From the TU: The Risk of Removing Regulation

[Steve_Lovett]

Very pertinent points. It won't be the last time my arguments are shot down so thoroughly!

Again, I am not suggesting to deregulate (de-license... is that a word?) every profession, but I can certainly see opening up various fields to some degree.

“What’s ironic is that recently two states, Vermont and Washington, have strengthened their landscape architecture regulations,” said Steve Lovett, a partner at Ervin Lovett Miller, a Jacksonville environmental design practice.

I guess that'll teach me to read on...

Frankly, I thought the article's justification for Landscape Architecture was lame -- the issue isn't protectionism for current practitioners and up and coming students -- it IS Health, Safety, and Welfare -- protecting the public's interest.  Period.  If that wasn't articulated in the article, it should've been.

We tend to be on a deregulation kick lately - and a lot of decisions are being made at the state legislature level from an uneducated perspective.  I think we should look more thoughtfully at the net result of some of these decisions and realize that what we cut or deregulate may come at a much higher cost.

[stjr]

Do you want an unlicensed structural engineer designing an interstate bridge, high rise building, or the house you live in?  Just go to a third world nation to see what that will get you.

It is beyond the reasonable capabilities of a lay or business person, who, typically, rarely engages licensed professionals for various needs, to be able to determine the standards of a true professional in the subject profession.  Nor, is it efficient for our society that every citizen and business enterprise be required to reinvent the wheel by having to study and validate (can you see the wave of law suits if they don't?) the life history, experience, and up-to-date education of every candidate for a "professional" job.  Licensing is one government service that is probably done far more efficiently on behalf of all of us than we can do in the private sector.  Don't underestimate the clout of the legal ramifications should a "professional" stray from his/her field's standards.

If the legislature is really intent on doing this, by the way, then let it start with lawyers, the profession most represented among our elected representatives.  I would like to see that "debate"!

[JeffreyS]

Life is a great balancing act. We certainly do not want the type of deregulation that led to investment bankers circumventing mortgage rules but often licenses just become a fee collection process.  It will always be hard to constantly review them in a climate where people want to underfund everything unless it will blow up on a foreign land.

[Noone]

Regulation?

Jacksonville- Parks, Recreation, Entertainment and in 2005 to include Conservation.

A new Downtown Authority with total control over the Entertainment District.

A new Director Tera Meeks, Division Chief of Property Management and Programming over the Preservation Projects.(Conservation)

2010-856 pending legislation of a 1 mile ban on transient vendors.

Daniel O'Byrne new Director of Visit Jacksonville.

Shipyards I, Landmar II, Shipyards III the Promised 680' Downtown Public Pier. 2010-604- The Public Trust has been totally crushed.

USS Adams 2010-675. Just one Finance amendment.

Our city charter. Legislation pending to restore the Code of Ethics that was in our charter in 1968 and removed in 1972. Will it happen?

Regulation?

[buckethead]

Do you want an unlicensed structural engineer designing an interstate bridge, high rise building, or the house you live in?  Just go to a third world nation to see what that will get you.

It is beyond the reasonable capabilities of a lay or business person, who, typically, rarely engages licensed professionals for various needs, to be able to determine the standards of a true professional in the subject profession.  Nor, is it efficient for our society that every citizen and business enterprise be required to reinvent the wheel by having to study and validate (can you see the wave of law suits if they don't?) the life history, experience, and up-to-date education of every candidate for a "professional" job.  Licensing is one government service that is probably done far more efficiently on behalf of all of us than we can do in the private sector.  Don't underestimate the clout of the legal ramifications should a "professional" stray from his/her field's standards.

If the legislature is really intent on doing this, by the way, then let it start with lawyers, the profession most represented among our elected representatives.  I would like to see that "debate"!

Do you want an unlicensed carpenter framing your houses? In Duval County that's exactly what you have. (One does need to purchase an occupational license to do business in Duval). In St Johns county however, there is an examination given that must be passed, along with $400 worth of books to be bought (4 books) before one can frame a house legally. No bother; some licensed framers have taken to "pimping" their licenses to unlicensed (not to mention the vast majority within our borders illegally) framers.  

Are houses in Duval County less sound than those in St Johns? (That's why there are building codes and inspections)

There are professions where licensing makes sense, just like there are those that don't, unless you want governments creating ever growing bureaucracies and fee grabbing.

BTW, I agree on the lawyer part.

[Dog Walker]

A historic reason for regulation at the state level was the very corrupt operations of the local regulating bodies.

Until the 1960's it was nearly impossible for a person of color or a woman to get licensed as a contractor in Duval County because the local board was controlled by the established contractors.

My mother was actually the first woman to get a contractor's license in Duval County in 1953 only because she had powerful political backing and promised not to do any work for anyone but the family.  Her office buildings and houses are still standing.

The State took over a lot of professional regulation because of the patchwork and corrupt workings at the local level.  Many of the regulated professions actually asked for a single statewide regulatory body so that they did not have to reapply in every county when doing business there.

[urbanlibertarian]

Government: Because we care about your health, security and welfare we have limited your choices of whom you can hire to perform certain services for you.  Corruption, cronyism and paternalism cannot possibly be factors in our decision making.

Citizen: But I just want to be able to make those decisions for myself.  What if I find someone who doesn't measure up to your standards but is qualified enough to meet my needs and will charge me less than someone on your list?

[Dog Walker]

Gov't:  Citizen, you have shown over and over again that you don't have enough information to make good decisions about many of these things that we regulate.  You fall for cons and scams repeatedly and when you house falls down in a storm or your fake insurance company doesn't pay off we have to come along and pick up the pieces.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I'm still up in the air with this one because even though these industries are looking at deregulation, there's nothing here that tells me that the planners and architects won't still require a licensed contractor in the RFP.

So sure, Joe Businessowner can have his un-licensed buddy do the design work for his new office - failing to comply with ADA, Fire and Safety etc. and he can pay to have all of that fixed - this is why we have professionals doing the inspections (hopefully). 

Able Abe Businessowner put the wording in his RFP that he is only taking bids from licensed professionals, so his job ends up on-time and on-budget.

I guess where I'm going with this, is that even with some de-reg, there are checks and balances in place to help prevent some of these issues, and yes Loki, you may end up losing jobs to un-licensed companies, but it only takes someone once to get burned and those companies tend to not stay around very long.