Florida Mold Grandfathering: 27 Days Left to Apply

John P. Lapotaire, CIEC

Grandfathering Ends in 27 Days

The requirements for grandfathering as amended by House Bill 713 include submission of an application to the department by March 1, 2011, whether postmarked or delivered by that date. Applicants must meet the following licensure requirements:

1. Certification by a state or national association that requires successful completion of a proctored exam for certification and completion of at least 60 hours of verifiable education for an assessor and 30 hours of education for a remediator;

or

1. At the time of application, have at least 3 years of experience as a mold assessor or mold remediator. To establish the 3 years of experience, an applicant must submit at least 40 invoices for mold assessment or mold remediation prepared by the applicant. The department may investigate the validity of a mold invoice and, if the applicant submits a false invoice, may take disciplinary action.

An applicant for licensure must submit to a criminal background check and be of good moral character. Mold assessors must also obtain a $1,000,000 insurance policy to cover both preliminary and post-remediation assessment.

An applicant may not qualify for licensure by grandfathering if he or she has had a mold assessor or remediator license or a license in any related field from Florida or any other state revoked at any time or suspended within the previous 5 years or has been assessed a fine that exceeds $500 within the previous 5 years. A license in a related field includes, but is not limited to, licensure in real estate, construction, home inspections services, or building code administration or inspection.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC• www.Microshield-ES.com