Florida ER license...Can I do Alarms?

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Time to upgrade that license to EC.

ER - Registered electrical contractor
An electrical contractor who has registered with the department pursuant to fulfilling the competence requirements in the jurisdiction for which the registration is issued. The registered electrical contractor is limited to a specific jurisdiction and can do any electrical work, including the specialties, except for alarm systems. ss. 489.505; 489.513, F.S.;Rule 61G6-5.001. F.A.C.
 
Thanks for the quick replies.

I could not find that chart to save my life.

I need to get the EC but I will have to retake the exam. I just got my ER in 2004 and it was a lot of work. Now tryng to run a business and prepare for the exam again may be a handfull.

I wonder if I transfered to a reciprocating state and then rereciprocated?

I talked to a DBPR rep at the EHX show in orlando and she actually sugested that.

Any one take the FL EC exam in the past 4 years maybe let me know what testing was involved.

The ER was a business law exam and an electrical exam.
 
Palmbay said:
Any one take the FL EC exam in the past 4 years maybe let me know what testing was involved.

The ER was a business law exam and an electrical exam.
Click to expand...

The test is in Kissimmee (sp?), 5 hour technical portion was there, the 2 1/2 hr. business can be taken locally, very convienent. The application for the EC is a nightmare, an expediter is a good option. Mike Holt's material was dead-on for all the technical material. The tech. was a bubble sheet, taken in a huge gymnasium. The test is only held 3 times a year, and with the application + waiting up to 4 weeks for results it can be a very lenghtly process, espcially if you were to fail.
 
Palmbay said:
Thanks for the quick replies.

I could not find that chart to save my life.

I need to get the EC but I will have to retake the exam. I just got my ER in 2004 and it was a lot of work. Now tryng to run a business and prepare for the exam again may be a handfull.

I wonder if I transfered to a reciprocating state and then rereciprocated?

I talked to a DBPR rep at the EHX show in orlando and she actually sugested that.

Any one take the FL EC exam in the past 4 years maybe let me know what testing was involved.

The ER was a business law exam and an electrical exam.
Click to expand...

I couldnt find a way to have an ER license reciprocated. Seems like they will only accept a un-grandfathered EC in Georgia. The others sound like they want a State license too.
Ever think of just taking the alarm exams?
 
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I am a hands on Electrician. I can prepare and pass a test, it just takes a lot of commitment. I am committed to running a profitable business right now. It takes a lot of energy just to do that.

If it boils down to taking the test again, I will do it. It?s just a hard pill to swallow after, it seems like yesterday, to go do it all over again.

The test I took was 2 hrs business law 50 questions, and 4 hours electrical 100 questions.

I should feel confident, I turned my exam in when they called time for the journeymen exam. I didn't realize until I walked outside and started talking to one of the other guys in there. He told me "he needed to pass that journeymen test to make more money". I walked back in there to get the test back and they told me it was too late. I thought I had failed for sure, I answered 25 questions in 20 minutes, 78%.

It is an intimidating test. I was hoping I was past that.

If I test for anything it will be to get the EC, not just an alarm.

If you had asked me 6 months ago if I would ever do an alarm I would have said no way. Now I have found a need for it, to continue my business the direction I want it to go.
 
If you upgrade from an ER to an EC, you may eventually make up the cost in Bond money--several of my locals require a bond for ER, but not EC. It will definatly make registering in new counties easier as well. Of course, you will have to change the number on all company vehicles, with your insurance and bond agents, and all the municipalities you already work with.
 
I have to add a huge pet peeve of mine is that the contracting rules were relaxed for alarm system contractors to be able to take a lesser exam so that they could install low voltage wiring and not have to meet the full requirments of being an electrical contactor.
Several years later as an ER contractor, even though I had installed thousands of miles of alarm wiring, devices and cableing, I was not allowed to install these small systems, I could install conduit and wire for 3000 amp plus services, transmission lines and nuclear power plants, but not fire or burgler alarms. Very silly. They had locked out very qualified contractors from low voltage work. Even better is that engineered systems, not to be mentioned here, didnt require a contractors license to install. But, if you were a ER you couldnt install them. All of this may have been short lived but, it did hurt some very qualified contractors.
 
WARNING RANT!!!!
I was so busy working and studying and lining up paper work, I didn't realize a difference in ER and EC. I just went for it.

Just for the record, I prepared for my exam with the same references most use for the EC. And I have not heard of any diffeneces in testing, besides the application.

I applied for the testing in the county I had my journeymens in. I took the exam, passed. Then I had to register with the state.

For EC you apply to state to take test.

If you ask me it sounds harder to get the ER than the EC.

My pet peeve is that Florida even has a difference in an electrical contractors license. I don't see the place for an ER clasification. If a person is going for an Electrical Contracting License in Florida, or any state for that matter, it should be one license and be unlimited.

The worst part about the ER was after I applied for the ER, I put 2 weeks notice at the job I had. I was fired that day. I could not legally do elctrical business untill ER was passed through.

Took 5 more weeks.

Nothing worth having comes easy.
 
dhamman said:
Back in 2003 I Grandfathered my Florida ER license to EC without re taking the test. At that time it was proved to the State that the ER testing was equal and they gave us EC licenses after some paperwork and $. Look at the 2nd page of this link , it still lists grandfathering on the app.
http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/elboard/documents/certified_electrical_package_enterable.pdf

If the link doesn't work the phone # is 850.487.1395.
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That was a good situation for many people, The Grandfathering provision has been closed for several years now.
 
Palmbay said:
WARNING RANT!!!!
I was so busy working and studying and lining up paper work, I didn't realize a difference in ER and EC. I just went for it.

Just for the record, I prepared for my exam with the same references most use for the EC. And I have not heard of any diffeneces in testing, besides the application.

I applied for the testing in the county I had my journeymens in. I took the exam, passed. Then I had to register with the state.

For EC you apply to state to take test.

If you ask me it sounds harder to get the ER than the EC.

My pet peeve is that Florida even has a difference in an electrical contractors license. I don't see the place for an ER clasification. If a person is going for an Electrical Contracting License in Florida, or any state for that matter, it should be one license and be unlimited.

The worst part about the ER was after I applied for the ER, I put 2 weeks notice at the job I had. I was fired that day. I could not legally do elctrical business untill ER was passed through.

Took 5 more weeks.

Nothing worth having comes easy.
Click to expand...
Mike,I can understand your frustration,I took my exam ER in 99 and i remember 150 electrical questions and 50 bus. law questions .I did read that the local test was changed in 2003 to 100 questions and 50 bus. law questions.but until we get a a petition together and get electrical contractors signing it to make it one florida one license ,the stupidity will continue.If we had about 6 contractors in florida we could get alot of signatures real fast and flood the E.C.L.B. with the petitions and they would listen to what we have to say,but until such time we will be their puppets.I did look on the E.C.L.B.web site and they do say they will reciprocate and accept a test that is simular to the one they give,But when i called them they said that since the questions were different not harder just different they would`nt grandfather or reciprocate an E.R.so to become an E.C. you would think if you took the alarm part of the exam they would give you an E.C. maybe one day will see one license on florida...........
 
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