Standards of Practice and Florida Surveying and Mapping Law
Standards and statutory framework
This domain tests how Florida law and board rules govern professional conduct, licensure, sealing, discipline, and agency procedure. The core statutes are Chapter 472, F.S. (surveyors and mappers), Chapter 177, F.S. (land boundaries, corner records, and record plats), and Chapter 120, F.S. (Administrative Procedure Act). The Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers administers licensure under Chapter 472 and adopts rules in Chapter 5J-17, F.A.C.; Rule 5J-17.050, F.A.C., sets the Standards of Practice and incorporates statutory boundary and plat requirements. Chapter 120 controls rulemaking, license discipline hearings, and appeals. The exam favors scenario questions: who may seal, what must be filed, and which forum hears the dispute.
Key rules
- A licensee may sign and seal only work performed by that licensee or under the licensee's responsible charge; responsible charge requires direct control and personal supervision.
- Chapter 177 requires record plats to be prepared by a Florida-licensed surveyor and mapper; corner records must be filed when corners are perpetuated or reestablished.
- Disciplinary grounds under Chapter 472 include fraud, incompetence, signing blank or incomplete instruments, and practicing beyond scope; proceedings follow Chapter 120 and are heard by an administrative law judge.
- A rule challenge tests the validity of an agency rule; a discipline case tests the licensee's conduct.
Worked example
A technician performs a boundary survey while the licensed surveyor is out of the office. The surveyor later reviews the map, makes no field checks, and signs and seals it. Under Chapter 472 and Rule 5J-17.050, this is not responsible charge. The signature certifies personal supervision and control, not clerical review. The Board may treat the seal as a false certification, and the surveyor, not the technician, faces discipline. Correct practice is to supervise the field work, verify the evidence and calculations, and document the decisions before sealing.
Traps
Do not assume the Board is under DBPR; Florida surveyors and mappers are regulated through FDACS. Do not confuse 'approved' with 'recorded' for plats. Do not treat Chapter 120 as a boundary statute; it is procedure. Do not sign a survey because 'the company' did the work; the seal is personal.