FAR Daily Brief
Florida changes a structural engineer designation
Rule 61G15-20.0011 · Structural Engineering Recognition Program For Professional Engineers
The biggest item today hits engineering firms: Florida wants to change who qualifies for structural engineering recognition and which form they must file. There were 28 total items, including 11 proposed rules and 11 workshops, with comments due May 12.
Top signal Rule 61G15-20.0011
April 21, 2026 · Volume 52, Number 77 · 7-min read
Does this affect you? Today’s issue matters most if:
‣ You hold a trade or professional license
‣ You operate a licensed health care business
‣ You're in fishing, hunting, or wildlife-related work
First, the damage No direct fee increase showed up today, but engineering firms may face new paperwork if a P.E. is applying for structural engineering recognition under a revised form and qualification test. Physician practices also got updated disciplinary-order language, and juvenile detention operators saw a broader definition of private changing spaces. No new fines. No fee increases. No emergency rules. Dates to mark ✎ May 12, 2026 — Comment deadline — 11 proposed rules ★ May 20, 2026, no later than 1:45 p.m. — Bid due — HVAC Control Upgrades for Wartmann Hall – ITB-26-119 Today's lead The one to read first
Featured Rule 61G15-20.0011
Structural Engineering Recognition Program For Professional Engineers
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Structural engineers seeking Florida recognition face new qualifying standards and a new application form. Engineering firms should verify exam or experience eligibility before applying. Comments due 5/12/26.
Why it matters Engineering firms, design-build contractors, and solo professional engineers pursuing structural recognition are the ones affected. The board is changing the qualification criteria and the application form, which could mean different documentation or exam history is needed for future applicants. Comment deadline: May 12, 2026. Ask AskObi: “AskObi can show how this recognition-program update interacts with Section 471.055, F.S., and related licensure requirements before you revise applications or compliance policies.” — plain-English answer in under 10 seconds at AskObi.com.
Comment by May 12, 2026
Also on your radar Worth the scan 2
Rule 63F-15.001 · Department of Juvenile JusticeComment by May 12, 2026
Compliance with Safety in Private Spaces Act
Juvenile detention centers and residential youth facilities must now treat sleeping rooms like private changing areas. Update Safety in Private Spaces policies and records. Comments due 5/12/26.
Why it matters Juvenile detention and residential program operators must now treat youth sleeping rooms as changing facilities. That expands where Safety in Private Spaces Act access and privacy rules apply.
Rule 64B8-30.0151 · Department of HealthComment by May 12, 2026
Standard Terms Applicable to Orders
Physician assistants under discipline and supervising clinics face updated order terms for community service, education, and reporting. Tighten recordkeeping and submission tracking. Comments due 5/12/26.
Why it matters Physician practices and doctors under discipline will see updated standard terms in board orders, including community service, CE, and reporting requirements. That changes the compliance work an order can impose.
Signal beneath the surface
This cluster says Florida is tightening the same playbook at once: clearer ad disclosures up front, and more standardized, easier-to-enforce discipline and probation terms on the back end. Medical practices, clinics, telehealth groups, and staffing companies using physicians or physician assistants should clean up ads, licensure labels, and supervision reporting now before a complaint brings fines or tougher probation.
Same agency, one day More from Board of Medicine 6 5 more from Department of Health today, on top of the ones featured above. Comment by May 12, 2026. Skip if you don't have licensed medical staff.
Rule 64B15-6.0112
Standard Terms Applicable to Orders
Disciplined physician assistants and supervisors face updated order terms and filing language. Tighten proof-of-completion records. Comments due 5/12/26.
Rule 64B8-30.011
Advertising
Medical practices and marketing teams must clearly label any ads for physician assistants as physician assistant ads. Review websites and promotions now. Comments due 5/12/26.
Advertising — Rule 64B15-6.006 Probation Variables — Rule 64B8-30.0152 Probation Variables — Rule 64B15-6.0113 Same agency, one day More from Freshwater Fish and Wildlife 3 3 rules from Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission today. Comment by May 12, 2026. Skip if you're not in fishing, hunting, or wildlife-related work.
Rule 68A-27.003
Florida Endangered and Threatened Species List; Prohibitions (Florida reef gecko)
Coastal builders face new reef gecko permit limits; some Panhandle projects lose state Okaloosa darter restrictions. Comments due 5/12/26.
Rule 68A-27.0021
Designation of Candidate Species; Prohibitions; Permits
Developers, utilities, and field crews cannot intentionally harm Wilson's plover or blackbanded sunfish without a permit. Comments due 5/12/26.
Florida Endangered and Threatened Species List; Prohibitions (Okaloosa darter) — Rule 68A-27.003 Quick scan Meetings, bids, and opportunities
Department of Education
Probable cause panel under Chapter 1005, Florida Statutes
April 29, 2026, 2:00 p.m. — Private career schools: Education officials meet April 29 to decide whether complaints justify enforcement under Chapter 1005. Part is closed.
Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Foundation
Board of directors business meeting and FY 2026-2027 budget approval
April 27, 2026, 6:30 p.m. — Prescription monitoring vendors and partners: the foundation votes April 27 on its 2026-27 budget and other board business.
Department of Education — 2 meetings Financial Emergency Board review of Glades County School District and Union County School District… — Department of Education · April 23 Department of Environmental Protection — 2 meetings Everglades West Coast Basin Management Action Plan stakeholder update — Department of Environmental Protection · April 28 Caloosahatchee River and Estuary Basin Management Action Plan stakeholder update — Department of Environmental Protection · April 28 Armory Board meeting on leases and real property/facility management — Department of Military Affairs · May 01 Public meeting on five bridge rehabilitation projects along S.R. 5/U.S. 1/Overseas Highway in… — Florida Department of Transportation · Wednesday Jacksonville Area Refugee Task Force coordination meeting on refugee populations, service needs… — Department of Children and Families · Wednesday Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission case disposition and commission business — Department of Commerce · April 29 Board of Directors oversight and agency business — Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas · April 20 Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council general business meeting — Department of Health · May 07
Bid Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind · Due May 20, 2026, no later than 1:45 p.m.
HVAC Control Upgrades for Wartmann Hall – ITB-26-119
HVAC contractors: bids for Wartmann Hall controls upgrades are due May 20 at 1:45 p.m.
Rule exemptions requested 1 911 grant program extension for Hernando County's grant performance period — Department of Management Services — 911 vendors and local governments: Hernando County got a 12-month extension on its 911 grant under Rule 60FF1-5.
Department of State
Index of Administrative Rules Filed with the Secretary of State
This notice lists Florida administrative rules filed with the Secretary of State between 3:00 p.m. on April 14, 2026 and 3:00 p.m. on April 20, 2026. It provides each rule number, filing date, and effective date.
Department of State
List of Rules Awaiting Legislative Approval
This notice lists rules that have been filed but are still awaiting legislative approval under the cited Florida Statutes. It provides each rule number, filing date, and shows that no effective date has yet been set.
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Public Drawing for the 2025 Quota Alcoholic Beverage License Entry Period
The division will hold a public drawing on May 6, 2026 to determine the order in which 2025 entrants will be considered for quota alcoholic beverage licenses in specified counties. The drawing will be held live in Tallahassee, will not be streamed, and selected entrants will later receive certified-mail notice of license eligibility.
City of Callaway
Proposed Ordinance on Telecommunications Facilities in City Roads or Rights-of-Way
The City of Callaway gives notice of a proposed ordinance that would set registration requirements for communications services providers placing or seeking to place facilities in the city's rights-of-way. The first reading is scheduled for April 28, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Callaway Arts & Conference Center.
One question to sit with
If your firm has a P.E. planning to apply under Rule 61G15-20.0011, check the new eligibility path before May 12, 2026. The board is changing both the criteria and the application form.
Back tomorrow morning with the next batch from Tallahassee.
FAR Daily Brief · April 21, 2026
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