(1) Each county, municipality, and special district that has firesafety enforcement responsibilities shall employ or contract with a firesafety inspector. Except as provided in s. 633.312(2), (3), and (4), the firesafety inspector must conduct all firesafety inspections that are required by law. The governing body of a county, municipality, or special district that has firesafety enforcement responsibilities may provide a schedule of fees to pay only the costs of inspections conducted pursuant to this subsection and related administrative expenses. Two or more counties, municipalities, or special districts that have firesafety enforcement responsibilities may jointly employ or contract with a firesafety inspector.

(2) Except as provided in s. 633.312(2), every firesafety inspection conducted pursuant to state or local firesafety requirements shall be by a person certified as having met the inspection training requirements set by the State Fire Marshal. Such person shall meet the requirements of s. 633.412(1)-(4), and:

(a) Have satisfactorily completed the firesafety inspector certification examination as prescribed by division rule; and

(b)1. Have satisfactorily completed, as determined by division rule, a firesafety inspector training program of at least 200 hours established by the department and administered by education or training providers approved by the department for the purpose of providing basic certification training for firesafety inspectors; or

2. Have received training in another state which is determined by the division to be at least equivalent to that required by the department for approved firesafety inspector education and training programs in this state.

(3) A firefighter certified pursuant to s. 633.408 may conduct firesafety inspections, under the supervision of a certified firesafety inspector, while on duty as a member of a fire department company conducting inservice firesafety inspections without being certified as a firesafety inspector, if such firefighter has satisfactorily completed an inservice fire department company inspector training program of at least 24 hours’ duration as provided by rule of the department.

(4) Every firesafety inspector certificate is valid for a period of 4 years from the date of issuance. Renewal of certification is subject to the affected person’s completing proper application for renewal and meeting all of the requirements for renewal as established under this chapter or by rule adopted under this chapter, which must include completion of at least 54 hours during the preceding 4-year period of continuing education as required by the rule of the department or, in lieu thereof, successful passage of an examination as established by the department.

(5) A previously certified firesafety inspector whose certification has lapsed for 8 years or more must repeat the fire safety inspector training as specified by the division.

(6) The State Fire Marshal may deny, refuse to renew, suspend, or revoke the certificate of a firesafety inspector if the State Fire Marshal finds that any of the following grounds exist:

(a) Any cause for which issuance of a certificate could have been refused had it then existed and been known to the division.

(b) Violation of this chapter or any rule or order of the State Fire Marshal.

(c) Falsification of records relating to the certificate.

(d) Failure to meet any of the renewal requirements.

(e) Making or filing a report or record that the certificateholder knows to be false, or knowingly inducing another to file a false report or record, or knowingly failing to file a report or record required by state or local law, or knowingly impeding or obstructing such filing, or knowingly inducing another person to impede or obstruct such filing.

(f) Failing to properly enforce applicable fire codes or permit requirements within this state which the certificateholder knows are applicable by committing willful misconduct, gross negligence, gross misconduct, repeated negligence, or negligence resulting in a significant danger to life or property.

(g) Accepting labor, services, or materials at no charge or at a noncompetitive rate from a person who performs work that is under the enforcement authority of the certificateholder and who is not an immediate family member of the certificateholder. For the purpose of this paragraph, the term “immediate family member” means a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or first cousin of the person or the person’s spouse or a person who resides in the primary residence of the certificateholder.

(7) The division and the Florida Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board, established pursuant to s. 468.605, shall enter into a reciprocity agreement to facilitate joint recognition of continuing education recertification hours for certificateholders licensed under s. 468.609 and firesafety inspectors certified under subsection (2).

(8) The State Fire Marshal shall develop by rule an advanced training and certification program for firesafety inspectors having fire code management responsibilities. The program must be consistent with the appropriate provisions of NFPA 1037, or similar standards adopted by the division, and establish minimum training, education, and experience levels for firesafety inspectors having fire code management responsibilities.

(9) The department shall provide by rule for the certification of firesafety inspectors and fire code administrators.

History.—s. 6, ch. 20671, 1941; s. 8, ch. 65-216; s. 4, ch. 67-78; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 3, ch. 70-299; s. 14, ch. 75-151; s. 1, ch. 77-174; s. 2, ch. 79-352; s. 1, ch. 81-205; s. 1, ch. 82-189; s. 4, ch. 84-243; s. 9, ch. 87-287; s. 2, ch. 88-222; s. 3, ch. 88-362; s. 4, ch. 93-276; s. 11, ch. 95-379; s. 424, ch. 97-102; s. 1396, ch. 2003-261; s. 9, ch. 2007-187; s. 1, ch. 2010-173; s. 52, ch. 2010-176; s. 47, ch. 2011-4; s. 3, ch. 2011-79; s. 27, ch. 2013-183; s. 157, ch. 2014-17; s. 43, ch. 2017-3; s. 39, ch. 2019-140.

Note.—Former s. 633.06; s. 633.081.