(WSVN) - Many people have to have a license to do their job, and don’t forget you need a license to drive. But if you let that license expire, can you be penalized two or three times the cost of the license to renew it? It’s why one electrician called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
When most people see wires sparking, the thought of getting shocked is quickly followed by the realization, “I need an electrician.”
Don Burde, license reinstatement: “It takes a little bit of intelligence, a little bit of danger involved and a lot of work, so it’s a good blend. It’s a fun job.”
It might be fun, but it’s not easy to be what called a journeyman electrician, because you have to climb the ranks, get a minimum of 8,000 hours or four years in the field to even qualify to take the test.
Don Burde: “You have helper, then you have apprentice, then you have mechanic, then you have journeyman.”
Don got his journeyman’s license in 2008, but then in 2014 decided to go back to college to become an electrical engineer … and he did not renew his electrician’s license.
Don Burde: “I just let it expire because I knew that I wasn’t going to be using it. At least I thought at the time.”
By 2018, Don had left school and was hired by a company to be an estimater, to determine how much to charge their customers for electrical work.
And even though he didn’t need his journeyman’s license for that work, he went to renew it — and was told it would be $1,035.
Don Burde: “It’s gonna cost me a lot of money.”
Broward County wanted:
- $50 a year from 2014 to 2018, when Don was not using his license
- another $100 a year for 2018 to 2020 for the new license
- a late fee for not having the license he wasn’t using starting back in 2014
Don Burde: “The late fees are $735. The late fees are about two and a half times what the license cost for six years.”
Don can figure out how to wire your house, how many electricians and hours it will take to do the job … but figuring out the county’s fees? Well, that baffles him.
Don Burde: “A lot more penalities than I expected.”
Well, Howard, can you be forced to pay for a license you aren’t using and penalties when you try to renew it?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Since the government makes the rules, and they control the licenses, they can force you to pay that money. Now, is the late fee fair? And why do they need to charge so much? Some will say it’s to encourage you to not let the license lapse. A cynic will say, it’s a money grab by the county. You decide.”
In some fields, such as attorneys, you can request that your license be inactive if you aren’t using it to lower the fees.
But journeymen electricians are not allowed to do that in Broward County.
Don then went before Broward’s Electrical Examining Board. They agreed to cut his late fees from $735 to $375. Add the $300 for the licenses, and instead of the $1,035, Don would now have to pay $675 to get his license reinstated.
Still wrong, Don says.
Don Burde: “That’s not justified to me. It just seems like they just are trying to get as much money from me as they can.”
Howard Finkelstein: “No matter what license you have, no matter who issues it, it almost always costs you extra to reactivate it. An example we can all relate to is your driver’s license. If it expires, it can cost an extra $15 to renew. Plus, you may have to take the written or driving test and that will cost you more money. If you have any license, try not to let if expire.”
Don has found a way to avoid paying the penalty and advance his career. He is going to try to get his state electrical contractor’s license.
Don Burde: “The qualifications are a little more strict, but I don’t have to pay the $675 to reinstate my journeyman’s. I don’t need that on the state level, and I can contract anywhere in the state, including Broward County.”
More than one way to get what you want. And don’t forget with some licenses, like a driver’s licenses, if it expires and you keep using it, you can get in trouble, so keep an eye on your licenses.
Shocked at a problem you are facing? Feel powerless to solve it? Give us license to step in. No one has called us electric when we show up, but we’re wired to help you.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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