August 2019
Are You a Registered Contractor? If So, Your State License Must be Renewed by August 31st
There are two types of contractor licenses in the State of Florida: registered and certified.
Registered contractors are those contractors who hold a local contractor’s license issued by a city or county (not the state of Florida) that must be registered with the state. If you have a locally-issued contractor’s license in any of the following categories, you must register your local license with the state:
- General contractor
- Building contractor
- Residential contractor
- Sheet metal
- Roofing
- Air-conditioning
- Mechanical
- Swimming pool/spa
- Plumbing
- Underground utility and excavation
- Solar
- Pollutant storage
- Glass and glazing
After receiving their state registration, locally-licensed contractors may work only in the cities or counties where they hold a license and in any adjoining locale that will accept their registration. Locally-licensed contractors are not allowed to work statewide.
The state registration of a local license is good for 2 years and expires at the end of August in odd-numbered years. If you are a state-registered contractor, you have until August 31st of this year to complete your continuing education requirements and pay the $209 license renewal fee.
Please note: If you hold a locally-issued license in a field not listed above, you do not have to register your license with the state and this article does not apply to you. Examples of work that does not need a license include:
- Cabinets
- Countertops
- Wallpaper
- Carpet
- Tile
- Painting
If you are a state-certified contractor, which means you have passed the Florida contractor’s exam and hold a statewide contractor’s license in one of the fields in the bulleted list, this article does not apply to you. Certified contracting licenses expire at the end of August in even-numbered years.
To renew your registered contractor’s license, please go to myfloridalicense.com and click on Apply or Manage My License.
Do You Have the 2019 Florida Minimum Wage Poster Displayed at Your Place of Business?
All Florida businesses must post the current version of the Florida minimum wage poster at their place of business so it can be seen by employees. Your business is required to post the Florida minimum wage poster even if all of your employees make more than the minimum wage.
As a benefit to our members, FUBA publishes a Florida minimum wage poster. We update the poster each year as the minimum wage amount changes, and each December we send the coming year’s minimum wage poster to all FUBA.
If you put up this poster next to the All-in-One poster that contains the 8 required state and federal panels we provided you when you joined FUBA, you are in compliance with Florida’s job-related poster requirements.
Additional copies of the 2019 Florida Minimum Wage poster are free for FUBA members. You can print copies from our website by clicking here. Or, you can email us at fuba@fuba.org. Please include your name, your company name, and the mailing address for your poster(s).
Is Your Workers’ Comp Insurance with FUBA? It Should Be.
One of the most popular membership benefits that FUBA offers is access to quality workers’ compensation insurance to eligible members. Starting last year, FUBA partnered with Lancer Indemnity Company to provide workers’ comp insurance to our eligible Association members.
FUBA’s partner, Lancer Indemnity Company, is rated A- “Excellent” by A.M. Best. If you are a contractor, sometimes the people you work for require you to have your insurance with a company that has a good rating with A.M. Best.
The new FUBA workers’ comp insurance program is non-assessable and fully insured, which means that you can never be charged additional money to make up a financial shortfall.
Are you taking advantage of the Association’s workers’ comp insurance program? The easiest way to find out is to look at your workers’ comp policy. Make sure it shows Lancer Indemnity Company as your insurance company. If not, you can call your local insurance agent to ask about FUBA’s insurance program.
Your continued FUBA membership at only $85 per year also guarantees you access to the following additional member benefits:
- A FREE poster subscription to all state and federal employment posters that are required at your place of businesses – with updates provided at no cost. [Retail value over $100]
- Immediate support with FUBA’s “First Call” program. Our in-house experts can answer questions on topics like employee pay and PTO issues, hiring/firing issues, which state taxes your business is required to pay, how to protect your business from common business scams, and more. When you have questions, let FUBA be your first call.
- Timely updates through ISSUES, FUBA’s monthly newsletter (you’re reading one!) that provide you with crucial information on the day-to-day running of your business.
- Access to FUBA’s online library of employer-friendly information on taxes, employment issues, workers’ compensation, and unemployment compensation.
Read Issue [PDF]