Contracting without certificate prohibited; violations; penalty.

(1) It is unlawful for any organization or individual to engage in the business of layout, fabrication, installation, inspection, alteration, repair, or service of a fire protection system, other than a preengineered system, act in the capacity of a fire protection contractor, or advertise itself as being a fire protection contractor without having been duly certified and holding a valid and existing certificate, except as hereinafter provided. The holder of a certificate used to qualify an organization must be a full-time employee of the qualified organization or business. A certificateholder who is employed by more than one fire protection contractor during the same time is deemed not to be a full-time employee of either contractor. The State Fire Marshal shall revoke, for a period determined by the State Fire Marshal, the certificate of a certificateholder who allows the use of the certificate to qualify a company of which the certificateholder is not a full-time employee. A contractor who maintains more than one place of business must employ a certificateholder at each location. This subsection does not prohibit an employee acting on behalf of governmental entities from inspecting and enforcing firesafety codes, provided such employee is certified under s. 633.216.

(2) A fire protection contractor certified under this chapter may not:

(a) Enter into a written or oral agreement to authorize, or otherwise knowingly allow, a contractor who is not certified under this chapter to engage in the business of, or act in the capacity of, a fire protection contractor.

(b) Apply for or obtain a construction permit for fire protection work unless the fire protection contractor or the business organization qualified by the fire protection contractor has contracted to conduct the work specified in the application for the permit.

(3) The Legislature recognizes that special expertise is required for fire pump control panels and maintenance of electric and diesel pump drivers and that it is not economically feasible for all contractors to employ these experts full-time whose work may be limited. It is therefore deemed acceptable for a fire protection contractor licensed under this chapter to subcontract with companies providing advanced technical services for the installation, servicing, and maintenance of fire pump control panels and pump drivers. To ensure the integrity of the system and to protect the interests of the property owner, those providing technical support services for fire pump control panels and pump drivers must be under contract with a licensed fire protection contractor.

(4) A person who violates any provision of this act or commits any of the acts constituting cause for disciplinary action as herein set forth commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

(5) In addition to the penalties provided in subsection (4), a fire protection contractor certified under this chapter or a person who violates any provision of this section or who commits any act constituting cause for disciplinary action is subject to:

(a) Suspension or revocation of the certificate pursuant to s. 633.338; and

(b) An administrative fine of up to $10,000 in any one proceeding for violations of subsection (1) or subsection (2), and if applicable, may be in addition to or in lieu of suspension or revocation of a certificate.

The State Fire Marshal shall adopt by rule guidelines that specify a range of designated penalties under this subsection based upon the severity and repetition of specific offenses and shall identify mitigating and aggravating circumstances that allow the State Fire Marshal to impose a penalty other than that provided for in the guidelines, and for variations and a range of penalties permitted under such circumstances.