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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrder No. 20-027 - Virtual Examination of Applicants for Certificate of Competency (04-23-20) JOSEPH E.SMITH,CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT SAINT LUCIE COUNTY FILE# 4702523 04/28/2020 10:37:14 AM OR BOOK 4413 PAGE 984-986 Doc Type:ORD RECORDING: $27.00 ORDER NO. 20-027 AN ORDER OF THE ST. LUCIE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR REGARDING VIRTUAL EXAMINATION OF APPLICANTS FOR CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY WHEREAS, the St. Lucie County Administrator has made the following determinations: 1. On March 17, 2020, the St. Lucie County Public Safety Director declared a State of Local Emergency Covid-19 Public Health Emergency ("St. Lucie County Declaration of Emergency"); and 2. The Findings contained in the St. Lucie County Declaration of Emergency are incorporated herein; and 3. On March 20, 2020, the Governor of the State of Florida issued Executive Order Number 20-69 suspending any Florida Statute that requires a quorum to be present in person or requires a local government body to meet at a specific public place and providing that local government bodies may utilize communications media technology such as telephonic and video conferencing, as provided in Section 120.54(5)(b)2, Florida Statutes; and 4. On March 24, 2020, the Governor of the State of Florida issued Executive Order No. 20-83 directing the State Surgeon General and State Health Officer to issue a public health advisory to all persons over 65 years of age and persons that have serious underlying medical conditions that place them at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 urging them to stay home and to take such other measures as necessary to limit their risk of exposure to COVID-19; and 5. Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-83, the Governor of the State of Florida further directed the State Surgeon General and the State Health Officer to issue a public health advisory providing that individuals should cease all social or recreational gatherings of 10 or more people; and 6. On March 25, 2020, the State Surgeon General issued a Public Health Advisory consistent with Executive Order 20-83; and 7. On March 25, 2020, the President of the United States declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Florida as a result of COVID-19; and 8. On April 1, 2020, the Governor of the State of Florida issued Executive Order 20- 91 directing senior citizens, individuals with a significant underlying medical condition, and persons engaging in nonessential services or activities to stay at home; and 9. Paragraph 2 of the St. Lucie County Declaration of Emergency provides that the County Administrator may take all actions necessary and appropriate to protect human life and prosperity, to the extent necessary to accommodate the emergency; and 10. Section 10-57 St. Lucie Code and Compiled Laws provides that, "All applicants for a county certificate of competency shall be required to take and pass a technical/competency examination and a business and law examination or a general specialty examination when a technical/competency examination is not available"; and 11. On May 20, 2015, the St. Lucie County Contractor's Examining Board approved Prov Inc. as a testing agency for St. Lucie County; and 12. Prov Inc. has reached out to staff to advise that they have implemented remote testing from an applicant's home or office due to COVID-19; and 13. Due to Covid-19, the Board has cancelled all board meetings in April and St. Lucie Board of County Commissioner meeting for April 21, 2020 and May 5, 2020 are canceled. The next scheduled Board meeting is on May 19, 2020. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED AS FOLLOWS: 1. The determinations, orders, and declarations identified above are incorporated herein. 2. To best protect the health, safety, and welfare of the County and its residents, remote testing from approved certificate of competency testing agencies shall be allowed. 3. This Emergency Order shall be on the Board's May 19, 2020 regular agenda. 4. Any provision(s) within this Emergency Order that conflict(s) with any state or federal law or constitutional provision, or conflict(s) with or are superseded by a current or subsequently -issued Executive Order of the Governor or the President of the United States, shall be deemed inapplicable and deemed to be severed from this Emergency Order, with the remainder of the Emergency Order remaining intact and in full force and effect. To the extent application of some or all of the provisions of this Emergency Order is prohibited on the sovereign land of a federally or state recognized sovereign Indian tribe, such application is expressly excluded from this Emergency Order. 5. Effective Date; Duration. This order shall be effective as of 8:00 (am) on the date signed below. 6. This Order shall be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Signed thisd�day of April 2020 at 8:00 am. YAK* Howard . Tipton County Administrator