A Partial Practice Act for
Structural Engineering in
Florida
Proposed by the
Florida Structural Engineers Association
Presented to MSE Joint Engineers
Conference
November 5, 2015
History of Structures
The Code of Hammurabi, written around
1762 BC, included three laws related to the
strength of structures, including:
“If a builder builds a house for a man and
does not make its construction firm, and the
house which he has built collapses and
causes the death of the owner of the house,
that builder shall be put to death.”
History of Structural Licensing
• In 1907, Wyoming enacted the first Professional
Engineers Act in the United States.
• In 1915, Illinois established the first Structural
Engineers Act:
. . . compelled to keep “fools and rascals” from building
unsafe structures.
• Currently 55 jurisdictions license engineers.
• 19 states currently have some form of structural
licensing for structural engineers.
Why create a Practice Act for
Structural Engineering?
To protect the health,
safety and welfare of our
public.
Protect from what?
• Unqualified Professionals
• Inexperienced Professionals
• Professionals not familiar
with current/new codes
• Costly Failures
Other Reasons
• Decrease in engineering
education requirements
• Advanced design software used
by less-qualified engineers
• Inadequate structural plan
reviews
What states have structural licensing?
Currently, 17 states and one territory have some
form of SE licensing:
Alaska Arizona
Hawaii Idaho
Nebraska Nevada
Texas
Utah
California
Illinois
New Mex.
Vermont
Connecticut Guam
Louisiana Massachusetts
Oklahoma Oregon
Washington
Requirements vary from state to state as to the amount and type of
experience required beyond the normal PE licensing, and the
examinations that must be passed to obtain licensure.
Which Project Types Require an SE?
• Type of structures vary from state to state.
• “All” structures (IL, HA)
• Structures based on height, area, occupancy
category, span (if a bridge) and number of
occupants (CA, NV, OR, UT, WA, Guam)
Types of Structural Licensing
• Roster Designation
•
•
Title Designation
Partial Practice Restriction
•
Full Practice Restriction
What are other states doing?
Full Practice Restriction: Hawaii, Illinois
Partial Practice Restriction: Alaska, California,
Guam, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington
Title Designation: Idaho, Nebraska
Roster Designation: Arizona, Connecticut,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont
What are other states doing?
States working on initiating SE Licensure:
California (expansion of applicable building
types), Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine,
Minnesota, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas
National Structural Failures
Skyline Plaza, Bailey’s
Crossroads, VA: On March
2, 1973, the center section
of the 26-story building
gave way, killing 14 people
and injuring 34 others.
National Structural Failures
Civic Center Coliseum,
Hartford, CT: : January 18,
1978, six hours after a
college basketball game
ended, the roof collapsed
after snow and ice had
accumulated from a
10-day snow storm.
National Structural Failures
Hyatt Regency Hotel,
Kansas City, MO: On
July 17, 1981, an interior
suspended skywalk
system collapsed, killing
114 people and injuring
216.
Structural Failures in Florida
Sea Base Boy Scout Camp,
Islamorada, FL: On February
2, 1988 this 6,000 square
foot dormitory addition
collapsed during
construction. No one was
injured.
Structural Failures in Florida
Turner Agri-Civic Center in
Arcadia, FL: On August
12, 2004, a two-year-old,
steel-frame building,
designed for 140 mph
winds, that was supposed
to serve as a shelter for
1,400 people, was a
twisted ruin that collapsed
in estimated 100 to 110
mph winds.
Structural Failures in Florida
The Harbour Cay
Condominium, Cocoa
Beach, FL: A five-story
flat-plate reinforced
concrete building under
construction, collapsed
shortly after 3 pm on
March 27, 1981, killing
11 workers and injuring
another 23.
Structural Failures in Florida
Berkman Plaza II Parking
Garage, Jacksonville, FL:
A.A. Pittman & Sons
Concrete Co. had been
pouring the top level of a
six-story, posttensioned concrete
garage for about four
hours when it collapsed
at about 6 a.m. on
December 6, 2007, killing
one worker.
The Florida SE Licensure Act
• Applied only to Threshold Buildings (Florida Legal
term)
• Buildings more than 3 stories or over 50 feet tall
• Buildings with an assembly classification over 5000
sf or where over 500 people could congregate in
one area.
• Does not apply to those who design home and bridge
structures
• Established a start date of March 1, 2017
The Florida SE Licensure Act
• What about those already designing structures?
GRANDFATHERING:
• A one-year transition period will allow professional engineers to
apply for structural engineering licensure without having to take
the 16 hour S.E. exam.
• Existing professional engineers will need to submit an application
for a structural engineering license for FBPE review. Each
applicant will need to:
o Sign an affidavit indicating they are:
o Currently licensed as a PE in FL
o Engaged in the practice of structural engineering with a
minimum of 4 years structural engineering experience.
The Florida SE Licensure Act
• What about those who already passed SE
Exams?
INCLUDED ALL THE RELEVANT EXAM COMBINATIONS:
1. The 8-hour NCEES Structural Engineering I and II exams
2. The 8-hour NCEES Structural Engineering II and either 8-hour
NCEES Civil:Structural or Architectural Engineering exams.
3. The 16-hour Western States Structural Engineering
Examination.
4. The 8-hour NCEES Structural Engineering II examination and
the 8-hour California or Washington Structural Engineering
Seismic III examination.
How will the Act be implemented?
• The bill will take effect July 1, 2015
• All PE’s currently licensed in Florida who want to
become an SE through the grandfathering
provision, will have until September 1, 2016 to
make application to the FBPE.
• After September 1, 2016, licensing as a structural
engineer in Florida will follow the requirements
WITHOUT the grandfathering provision.
• Beginning March 1, 2017 only SE’s can design
Threshold Buildings.
How a Bill becomes a Law in Florida?
• Need support of all organizations the law could
affect (FES, FICE, AIA, ASCE, SEI…)
• Need a House Representative and a Senator to
sponsor the bill (Representative Van Zant and
Senator Thad Altman)
• Provide written copy of the bill to your legislators
• They submit to bill drafting and an analysis is
performed
How a Bill becomes a Law in Florida?
• Bill is assigned to and goes through three
committees in House and the Senate
• If approved by all the committees, bill goes to
House and Senate floor for a vote
• If passed, any differences between the House and
Senate versions are reconciled
• Final version is approved by the House and Senate
• Bill is sent to Governor for signature or veto
House Bill 217/Senate Bill 338
• Bill passed both branches of legislature
• Governor vetoed the bill
• We did receive some warning this might happen
• We tightened up our grandfathering provision
• Still not enough
• Since veto, we were granted audience with Governor
Scott
Meeting with Governor Scott
• He expressed his dislike of Grandfathering clauses
• Suggested we revise the act to allow 10 years for
everyone to pass the exam
• We discussed how this type of legislation was
handled in other states
• He asked if we thought the review process was
robust enough to keep out those who should not be
grandfathered.
Meeting with Governor Scott
THEN HE ASKED: Would we be willing to write a law
such that:
If there was a building collapse of a threshold
building designed by an “SE” who was
grandfathered in, then all SE’s who were
grandfathered in would now be required to take the
SE exam”.
Next Steps
• We have re-written the bill to include the Governor’s
compromise.
• We are receiving a fair amount of pushback from our
members for obvious reasons.
• There are very compelling reasons to keep pressing
forward.
• FSEA will be finalizing a vote next week to either:
1. Continue forward with the bill including the
compromise
or
2. Stop and re-start when we have a new Governor.
A Practice Act for Structural
Engineering in Florida
Q&A