61G15-22.011. Board Approval of Continuing Education Providers

(1) Applicants for continuing education provider status must either be registered as a continuing education provider with the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP) of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) or International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) as of March 1, 2015, or meet the requirements of subsection (2) of this rule, to demonstrate the education and/or the experience necessary to instruct professional engineers in the conduct of their practice.

(2) To demonstrate the education and/or the experience necessary to instruct professional engineers in the conduct of their practice for continuing education credit, an applicant for continuing education provider status must be a regionally accredited educational institution, a commercial educator, a governmental agency, a state or national professional association whose primary purpose is to promote the profession of engineering, an engineer with a Florida license to practice engineering who is not under disciplinary restrictions pursuant to any order of the Board, a vendor with specific knowledge related to the licensee’s area of practice, or an engineering firm properly qualified as an engineering business organization by the Board pursuant to section 471.023, F.S.

(3) To allow the Board to evaluate an application for continuing education provider status, the applicant must submit the following:

(a) A completed Application For Continuing Education Provider New Provider Application, Form FBPE/007 (10/17), incorporated by reference herein, which may be obtained from www.fbpe.org/licensure/application-process or at https://www.flrules.org/gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-09327.

(b) The name, address and telephone number of the prospective provider; and,

(c) Proof of registration as continuing education provider with ACEC or IACET, or if the applicant is not registered as a continuing education provider with ACEC or IACET, the applicant must submit the following:

1. A description of the type of courses or seminars the provider expects to conduct for credit;

2. A description of the staffing capability of the applicant;

3. A sample of intended course materials;

4. A list of anticipated locations to conduct the courses;

5. A complete course curriculum for each course the applicant intends to offer;

6. A description of the means the applicant will use to update the course in response to rule or law changes;

7. A description of the means the applicant will use to evaluate the licensee’s performance in the course;

8. A fee of $250.

(4) No engineer may conduct continuing education courses or seminars for credit upon the engineer’s receipt of any disciplinary order from any professional regulatory board in any jurisdiction. Rather, the engineer must notify the Board office within ten (10) days of the engineer’s receipt of any such order.

(5) Should the Board determine that the provider has failed to provide appropriate continuing education services, it shall request that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation issue an order requiring the provider cease and desist from offering any continuing education courses and shall request that the Department revoke any approval of the provider granted by the Board.

(6) No provider may allow an engineer to conduct any course or seminar offered by the provider if that engineer has been disciplined and has not been released from the terms of the final order in the disciplinary case. Upon receipt of notice that an instructor is under discipline, the provider shall, within seven (7) days, write to the Board office and confirm that the engineer is no longer conducting any course or seminar offered by the provider. For the purpose of this subsection, a letter of guidance or a reprimand shall not constitute “under discipline.”

(7) The Board retains the right and authority to audit and/or monitor programs and review records and course materials given by any provider approved pursuant to this rule. The Board shall request that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation revoke the approved status of the provider or reject individual programs given by a provider if the provider disseminated any false or misleading information in connection with the continuing education programs, or if the provider fails to conform to and abide by the rules of the Board. Licensees will not lose credit for attending courses offered by approved providers that are later rejected or stopped by the Board.

(8) Members of the Board of Professional Engineers or the Florida Engineers Management Corporation Board of Directors are prohibited from being a continuing education provider.

(9) The following providers shall be approved as providers, and the Board shall accept their courses for continuing education credit:

(a) Educational Institutions teaching college level courses;

(b) Federal and State Governmental Agencies that establish rules, regulations, guidelines, or otherwise have an impact on the practice of engineering; and,

(c) State and National Engineering Professional Associations approved by the Board.

(10) No later than December 31, 2024, the Board shall review and consider amendment, modification, or repeal of this rule if review determines this rule creates barriers to entry for private business competition, is duplicative, outdated, obsolete, overly burdensome, or imposes excessive costs.

Rulemaking Authority 455.213(6), 455.2179, 471.008, 471.017(3) FS. Law Implemented 455.213(6), 455.2179, 471.017(3) FS. History–New 9-16-01, Amended 9-4-02, 12-21-03, 8-8-05, 6-11-06, 1-29-07, 6-3-07, 8-10-09, 7-8-10, 2-18-16, 5-8-18, 5-3-20.