The Division of Regulation is the enforcement authority for the professional boards and programs, including the Farm and Child Labor programs. The division monitors these professions and related businesses to ensure compliance with the laws, rules, and standards set by the Legislature and the professional boards. The division monitors compliance by investigating complaints and performing inspections.
The exceptions to this are the engineering profession, which receives administrative, investigative, and prosecutorial services through the Florida Engineers Management Corporation, the architecture and interior design profession, which contracts with a law firm to provide investigative and prosecutorial services; and the Divisions of Certified Public Accounting, Drugs, Devices and Cosmetics, and Real Estate, which perform their own investigative services.
The division has six program areas.
Regional offices are located in Ft. Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Margate, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.
In Fiscal Year 2021-22, the program was responsible for 1,047,574 licensees. During this period, 94% of licensees were in compliance with inspection laws and regulations. Thirty-seven percent of the licensees corrected violations through alternative means, including notices of non-compliance, citations, or alternative dispute resolution. The department reports these alternative procedures have resulted in significant cost savings to the department, faster case resolution for the consumers, and have proven to be especially beneficial after hurricanes and/or major storms.
Program funding comes from fees collected for licensing regulations, with the exception of the Florida Athletic Commission and the Division of Drugs, Devices, and Cosmetics, which were appropriated $443,675 and $640,000 in General Revenue, respectively, for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
Fund | Dollars | Positions | |
---|---|---|---|
PROGRAM: PROFESSIONAL REGULATION | |||
COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT |
87,117,229
|
237.50 |
|
DRUGS, DEVICES, AND COSMETICS |
3,934,518
|
27.50 |
|
FARM AND CHILD LABOR REGULATION |
2,344,827
|
30.00 |
|
FLORIDA ATHLETIC COMMISSION |
1,877,589
|
7.00 |
|
TESTING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION |
3,733,670
|
38.00 |
|
TOTAL |
99,007,833 |
340.00 |
Professional Licensing and Business Regulation Changes. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-211, Laws of Florida, which made several changes to professional licensing and business regulation.
Building Code Safety Program. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-203, Laws of Florida, which requires the Florida Building Commission to establish a safety program to implement milestone inspection requirements within the Florida Building Code by December 31, 2024. The minimum requirements for the commission's building safety program must include inspection criteria, testing protocols, standardized inspection and reporting forms that are adaptable to an electronic format, and record maintenance requirements for the local authority that has jurisdiction.
Review of Professional Employer Organizations and Workers' Compensation, Report 21-04, March 2021 |
Other Reports
Annual Reports and Publications, Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Websites of Interest
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Occupation Profile Search Tool
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation
Performance Information