Florida Statutes 489.518 – Alarm system agents
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(1) A licensed electrical or alarm system contractor may not employ a person to perform the duties of a burglar alarm system agent unless the person:
(a) Is at least 18 years of age or has evidence of a court-approved declaration of emancipation.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 489.518
- Alarm system: means any electrical device, signaling device, or combination of electrical devices used to signal or detect a burglary, fire, robbery, or medical emergency. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Alarm system contractor: means a person whose business includes the execution of contracts requiring the ability, experience, science, knowledge, and skill to lay out, fabricate, install, maintain, alter, repair, monitor, inspect, replace, or service alarm systems for compensation, including, but not limited to, all types of alarm systems for all purposes. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Burglar alarm system agent: means a person:(a) Who is employed by a licensed alarm system contractor or licensed electrical contractor;(b) Who is performing duties which are an element of an activity which constitutes alarm system contracting requiring licensure under this part; and(c) Whose specific duties include any of the following: altering, installing, maintaining, moving, repairing, replacing, servicing, selling, or monitoring an intrusion or burglar alarm system for compensation. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Certification: means the act of obtaining or holding a certificate of competency from the department as provided in this part. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Contracting: means , except where exempted in this part, engaging in business as a contractor or performing electrical or alarm work for compensation and includes, but is not limited to, performance of any of the acts found in subsections (2) and (12), which define the services which a contractor is allowed to perform. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Contractor: means a person who is qualified to engage in the business of electrical or alarm system contracting pursuant to a certificate or registration issued by the department. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Department: means the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Licensure: means any type of certification or registration provided for in this part. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- Monitoring: means to receive electrical or electronic signals originating from any structure within the state or outside the state, regardless of whether those signals are relayed through a jurisdiction outside the state, where such signals are produced by any security, medical, fire, or burglar alarm, closed-circuit television camera, access-control system, or related or similar protective system and are intended by design to initiate a response thereto. See Florida Statutes 489.505
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(b) Has successfully completed a minimum of 14 hours of training within 90 days after employment, to include basic alarm system electronics in addition to related training including CCTV and access control training, with at least 2 hours of training in the prevention of false alarms. Such training shall be from a board-approved provider, and the employee or applicant for employment shall provide proof of successful completion to the licensed employer. The board shall by rule establish criteria for the approval of training courses and providers and may by rule establish criteria for accepting alternative nonclassroom education on an hour-for-hour basis. The board shall approve providers that conduct training in other than the English language. The board shall establish a fee for the approval of training providers or courses, not to exceed $60. Qualified employers may conduct training classes for their employees, with board approval.(c) Has not been convicted within the last 3 years of a crime that directly relates to the business for which employment is being sought. Although the employee is barred from operating as an alarm system agent for 3 years subsequent to his or her conviction, the employer shall be supplied the information regarding any convictions occurring prior to that time, and the employer may at his or her discretion consider an earlier conviction to be a bar to employment as an alarm system agent. To ensure that this requirement has been met, a licensed electrical or alarm contractor must obtain from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement a completed fingerprint and criminal background check for each applicant for employment as a burglar alarm system agent or for each individual currently employed on the effective date of this act as a burglar alarm system agent.(d) Has not been committed for controlled substance abuse or been found guilty of a crime under chapter 893 or a similar law relating to controlled substances in any other state within the 3-year period immediately preceding the date of application for employment, or the effective date of this act for an individual employed as a burglar alarm system agent on that date, unless he or she establishes that he or she is not currently abusing any controlled substance and has successfully completed a rehabilitation course.
(2)(a) Persons who perform only monitoring are not required to complete the training required for burglar alarm system agents.
(b) Persons who perform only monitoring at an out-of-state location are not required to comply with background check requirements.
(c) Persons who perform proprietary burglar alarm system agent duties for only a single employer, and who do not offer alarm system contracting services to the public, are not required to comply with background check requirements.
(d) A state-certified electrical contractor, a state-certified alarm system contractor, a state-registered alarm system contractor, a journeyman electrician licensed by any local jurisdiction, or an alarm technician licensed by a local jurisdiction that requires an examination and experience or training as licensure qualifications, is not required to complete the training required for burglar alarm system agents. A state-registered electrical contractor is not required to complete the training required for burglar alarm system agents, so long as he or she is only doing electrical work up to the alarm panel.
(e) A nonsupervising employee working as a helper or apprentice under the direct, onsite, continuous supervision of a state-certified electrical contractor, a state-registered electrical contractor, a state-certified alarm system contractor, a state-registered alarm system contractor, a journeyman electrician licensed by any local jurisdiction, an alarm technician licensed by a local jurisdiction that requires an examination and experience or training as licensure qualifications, or a qualified alarm system agent is not required to complete the training otherwise required and is not required to be 18 years of age or older.
(3) An applicant for employment as an alarm system agent, or an individual employed as a burglar alarm system agent on the effective date of this act, may commence or continue employment pending the completion of the required training and the results of the background check required by this section for a period not to exceed 90 days after the date of application for employment, or 90 days after the effective date of this act for individuals currently employed as burglar alarm system agents. However, the person must work under the direction and control of a sponsoring licensed electrical or burglar alarm system contractor pending the completion of the training and the criminal background check. If an applicant or an individual employed on the effective date of this act does not complete the training or receive a satisfactory criminal background check within the 90-day period, the employment must be terminated immediately.
(4)(a) A licensed electrical or alarm system contractor shall furnish each of its burglar alarm system agents with an identification card.
(b) The identification card shall be designed in a board-approved format. The card must include a picture of the agent, must specify at least the name of the holder of the card and the name and license number of the contractor, and must be signed by the contractor and by the holder of the card. Each identification card is valid for a period of 2 years after the date of issuance. The identification card must be in the possession of each burglar alarm system agent while engaged in burglar alarm system agent duties.
(c) Each person to whom an identification card has been issued shall be responsible for the safekeeping thereof and shall not loan, or allow any other person to use or display, the identification card.
(d) Each identification card must be renewed every 2 years and in a board-approved format to show compliance with the 6 hours of continuing education necessary to maintain certification as a burglar alarm system agent.
(e) Each licensed electrical or alarm system contractor must obtain an updated criminal background check from the Department of Law Enforcement for each burglar alarm system agent who renews certification.
(5) Each burglar alarm system agent must receive 6 hours of continuing education on burglar alarm system installation and repair and false alarm prevention every 2 years from a board-approved sponsor of training and through a board-approved training course.
(6) Failure to comply with any of the provisions of this section shall be a disciplinable offense against the contractor pursuant to s. 489.533.