Florida Senate - 2016 CS for CS for SB 768
By the Committees on Community Affairs; and Regulated
Industries; and Senator Flores
578-03236A-16 2016768c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to alarm systems; amending s. 489.518,
3 F.S.; exempting certain persons from initial training
4 for burglar alarm system agents; amending s. 489.529,
5 F.S.; providing for written consent to an alarm system
6 monitoring company to contact a law enforcement
7 agency; creating s. 553.7931, F.S.; defining the term
8 “applicable local governmental entity”; providing a
9 uniform process for the registration of home and
10 business alarm systems under certain circumstances;
11 requiring the owner, lessee, or occupant, or an
12 authorized representative thereof, of a property to
13 register an alarm system within 20 days after
14 occupancy or after installation of the alarm system;
15 authorizing the applicable local governmental entity
16 to charge a registration fee; specifying the
17 requirements of the application form; requiring the
18 owner, lessee, or occupant, or an authorized
19 representative thereof, to notify the applicable local
20 governmental agency of a change in the information
21 provided in the application form within 30 days;
22 authorizing the applicable local governmental entity
23 to assess or impose fines or penalties for a failure
24 to register an alarm system or for excessive false
25 alarms; providing that fines and penalties are the
26 responsibility of the owner, lessee, or occupant of
27 the property; providing an effective date.
28
29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
30
31 Section 1. Present paragraphs (a) through (e) of subsection
32 (2) of section 489.518, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
33 paragraphs (b) through (f), respectively, and a new paragraph
34 (a) is added to that subsection, to read:
35 489.518 Alarm system agents.—
36 (2)(a) A person who performs only sales or installations of
37 wireless alarm systems, other than fire alarm systems, in a
38 single-family residence is not required to complete the initial
39 training required for burglar alarm system agents.
40 Section 2. Section 489.529, Florida Statutes, is amended to
41 read
42 489.529 (1) Alarm verification calls required.—All
43 residential or commercial intrusion/burglary alarms that have
44 central monitoring must have a central monitoring verification
45 call made to the premises generating the alarm signal, prior to
46 alarm monitor personnel contacting a law enforcement agency for
47 alarm dispatch. The central monitoring station must employ call
48 verification methods for the premises generating the alarm
49 signal if the first call is not answered. However, if the
50 intrusion/burglary alarms have properly operating visual or
51 auditory sensors that enable the monitoring personnel to verify
52 the alarm signal, or upon authorization as provided in
53 subsection (2), verification calling is not required.
54 (2) A residential or commercial intrusion/burglary alarm
55 customer may give written authorization to the central
56 monitoring alarm system company to contact a law enforcement
57 agency immediately upon receiving an alarm signal. The customer
58 giving the authorization is responsible for any penalties
59 resulting from any false alarm signals.
60 Section 3. Section 553.7931, Florida Statutes, is created
61 to read:
62 553.7931 Uniform alarm registration process.—
63 (1) As used in this section, the term “applicable local
64 governmental entity” means the local enforcement agency or local
65 law enforcement agency responsible for the administration of
66 alarm system registration in a jurisdiction.
67 (2) This section creates a uniform process for the
68 registration of a home or business alarm system and applies only
69 if such registration is required by a local ordinance,
70 regulation, or rule.
71 (a) The owner, lessee, or occupant, or an authorized
72 representative thereof, of a property must file a uniform alarm
73 registration application with the applicable local governmental
74 entity that requires registration within 20 days after the
75 installation or activation of an alarm system or occupancy of a
76 property with an activated alarm system. During the intervening
77 period, local first responders shall respond to a dispatch
78 request. The application may be submitted electronically, or by
79 facsimile, if signed by the owner, lessee, or occupant, or an
80 authorized representative thereof.
81 (b) The applicable local governmental entity may charge the
82 owner, lessee, or occupant an alarm registration fee of up to
83 $25. The registration is valid for as long as the registrant
84 occupies the property. If possession of the property is
85 transferred, the new occupant must file an application pursuant
86 to paragraph (a).
87 (c) The uniform alarm registration application must contain
88 substantially the following information:
89
90 UNIFORM ALARM REGISTRATION APPLICATION
91
92 Owner, Lessee, or Occupant Name........
93 Owner, Lessee, or Occupant Address........
94 City........
95 State.... Zip....
96 Phone Number........
97 E-mail Address........
98 Date of Occupancy........
99 Name of Alarm Contractor........
100 Phone Number of Alarm Contractor........
101 Florida License Number of Alarm Contractor........
102 Name of Alarm Monitoring Company........
103 Phone Number of Alarm Monitoring Company........
104 Florida License Number of Alarm Monitoring Company........
105
106 Emergency Contact Information:
107 Name........
108 Address........
109 City........
110 State.... Zip....
111 Phone Number........
112
113 I certify that the foregoing information is true and accurate.
114 ...(Date)...
115 ...(Signature of Owner, Lessee, or Occupant, or Authorized
116 Representative)...
117
118 (d) The owner, lessee, or occupant, or an authorized
119 representative thereof, shall notify the applicable local
120 governmental entity within 30 days after any change in the
121 information submitted pursuant to paragraph (c). A contractor,
122 as defined in s. 553.793, must advise an owner, a lessee, an
123 occupant, or an authorized representative thereof, at the time
124 of an alarm system installation that an obligation to register
125 the system may exist.
126 (3) Civil penalties and fines assessed or imposed by the
127 applicable local governmental entity for a failure to register
128 an alarm system as required under subsection (1) or for
129 excessive false alarms shall be the responsibility of the owner,
130 lessee, or occupant of the property. A local ordinance,
131 regulation, or rule may not impose a civil penalty or fine
132 against an alarm contractor or alarm monitoring company for
133 excessive false alarms.
134 Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2016.