To All Contractors (county and state)
The new law, HB Amendment 1383 (HB 1383), was enacted and signed by the Governor on June 20, 2023. Once it becomes effective on July 1, 2024, it will prohibit the county from issuing certain county construction trade licenses.
Please be advised that ALL county contractors are still required to renew their current license(s) since the new law is not effective until next year (July 1, 2024).
The current renewal cycle is for two years (10/1/23 to 9/30/25). Once the new law becomes effective on July 1, 2024 and provided there are no changes, the county will reimburse any affected contractors for the applicable prorated amount.
Florida House Bill 735 (HB735) was enacted by the state in 2021, and scheduled to become effective on July 1, 2023. However, the recently enacted amendment HB 1383 extended the effective date to July 1, 2024.
Primarily, the bill proposed to eliminate certain trades from license requirements and to prohibit local jurisdictions (i.e., county) from requiring licensure.
HB 735 and amendment HB1383 also allowed local jurisdictions to continue to license affected construction-related occupations (currently through the newly amended date of July 1, 2024). However, it prohibits local jurisdictions from modifying or adding any additional licensing scopes.
As you are aware, the Palm Beach County Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) has been actively discussing the impact of HB 735 at its meetings which has included input from all county and state contractors registered in the County and local stakeholders (members of the construction industry and building officials).
Additionally, the CILB in conjunction with local stakeholders, has been actively working with our state legislators to address their concerns especially the potential negative impacts on the construction trades, licenses and local businesses.
These concerns were openly discussed in Tallahassee during the 2023 legislative session including recommendations to repeal, modify or postponing HB 735. In the end, the legislation passed Amendment HB 1383 which only changed the effective date to July 1, 2024 and added some existing local specialty licenses as state licenses.
Consequently, at the June 26, 2023 CILB meeting, the CILB decided to maintain the current two year renewal requirement for all county contractors. Additionally, the CILB has not made any final determination concerning the proposed list of county licenses that may be revised or removed in order to comply with the new law.
The CILB plans to continue its efforts in the upcoming 2024 legislative session to repeal HB 735 and its amendment HB 1383 in order to maintain the current licensing requirements for the safety and welfare of the community and its stakeholders.
Updates will be provided, as more information becomes available this important issue. Your continued efforts in support of this is greatly appreciated.