Heating Contractors in Florida

Florida is a state filled with snowbirds - people who head south at the first sight of a snowflake in their home town. It's also filled with retirees who enjoy the warm weather, although certain areas of the state do get cool during the winters. Temperatures are generally in the low 90s in the summer, and in winter time can dip into the low 40s in northern Florida and in the mid-50s in southern Florida. So good heating systems are as important as good air conditioning systems.

HVAC contractors in Florida must be licensed. Before taking the licensing exam, one of the following requirements from the Department of Business & Professional Regulation Construction Industry Licensing Board must be met.

• Four years of experience as a workman or foreman - with at least one year as a foreman.
• A four year construction-related degree from an accredited college, and one year proven related experience
• One year of experience as a foreman, and three years of credits from college-level courses.
• One year experience as a workman, one year proven experience as a foreman, and two years of credits for any accredited college level courses
• Two years experience as a workman, one year experience as a foreman, and one year of credits for any accredited college level courses

There are two types of contractors in Florida. Contractors who are "registered" can work at the local level, whereas those who are "certified" can work anywhere in the state.

The St. Petersburg Times recently published an article, (April 21, 2007) with the title Is Your Contractor Up to the Job?, which pointed out that many Floridians have to cope with storm damage during the hurricane season and that it's essential to hire a reputable, licensed contractor. The author then gave advice to the consumer on how to choose an appropriate contractor, including checking licenses, not signing contracts with any blank spaces, and other common sense details.