor
• State-registered electrical contractor
• State-certified alarm contractor
• State-registered alarm contractor

These licensees have until August 31, 2018, to complete the required continuing education and pay the fee to keep their license active. More information for each type of license is below.

Building Contractors:

• A building contractor performing the following types of construction work must hold a state contractor’s license from the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation’s Construction Industry Licensing Board:  general contracting; building; residential contracting; sheet metal; roofing; air-conditioning; mechanical; swimming pool/spa; plumbing; underground utility and excavation; solar; pollutant storage.
• Contractors can either be certified or registered.
• Certified building contractors have taken and passed a state licensing exam.  These contractors are allowed to perform work under their license anywhere in the state of Florida.
• Before you can renew your state contracting license, you must complete 14 hours of continuing education on the following subjects: workplace safety, workers’ compensation, business practices, building code, and laws & rules. Additionally General, Building, Residential, Roofing, Specialty Structure, and Glass and Glazing Specialty contractors must complete one hour of wind mitigation methodology as part of their required 14 hours.
• Registered contractors have a license issued by their local county or city government and must “register” that license with the State of Florida.  Registered contractors don’t have to take an exam but can only work in the local county or city area that issued their license, along with any adjoining areas that will accept their registration.  If you are a registered building contractor, this article does not apply to you.  Registered contractors renew their licenses in August of odd-numbered years.

Some construction work does not require a state license, such as cabinets, countertops, flooring, paint, wallpaper and window treatments.  If you perform this kind of work, you may need a local contracting license from your city or county, but a state license is not required.  If you do not hold a state contractor’s license, you are not subject to state licensure and this article does not apply to you.

Electrical and Alarm Contractors:

• Both electrical and alarm contractors must have licenses to work.  Every licensed electrical or alarm contractor falls into 1 of these 2 categories: certified or registered.
• Certified electrical or alarm contractors have taken and passed a state licensing exam, and they are allowed to perform work under their license anywhere in the state of Florida.
• Registered electrical or alarm contractors hold a local electrical or alarm contractor’s license that has been issued by a city or county (not the state of Florida).  Registered electrical or alarm contractors (also called “locally-licensed”) may only perform work under their license in the cities or counties where they hold a local license; they may not work statewide. These locally-licensed contractors are required to register their local license with the state Department of Business & Professional Regulation before they are cleared to perform work.
• Both Certified and Registered electrical and alarm contractors must renew their license prior to August 31st of each even year.  You cannot renew your license until you have completed 14 hours of Board-approved continuing education on the following subjects:  technical, workers’ compensation, workplace safety, business practices, false alarm prevention (for those who perform alarm work), general, Florida Building Code, and Laws & Rules.

To renew any of the state-issued licenses discussed above, visit DBPR’s website at myfloridalicense.com and click on “Apply or Manage My License.”  If you have any questions about renewing your license, please contact the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at 850-487-1395.

Newsletter Available Via Email

FUBA publishes this newsletter every month to educate our members on topics that may affect their business.  If you would like to receive it by email, please email fuba@fuba.org with “newsletter” in the subject line and include your FUBA membership number (if you know it), your business name, and the  contact person’s name and email address.  You can provide up to 3 email addresses at your business to receive the newsletter.