Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Fort Myers area
Realtors and homeowners / homebuyers should know about the new Florida mold statutes (law) effective July 1, 2010. Realtors
and Homebuyers regularly hire home inspectors to perform mold assessment in Southwest Florida. The new law clearly separates
the home inspection business and mold inspection business in an effort to protect the consumer.
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July 13, 2010 Mold
Related Services Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR)
Gene
Yacobacci, CMR was approved for a mold remediator license #1.
Mick
Peterson, CMR qualified for mold remediator license # 3
Doug Wall, CIE was
approved for a mold assessor license #2
John Cosgrove, CIE qualified for
mold assessor # 5
CS/CS/CS HB 713 Department of Business and Professional Regulation: One of the most significant changes in the mold
law that protects consumers is:
(1) A mold assessor
shall maintain general liability and errors and omissions for both preliminary and post remediation
mold assessment insurance coverage in an amount of at least $1 million
July 1, 2010 Florida Requires Mold Assessors (Inspectors) to
be licensed by the FL DBPR. Enforcement / Penalties for unlicensed activities to begin in 2011 Verify A State of Florida License (Click Here)
click Verify license /
click City -County / click License Category click License Type / choose County -
Mold
Related Services (Category) for Mold Assessor or Mold Remediator Home Inspector (Category) for Home Inspectors
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| State of Florida Licensed Mold Assessor # MRS5 |
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Verify A License (Click Here)
| State of Florida Mold Assessor License |
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Picture of license
There is only one license for Mold Inspection / testing in Florida, Florida Mold Assessor.
Many companies / individuals say they are licensed but they only have an occupational license which is just a county tax "license".
Consumers should require their mold Assessor / Inspector have a State of Florida DBPR issued license. The state license
requires experience, training and insurance.
August 16 , 2010 about 30
applied for and 24 issued.
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Radon & Mold Professionals is the first
company in Naples, Bonita Springs, Ft Myers and Cape Coral Florida to have mold inspectors qualify for a state license
as Mold Assessors. Qualifying
for a mold assessor license is relatively easy for an ACAC board Certified Indoor Environmentalist or Certified Indoor Environmentalist
Consultant
The grandfathering
part of the new law makes getting the mold assessor license simple until March of 2011. After March of
2011 mold assessors will be required to have 4 years of experience or 1 year of experience with specific college degrees.
Qualified mold inspectors are excited about licensing which is expected to “clean
up” the mold inspection business.
- Fill
out the simple application
- Have the
proper insurance
- Get your finger printing / background check
- Document your training
It
is estimated that hundreds of inspectors and “mold testers” will not qualify for the new mold assessor license.
If hundreds that perform mold assessment now will not qualify for a license then the consumer benefits when unqualified
inspectors are eliminated.
The goal of the licensing program is to protect
the citizens of Florida and it appears the state has definitely made progress in that regard concerning the mold industry.
History:
Florida passed
a law regulating Mold Related Services (Mold Assessors/Inspectors and Mold Remediators) and Home Inspectors in 2007. The law
is scheduled to be effective July 1, 2010. In the spring of 2010 adjustments were made to the law extending enforcement of
new law to begin July 1, 2011. Qualified Mold Assessors and Mold Remediator will be issued a mold license in 2010.
Home Inspector license is a separate license with separate requirements and will also be issued to home inspectors in 2010.
One license
does not qualify for any other license. example:
Home Inspector license does not qualify as Mold Assessor (Inspector) license.
In July 2011, the Florida mold law is scheduled to be enforced: QUALIFIED individuals
will be issued a license in 2010
Changes in New Florida Mold Law : http://laws.flrules.org/files/Ch_2010-106.pdf
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Florida State
Licensed Mold Assessor ( Inspector)
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Florida State LicensedHome Inspector
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Minimum
time to become licensed 3 to 4 YEARS
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Minimum
time to become licensed 3 to 4 WEEKS
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Requirements: - Extensive
approved training
- Pass a state test
- 4 years experience
- Minimum $1 million Liability & E&O insurance
(1 year of experience with specific College
degrees)
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Requirements: - 120 hours of approved
training
- Pass a state test
- NO experience
- $300,000 Liability
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Continuing Education Classes Required
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Continuing Education Classes Required
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July 1, 2010 FL DBPR now issuing separate
licenses for:
Mold Assessors (inspectors)
Mold Remediators
Home Inspectors
DBPR
http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/pro/mold/happens.html
Licensed Contractors
Contractors licensed under Chapter 489, Part I, Florida Statutes, would be able to perform mold assessment or remediation
that is within the scope of their license. But contractors would not be able to represent themselves as mold assessors
or remediators without the proper license.
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Florida Mold License Examination Chapter
468, Part XVI, Florida Statutes, provides for licensure and regulation of mold assessors and remediators. The law becomes
effective July 1, 2010, and provides that the mold related services licensing program will be administered by Florida's
Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). DBPR
has chosen ACAC to provide the license examinations required by Chapter 468, and has approved six
ACAC certification exams for this purpose: Mold Assessor
Exams Applicants may choose any of the following: Council-certified Indoor Environmentalist Council-certified Indoor Environmental Consultant Council-certified Microbial Consultant Mold Remediator Exams Applicants may choose any of the following: Council-certified Microbial Remediator Council-certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor Council-certified Indoor Environmental Supervisor
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Highlights of New Law
468.8421
Insurance.- A mold assessor shall maintain general liability and errors and omissions for both preliminary
and post remediation mold assessment insurance coverage of at least $1 million.
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1468.8422 Contracts.-A contract to perform mold assessment or mold remediation shall
be in a document or electronic record, signed or otherwise authenticated by the parties. A mold assessment
contract is not required to provide estimates related to the cost of repair of an assessed property. A mold assessment contract
is not required to provide estimates.
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Section 468.8419(2)(d), F.S., provides that a remediator may
not "perform or offer to perform any assessment to a structure on which the mold remediator or the remediator's
company provided a mold remediation within the last 12 months."
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Section 468.8419(1)(d), F.S., provides that an assessor may not
"perform or offer to perform any remediation to a structure on which the mold assessor or the assessor's company
provided a mold assessment within the last 12 months."
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A license is required after July 1, 2010; however, Florida Statutes provide that unlicensed
activity will not be enforced until July 2011.
Chinese Drywall inspections and Mold assessment / testing are environmental
issues and not part of any "Standard of Practice" for home inspectors. Many home inspector take a one
or two day training class and become "certified mold inspectors". According to the NOCA standard 1100
approved by the America National Standard Institute in Washington DC March, 2009, they are not certified but only recieved
a "certificate of completion".
The links below will provide you with helpful
information regarding the implementation process, licensing and grandfathering requirements, links to the department’s
proposed legislation, and department contact information.
Department News
Changes in New Florida Mold Law : http://laws.flrules.org/files/Ch_2010-106.pdf
One very important aspect concerning the new law is that
the consumer should understand that Mold Inspections and Home Inspections are two different professions,
with separate licenses and regulations. |
New Florida Mold Law:
also a copy of Florida mold Statutes bottom of this page
1468.84 Legislative purpose.--The
Legislature finds it necessary in the interest of the public safety and welfare, to prevent damage to real and personal property,
to avert economic injury to the residents of this state, and to regulate persons and companies that hold themselves out to
the public as qualified to perform mold-related services. History.--s. 3, ch.
2007-235.
1Note.--Effective July 1, 2010.
| State of Florida Licensed Mold Assessor # MRS5 |
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WallRadon Testing, Inc. FL DOH RB1938 Radon & Mold Professionals Orlando: (407) 265-6653 - (800)
881-3837 . Mold Inspections / Mold Tests / Radon Tests / Allergen Screening VOC Testing / "Chinese Drywall" Inspections . We
are Indoor Air Quality specialists, we leave the home inspections to the generalists. .
Professional Liability / $2,000,000 General Liability and Errors & Omissions
Insurance (Covers preliminary mold assessments and also "Chinese" Drywall Inspections) . Microbial
Consulting Coverage: $1,000,000 / $1,000,000 limit / claims made (Covers Post mold remediation inspections/testing,
CLEARANCE)
Verify A License (Click Here)
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| State of Florida Mold Assessor License #MRS 2 |
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