Florida Senate - 2013                                    SB 1398
       
       
       
       By Senator Hukill
       
       
       
       
       8-01262A-13                                           20131398__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to appraisers; amending s. 475.617,
    3         F.S.; defining a qualifying classroom hour; requiring
    4         all courses to be completed in a classroom or through
    5         an online course that has received certain approvals;
    6         providing an effective date.
    7  
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Section 475.617, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   11  read:
   12         475.617 Education and experience requirements.—
   13         (1) To be registered as a trainee appraiser, an applicant
   14  must present evidence satisfactory to the board that she or he
   15  has successfully completed at least 100 hours of approved
   16  academic courses in subjects related to real estate appraisal,
   17  which must include coverage of the Uniform Standards of
   18  Professional Appraisal Practice, or its equivalent, as
   19  established by rule of the board, from a nationally recognized
   20  or state-recognized appraisal organization, career center,
   21  accredited community college, college, or university, state or
   22  federal agency or commission, or proprietary real estate school
   23  that holds a permit pursuant to s. 475.451. The board may
   24  increase the required number of hours to not more than 125
   25  hours. A qualifying classroom hour is defined as 50 minutes out
   26  of each 60-minute segment. Past courses may be approved on an
   27  hour-for-hour basis.
   28         (2) To be certified as a residential appraiser, an
   29  applicant must present satisfactory evidence to the board that
   30  she or he has met the minimum education and experience
   31  requirements prescribed by rule of the board. The board shall
   32  prescribe by rule education and experience requirements that
   33  meet or exceed the following real property appraiser
   34  qualification criteria adopted on February 20, 2004, by the
   35  Appraisal Qualifications Board of the Appraisal Foundation:
   36         (a) Has at least 2,500 hours of experience obtained over a
   37  24-month period in real property appraisal as defined by rule.
   38         (b) Has successfully completed at least 200 classroom
   39  hours, inclusive of examination, of approved academic courses in
   40  subjects related to real estate appraisal, which must include a
   41  15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal
   42  Practice course, or its equivalent, as established by rule of
   43  the board, from a nationally recognized or state-recognized
   44  appraisal organization, career center, accredited community
   45  college, college, or university, state or federal agency or
   46  commission, or proprietary real estate school that holds a
   47  permit pursuant to s. 475.451. A qualifying classroom hour is
   48  defined as 50 minutes out of each 60-minute segment. Past
   49  courses may be approved by the board and substituted on an hour
   50  for-hour basis.
   51         (3) To be certified as a general appraiser, an applicant
   52  must present evidence satisfactory to the board that she or he
   53  has met the minimum education and experience requirements
   54  prescribed by rule of the board. The board shall prescribe
   55  education and experience requirements that meet or exceed the
   56  following real property appraiser qualification criteria adopted
   57  on February 20, 2004, by the Appraisal Qualifications Board of
   58  the Appraisal Foundation:
   59         (a) Has at least 3,000 hours of experience obtained over a
   60  30-month period in real property appraisal as defined by rule.
   61         (b) Has successfully completed at least 300 classroom
   62  hours, inclusive of examination, of approved academic courses in
   63  subjects related to real estate appraisal, which must include a
   64  15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal
   65  Practice course, or its equivalent, as established by rule of
   66  the board, from a nationally recognized or state-recognized
   67  appraisal organization, career center, accredited community
   68  college, college, or university, state or federal agency or
   69  commission, or proprietary real estate school that holds a
   70  permit pursuant to s. 475.451. A qualifying classroom hour is
   71  defined as 50 minutes out of each 60-minute segment. Past
   72  courses may be approved by the board and substituted on an hour
   73  for-hour basis.
   74         (4) All academic education courses must be completed in a
   75  classroom or through online distance education. The board may
   76  find that an online distance education course meets the
   77  classroom hour requirement if the course has received approval
   78  from the International Distance Education Certification Center
   79  for the course design and delivery method and the approval of
   80  the Appraiser Qualifications Board through its Course Approval
   81  Program.
   82         (5)(4) Each applicant must furnish, under oath, a detailed
   83  statement of the experience for each year of experience she or
   84  he claims. Upon request, the applicant shall furnish to the
   85  board, for its examination, copies of appraisal reports or file
   86  memoranda to support the claim for experience. Any appraisal
   87  report or file memoranda used to support a claim for experience
   88  must be maintained by the applicant for no less than 5 years
   89  after the date of certification.
   90         (6)(5) The board may implement the provisions of this
   91  section by rule.
   92         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.