If passed into law, the bill would end the seven-member body that oversees licensing and disciplinary matters for 320,000 real estate professionals. Florida Realtors and other groups slammed the plan.
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A bill moving through the Florida Legislature seeks to eliminate the commission responsible for handling licensing and disciplinary matters for the state’s 320,000 real estate professionals.
The bill — which takes aim at the Florida Real Estate Commission, the body that is responsible for licensing and regulating real estate agents and brokers in the Sunshine State — has drawn fierce opposition from the real estate community.
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The seven-member commission, which is made up of brokers, agents and everyday Floridians and is appointed by the governor, also handles rulemaking.
“Right now we’re 320,000 active licensees across the state,” Millie Kanyar, a broker who is chair of the commission, told Inman. “Basically, our role is crucial in maintaining the public trust and potential integrity in real estate transactions.”
It’s not immediately clear how disputes and disciplinary action would be handled if the bill, HB1461, passes the House and Senate with the provision in place.
The bill is part of a broader deregulation push by the sponsor, Rep. Taylor Yarkosky, a central Florida Republican, that also takes aim at dozens of other commissions under the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Among the other commissions targeted for elimination are the Board of Architecture and Interior Design, the Board of Landscape Architecture and the Construction Industry Licensing Board.
When Yarkosky introduced the bill in February, it didn’t include any mention of the real estate industry. It proposed updates to the construction licensing board and architecture board. It was revised last week to propose the outright elimination of a slew of boards and commissions, including the Florida Real Estate Commission.
The Florida Real Estate Commission routinely handles dozens of disciplinary cases during its monthly meetings. It is scheduled to decide on dozens of applicants looking to obtain real estate licenses to operate in Florida at its meeting next week.
Hundreds of complaints are filed with the Real Estate Division each month. Many are investigated by the division’s 31 investigators. Depending on the outcome of a probable cause hearing, cases will go before the commission.
The Florida Homebuilders Association has come out in support of the bill.
The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors and Florida Realtors were opposed, among others.
“We do welcome continued conversation, including the conversation around the privatization of what would happen with the administration and oversight of Florida licensure within the state of Florida,” said Tim Weisheyer, broker of Dream Builders Realty and president of the Florida Realtors, during a hearing on the bill in a House subcommittee on Tuesday.
“We understand the intent of the bill and what the state is trying to do with deregulation in our state,” he said. “But we do truly believe that real estate is one of those that should be preserved.”
The Florida Realtors have five lobbyists working on the bill, according to state records.
The National Association of Realtors referred questions about the bill to the Florida Realtors, which didn’t immediately respond to questions about the bill.
Other opponents to the bill said it would threaten the integrity of the state’s real estate industry.
“FREC is a regulatory body composed of experienced brokers, agents, and public members who understand the nuances of real estate transactions, ethics, and consumer protection,” the American Real Estate Association said in a statement. “Replacing that expertise with a generic bureaucracy not only weakens professional oversight — it jeopardizes the public trust.
“Let’s be clear: this is not deregulation,” the group continued, “this is de-professionalization.”
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