Chapter 472, Florida Statutes: In Florida the Legislature finds that improper surveying and mapping of land, water, and space presents a significant threat to the public and therefore deems it necessary to regulate surveyors and mappers.
The "Practice of surveying and mapping" means, among other things, any professional service or work, the adequate performance of which involves the application of special knowledge of the principles of mathematics, the related physical and applied sciences, and the relevant requirements of law for adequate evidence of the act of measuring, locating, establishing, or reestablishing lines, angles, elevations, natural and manmade features in the air, on the surface and immediate subsurface of the earth, within underground workings, and on the beds or surface of bodies of water, for the purpose of determining, establishing, describing, displaying, or interpreting the facts of size, shape, topography, tidal datum planes, legal or geodetic location or relocation, and orientation of improved or unimproved real property and appurtenances thereto, including acreage and condominiums.
The practice of surveying and mapping also includes, but is not limited to, photogrammetric control; the monumentation and remonumentation of property boundaries and subdivisions; the measurement of and preparation of plans showing existing improvements after construction; the layout of proposed improvements; the preparation of descriptions for use in legal instruments of conveyance of real property and property rights; the preparation of subdivision planning maps and record plats, as provided for in chapter 177; the determination of, but not the design of, grades and elevations of roads and land in connection with subdivisions or divisions of land; and the creation and perpetuation of alignments related to maps, record plats, field note records, reports, property descriptions, and plans and drawings that represent them.
A person is entitled to take the licensure examination to practice in Florida as a surveyor and mapper if:
(1) The applicant is a graduate of an approved course of study in surveying and mapping and has a specific experience record of 4 or more years as a subordinate to a professional surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping, of a nature indicating that the applicant was in responsible charge of the accuracy and correctness of the surveying and mapping work.
(2) is a graduate of a 4-year course of study, other than in surveying and mapping, and has a specific experience record of 6 or more years as a subordinate, 5 years of which shall be in responsible charge.
(3) has successfully completed a 32-semester-hour course of study in surveying and mapping and has a specific experience record of 6 or more years as a subordinate, 5 years of which shall be in responsible charge.
(4) has successfully completed a high school education and has a specific experience record of 8 or more years as a subordinate, 6 years of which are in responsible charge. However, this does not apply unless there is satisfactory evidence that he or she was engaged in such work on or before October 1, 1988. This criteria will not be an option on July 1, 1999.
(5) was enrolled, on October 1, 1988, in a 4-year course of study in surveying and mapping prior to October 1, 1991, and both completes at least 32 semester hours and has a specific experience record of 6 or more years as a subordinate, 5 years of which are in responsible charge.
Section 472.018 requires that for renewal of license, 24 hours of continuing education be completed during the previous 2 years.
Section 427.027 provides the statutory authority for the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers to establish Minimum Technical Standards for surveying and mapping.
