Inspections

To: All Elevator Owners within the State of Florida
Subject: Elevator Safety Inspections

Dear Elevator Owners,

Please find below a letter from the Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, dated June 23, 2000. This letter, titled "Important Information Regarding Florida Elevator Legislation", is advising the Florida elevator industry that the 2000 Florida legislature passed legislation amending Chapter 399 of the Florida Statutes that changes the structure and responsibility of the Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Bureau of Elevator Safety.

This letter basically states that the State of Florida will no longer be performing inspections on existing elevators, and that the certificate fee which the owner pays or has paid, will no longer cover the cost of these inspections. At this time they have not notified elevator owners throughout the state of Florida that it will be their responsibility to obtain third party inspection services pursuant to Florida statutes 399.13.

Florida law requires elevators that are under a full-maintenance contract and over two floors be inspected at least every two years. Currently there are hundreds of elevators throughout the State of Florida that have not been inspected within the required time. Elevator owners should refer to the date typed in the bottom left corner of their Certificate of Operation to determine when the last inspection was performed. [Or you may contact the Bureau of Elevator Safety at (850) 488-9097.]

Elevator Consulting and Maintenance Review, Inc. has been approved by the State of Florida to perform elevator safety inspections and is a registered, licensed, insured, and qualified private elevator inspection company doing business in Florida for over ten years. Should you require inspections of your elevator equipment to comply with Florida law, for insurance reasons, or for peace of mind, please contact a representative of E.C.M.R., Inc. for information regarding safety inspections, maintenance evaluations, modernization specifications, and other services regarding elevators and elevator safety, at 1-800-722-5003.

E.C.M.R., Inc. carries the Certificate of Competency issued by the State of Florida, the Qualified Elevator Inspector license issued by the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities (N.A.E.S.A.), general liability in excess of the minimum required by Florida, and professional liability.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Should you have any questions in regards to this letter, or the State of Florida attachment, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We sincerely hope you will keep us in mind for your elevator inspections. Thank you.

Sincerely,

IMPORTANT INFORMATION regarding Florida Elevator Legislation
ATTENTION: FLORIDA ELEVATOR INDUSTRY	Serial Number: 2000-03		Date: June 23, 2000
SUBJECT: ELEVATOR SAFETY LEGISLATION		Susan R. McKinley Division Director

The 2000 Florida Legislature passed legislation amending Chapter 399, Florida Statutes that changes the structure and responsibility of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Bureau of Elevator Safety. Specifically, HB 219 (signed into law by Governor Jeb Bush on May 24, 2000) revises Section 399.061, F.S., as follows:

Inspections; correction of deficiencies. -- (1) (a) All elevators subject to this chapter must be inspected pursuant to s. 399.13, by a third-party inspection service certified as a qualified elevator inspector or maintained pursuant to a service maintenance contract continuously in force. A statement verifying the existence, performance, and cancellation of each service maintenance contract must be filed annually with the division as prescribed by rule. All elevators covered by a service maintenance contract shall be inspected by a certificate of competency holder at least once every 2 years; however, if the elevator is not an escalator or a dumbwaiter and the elevator serves only two adjacent floors and is covered by a service maintenance contract, no inspection shall be required so long as the service contract remains in effect. (b) The division may inspect an elevator whenever necessary to ensure its safe operation. [UNDERLINE INDICATES NEW LANGUAGE.

Effective July 1, 2000, licensees must arrange to have their routine safety inspections performed:
1. biennially by a certificate of competency holder, for elevators maintained under a maintenance service contract, OR
2. annually by a certified third party inspection service, for elevators not having a maintenance contract.

The Department is responsible for:
1. inspection of new installations and alterations, and
2. performing oversight and monitoring of certified inspection services, registered elevator companies, and contracted municipal or county programs, and
3. responding to complaints, and
4. enforcing compliance with Chapter 399, Florida Statutes.

This legislation (HB 219) also creates Florida's first statewide building code, to be administered by the Florida Building Commission (FBC). As a result, on July 1, 2001 the Florida Building Commission becomes responsible for adoption of Florida's state elevator safety code and ruling on any requests for variance. The Department retains these functions until that time, and after that remains responsible for plan review and developing the code to be considered and adopted by the Building Commission.

Those interested in information on how to become a certified inspection service, a registered elevator company, or taking the State of Florida Certificate of Competency Examination, contact the Bureau of Elevator Safety, 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1013 (phone 850-488-9097).

For information on the national Qualified Elevator Inspector examination, contact: National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities International, 4541 North 12th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014-4203 (phone 602-266-9701); and Lift Technologies International I Education Services Division, 5121 Meadow Valley Circle, Roanoke, VA 24018, (phone 540-772-4964).

As more information becomes available, it will be posted to the Department web page at: www.state.fl.us/dbpr. To view or download HB 219 (see sections 24, 25, 26, 27, and 137), go to the Florida government website Online Sunshine, at www.leg.state.fl.us.