Changes to Continuing Education requirements for Community Association Managers and Board Members
For Immediate Release: By Ellen De Haan February 6, 2020
Attention all Licensed Community Association Managers and Boards of Directors:
You may be aware that the continuing education requirements for Community Association Managers have dramatically changed. The license is still good for two years, expiring in even numbered years. However, going forward the requirements have dropped to 15 credits in the two-year reporting period, and there are new categories and hourly requirements for spreading out the credits. The details are set forth in the Florida Administrative Code, Rule 61E14-4.001. And, no, I don’t know how we do 3 hours of Legal Update over two years. Guess we will wait for that to evolve somehow.
For your review, the text of the F.A.C. Rule is set forth below.
61E14-4.001 Continuing Education Renewal Requirements.
(1) All community association manager licensees must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 15 hours of continuing education per biennial renewal cycle. Each hour shall consist of 50 minutes of student involvement in approved classroom, correspondence, interactive, distance education or internet courses. No license shall be renewed unless the licensee has completed the required continuing education.
(2) Only continuing education courses approved by the Council shall be valid for purposes of licensee renewal.
(3) The required 15 hours of continuing education shall be comprised of courses approved pursuant to Rule 61E14-4.003, F.A.C., in the following areas:
(a) 3 hours of legal update seminars. The legal update seminars shall consist of instruction regarding changes to Chapters 455, 468, Part VIII, 617, 718, 719, 720, and 721, F.S., and other legislation, case law, and regulations impacting community association management. Licensees shall not be awarded continuing education credit for completing the same legal update seminar more than once even if the seminars were taken during different years.
(b) 3 hours of instruction on insurance and financial management topics relating to community association management.
(c) 3 hours of instruction on the operation of the community association’s physical property.
(d) 3 hours of instruction on human resources topics relating to community association management. Human resources topics include, but are not limited to, disaster preparedness, employee relations, and communications skills for effectively dealing with residents and vendors.
(e) 3 hours of additional instruction in any area described in paragraph (3)(b), (c) or (d) of this rule or in any course or courses directly related to the management or administration of community associations.
(4) No licensee will receive credit, for purposes of meeting the continuing education requirement, for completing the same continuing education course more than once during a biennial renewal cycle.
(5) Course instructors may receive continuing education credit hours in the amount of hours approved by the Council for licensees only once every biennial renewal cycle for each approved course taught by the instructor.
(6) Anyone licensed for more than 24 months at renewal time will be required to have complied with the continuing education requirements set forth in subsection (1), above, prior to license renewal. “More than 24 months” means 24 months plus 1 day. Licensees licensed for 24 months or less at renewal time are exempt from compliance with the continuing education requirements set forth in subsection (1) above, until the end of the next renewal cycle.
Rulemaking Authority 455.2123, 455.2124, 468.4315(2), 468.4336, 468.4337 FS. Law Implemented 455.2123, 455.2124, 468.4336, 468.4337 FS. History–New 5-5-88, Amended 3-22-89, 2-5-91, 12-28-92, Formerly 7D-55.008, 61B-55.008, Amended 10-18-99, 3-13-00, 2-21-01, 7-21-03, 4-25-05, 2-28-07, Formerly 61-20.508, Amended 2-1-15, 5-18-15, 8-15-19.
