Unlicensed Practice of Engineering
HB 839 increases penalties for individuals repeatedly practicing engineering without a license in Florida. It targets people who violate engineering licensing laws multiple times, imposing escalating fines: $10,000 for a second violation, $15,000 for a third, $20,000 for a fourth, and $25,000 for a fifth or subsequent offense. The bill amends Florida Statute 471.033 to establish this tiered penalty structure, effective July 1, 2026. It does not change licensing requirements but strengthens enforcement against repeat violations.
Bill status
in committee
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Dec 19, 2025
Last action Mar 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
H 839 Filed
→
H 839 c1
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was significantly revised to remove the creation of the Engineering Student Loan Assistance Program, which previously provided financial aid to engineers working in state agencies. The remaining text focuses solely on increasing penalties for individuals repeatedly engaging in the unlicensed practice of engineering. The effective date was also adjusted from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2026 (no change in date, but the section was moved).
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed from two distinct topics (unlicensed practice penalties and student loan assistance) to focus exclusively on enforcing penalties for unlicensed practice of engineering.
FISCAL
The Engineering Student Loan Assistance Program, including its purpose, eligibility, funding sources, and payment rules, was entirely removed from the bill.
REQUIREMENT
The requirement for the Board of Professional Engineers to adopt rules to administer the loan program was removed.
TIMELINE
The effective date provision was moved to a new Section 2, replacing the previous Section 3 which also contained the loan program implementation clause.
TECHNICAL
The bill title was updated from 'engineering' to 'unlicensed practice of engineering' to better reflect the narrowed scope.
Floor votes · House Feb 24, 2026
How they voted
24–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 27
Feb 24, 2026
D
Democratic8
75% Yea
R
Republican19
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
24
Key actions
9
Committee
12
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Commerce Committee
lower
Feb 24, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (24-0-3)
house
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable by Commerce Committee
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Added to Commerce Committee agenda
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Now in Commerce Committee
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Commerce Committee
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with CS by Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
PCS added to Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee agenda
lower
Jan 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Now in Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee
lower
Jan 5, 2026
Committee
Referred to Commerce Committee
lower
Jan 5, 2026
Committee
Referred to State Administration Budget Subcommittee
lower
Jan 5, 2026
Committee
Referred to Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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