A Message from FASCO President, KC Poulin

As we enter 2012, I will take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments of the last few years and talk about some of the future challenges we face. FASCO has invested much time, money and energy into creating real improvements for our industry while at the same time protecting our interests with the Division of Licensing and the Legislature. FASCO, with the NRA, FALI and FLACARS for example, was able to help prevent the regional DOL offices from being closed during the legislative budget battles. This same alliance of associations was successful at blocking the DOL Trust Fund from being raided for six million dollars of your license fees. We are not yet passed the budget raids because the legislators are still looking to find every available dollar to overcome budget shortfalls. We expect that our Trust Fund dollars will continue to be attractive in future Legislative Sessions but we are staying vigilant!

In efforts to ensure our voice gets attention and produces results with the DOL and the Legislature, FASCO, FALI and FLACARS have formed an official alliance called the Council of Presidents of 493 (COP). This alliance has been extremely successful at coordinating mutual interests and addressing issues that affect all three industries regulated under Chapter 493. Furthermore, as a result of the COP, during the last two years, FASCO joined with FALI in hosting a joint conference and we have been extremely pleased with the results. This year we intend to continue this effort to expand our interaction and cooperation with FALI and FLACARS to solidify our ability to protect your interests and fight for the changes the industry seeks.

Under the Council of Presidents of 493, industry representatives, including myself, met with Commissioner Putnam in October to discuss the future of our industry and his administration of it. The Commissioner was very encouraging in his views and openly committed to partner with us as we enter into a new relationship with his administration. We were encouraged by his commitment to help evolve our standards, to modernize the DOL and to enhance the enforcement of 493. One area of concern expressed by the Commissioner dealt with the current training standards and the lack of assurances that DS schools are actually providing the training required by law. As many of you know, in January 2012, the training requirements will change to a mandatory 40 hours prior to licensing being issued. The DOL sees this as a time to make further changes as to how training and licensing works. As a result, not only will the curriculum change, it is the intent of the DOL to look at making other fundamental changes that will standardize D training and testing for all security officers. Be assured that FASCO will be involved to ensure that the changes are effective and realistic for our industry and how we operate our businesses.  

The legislative session of 2011-2012 will focus on three areas of change for the industry. The first addresses unlicensed activity, which is currently a misdemeanor on the first offense. The new changes, if the law passes, will make providing unlicensed services a 3rd degree felony on the second offense and would carry a $10,000 fine. Unlicensed activity affects all of us and many times victimizes the citizens of Florida; therefore, stronger enforcement must be addressed, this new law will go a long way to doing that. The two other parts of this bill would make it illegal to impersonate a licensee and give armed security personnel temporary detention authority on critical infrastructure.

KC Poulin, CPOI, CPS, CHS-III, ATO
President, FASCO
President/CEO, Critical Intervention Services

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