Florida licensing bill closer to reality

March 4, 2004 TALLAHASEE, Fla. - A proposed bill that would add a false alarm training requirement to licensing standards in Florida is one step closer to passage after being referred to the Florida Senate’s Criminal Justice committee. Originally introduced by Sen. Michael Bennet (R-Bradenton) last November, the Electrical & Alarm System Contracts bill would amend an existing law that requires 12 hours of training, with no provision for false alarm training, in order for electrical and alarm system contractors to be licensed in the state. The new bill would add a requirement for two hours of training in false alarm prevention and increase to 14 the number of hours of education required for licensure. This education must be completed every two years in order to maintain a license. Not only does the bill have the blessing of the Alarm Association of Florida, the association actively participated in the process, according to Bob Neely, executive director for the AAF. “This is part of a larger ‘cleanup’ bill that we have been trying to pass for two years,” he said. “It addresses the leftover issues that have needed attention since the original was passed in 1998.” Neely said the bill also calls for a requirement that central stations implement a second-call verification system for alarm activation. This requirement would be waived in the case of systems that include visual or auditory sensors that enable central station dispatchers to verify the signal. For more on this story, see the April issue of Security Systems News.