The Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association (FNGLA) has endorsed a workers’ compensation insurance program for their members. Under the program, eligible FNGLA members may qualify for special benefits on their workers’ compensation policy through Summit’s family of insurance carriers. Click on the image to the right to be redirected to the FNGLA website to read the brochure announcing their endorsement of the workers’ compensation program.

FNGLA members must sign a safety pledge in which they commit to the implementation and continuation of a strong safety program as outlined by bullet points in the pledge. In addition to qualifying for the safety credit available in Florida that removes 2% of the workers’ compensation premium, these landscaping businesses are also eligible for additional benefits that can significantly reduce their premium. The goal of committing to a strong safety program is that it will decrease the experience modification factor of the landscaping business over time and directly reduce future premiums. The program also allows the landscaping business to qualify for a special dividend plan created for FNGLA members. Depending on your workers’ compensation claims, this program can save a large percentage of your premium each year. As we discussed before, dividend plans can be very beneficial to landscaping businesses since the majority of insurance premium spent will go to workers’ compensation insurance over other lines of coverage.

If you are a member of FNGLA and are interested in receiving a workers compensation quote through this program designed exclusively for your landscaping company, then please do not hesitate to contact our office or request a quote through our easy online form.

Summit is the largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance in the state of Florida. The company is a member of Liberty Mutual Agency Markets (a business unit of Liberty Mutual Group), which consists of property and casualty, and specialty insurance carriers that distribute their products and services primarily through independent agents and brokers. With their main office complex in Lakeland, Summit manages four insurance carriers writing workers’ compensation insurance in Florida. This family of carriers includes Bridgefield Casualty Insurance Company, Bridgefield Employers Insurance Company, BusinessFirst Insurance Company, and Florida Retail Federation Self Insurers Fund. For more information about Summit and the insurance carriers they manage, visit their website at www.SummitHoldings.com

As a division of Black Bear Insurance Agency, BearWise Landscapers has access to Summit’s family of carriers and would like the opportunity to offer a Summit workers’ compensation quote to your landscaping business. According to our records, Summit currently underwrites the workers’ compensation insurance on over 25% of all landscaping businesses in Florida. If your business has not received a comparative quote from Summit recently, please contact us or complete the online quote request form for our agents to put together a proposal on what Summit can offer your landscaping company.

There has been a lot of activity on the Florida workers’ compensation front over the past few years and it has increased in 2009 with two rates changes so far this year (one rate change effective January 1st and the other effective April 1st). To bring you up to date, Florida had the highest workers’ compensation rates in the country in 2003. There were some major reforms to the system at that time which resulted in over a 60% decrease in rates entering into 2009. Part of the reform that was effective in controlling the cost of workers’ compensation claims was to limit the amount of fees that claimants’ lawyers could charge for small recoveries. This was reversed last fall by a Florida Supreme Court case of Emma Murray v. Mariner Health in which the court ruled that lawyers should not have their fees limited to the size of the recovery instead of their normal hourly fees. Florida responded with a mid-year increase in the 2009 rates.

Since this time, the Florida Congress has been in session and has tried to address the issue. They passed a bill called House Bill 903 that responded to the Emma Murray decision by reinstating the percentage of benefits method of calculating attorney fees rather than considering other criteria such as the lawyers’ time spent on a case, the novelty issues involved in the litigation, and the level of expertise in the field of workers’ compensation that the attorney possessed. This bill in effect overturned the Emma Murray decision by the Florida Supreme Court.

The effective date of this bill is July 1st, 2009. The rate increase that was effective April 1st, will be discontinued as of July 1st and the new workers’ compensation rates will be the same as those issued on January 1st.

On top of all these changes is the fact that although House Bill 903 did succeed in once again lowering the workers’ compensation rates, it did not decide the constitutionality of the different methodologies for calculating attorneys’ fees in workers’ compensation cases. Many people anticipate it only to be a short time before another case comes along to challenge the new bill. This issue will most certainly be considered by the Supreme Court at some future date and it still remains questionable as to how injured worker attorney’s fees will be paid. When the bill gets overturned, the rates will inevitably rise again. But for now, enjoy the new lower rates that will be effective on July 1st, 2009. I will publish another article before then with those new rates.

Good Afternoon! I have recently joined the team at Black Bear Insurance Agency and will be working with all of our landscaping clients in the BearWise Landscapers Insurance Service. I am excited to use my insurance experience towards providing practical advice to the landscaping industry and all of our current and prospective landscaper clients. Over the past 22 years that I have been in insurance, I have served a wide variety of businesses and developed good working relationships with a number of insurance carriers. I am excited to be a part of BearWise Landscapers as it continues to grow and offer new services that add value to the owners of landscaping businesses across Florida. If there is ever anything I can do to help your business, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The FNGLA’s Certified Landscape Designer (FCLD) program offers a professional designation for practicing Landscape Designers and provides consumers a way to choose qualified design professionals. It is provided by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). FNGLA’s FCLD program is designed for landscape design professionals in landscape design firms as well as landscape designers in government agencies. Those qualified to sit for the FCLD exam must have a minimum of two years’ professional landscape design experience.

FNGLA Certified Landscape Designer (FCLD) is the highest level of certification available to Florida’s landscape design professionals. In order to sit for the written exam to complete the FCLD certification, applicants must have first successfully earned the FCHP designation.
Exams will cover principles of Plant Identification, Selection, Placement, and Protection, Sustainable Practices, Design, Business Management, Project Management and Codes & Laws.
Once both the FCHP written exams and the FCLD written exams have been completed, the applicant will submit a plan, either CAD or hand-rendered, to be reviewed.

Certification is a great way to distinguish yourself as a knowledgeable landscape professional. It provides a set of standards developed, maintained and administered by industry. These standards establish a minimum level of competency for professional members of the industry. Certification is voluntary and helps regulate the industry by providing a means by which consumers can identify industry members who have demonstrated their skills and abilities. FNGLA certification provides Florida’s nursery and landscape industry personnel the opportunity to earn professional accreditations distinguishing themselves from others. Other certifications for landscapers include:

• FCHP
• FCLT
• FCLMT
• FCLC

The FNGLA’s Certified Landscape Contractor (FCLC) program is the only standard for measuring the knowledge of practicing landscape contractors in Florida. The program was designed to promote professionalism and raise the standards of Florida’s landscape industry. FCLC also provides a way for government agencies, landscape architects, companies and individuals to choose qualified professionals in a state that does not require licensing of landscape contractors. In fact, FCLC has been included in the specifications of agencies, requiring that anyone bidding on particular jobs hold FNGLA’s FCLC designation. It is provided by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). The FCLC exam requires that applicants first complete both the FNGLA Certified Horticulture Professional (FCHP) written exam and the FNGLA Certified Landscape Technician (FCLT) field exam before sitting for the FCLC written exam.

FNGLA’s FCLC program is designed for owners, managers and supervisors of landscape contracting, landscape management or design build firms, as well as government agencies, parks departments and developers. Those qualified to sit for the FCLC exam must have a minimum of three years’ experience in the horticulture/landscape industry with one of those years in Florida. FNGLA’s FCLC certification is valid for a three-year period. During that time, FCLCs are required to earn 30 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in order to renew. If you hold more than one certification, these CEUs will apply to all certifications you hold.
In the absence of the required number of CEUs, the certified professional will be required to retake the exam.

Certification is a great way to distinguish yourself as a knowledgeable landscape professional. It provides a set of standards developed, maintained and administered by industry. These standards establish a minimum level of competency for professional members of the industry. Certification is voluntary and helps regulate the industry by providing a means by which consumers can identify industry members who have demonstrated their skills and abilities. FNGLA certification provides Florida’s nursery and landscape industry personnel the opportunity to earn professional accreditations distinguishing themselves from others. Other certifications for landscapers include:

• FCHP
• FCLT
• FCLMT
• FCLD

The FNGLA’s Certified Landscape Maintenance Technician (FCLMT) program is designed to measure the skills of practicing landscape maintenance technicians. This program serves as a means to train employees, recognize their achievement and raise the standards of working professionals within Florida’s landscape industry. It is provided by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). FCLMT is offered as a stand-alone certification and marketed to the landscape industry as an employee training, recognition and advancement program. This certification relies heavily on the green industries best management practices.

FCLMT certification is valid for a three-year period. During that time, an FCLMT is required to earn 15 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in order to renew.

Certification is a great way to distinguish yourself as a knowledgeable landscape professional. It provides a set of standards developed, maintained and administered by industry. These standards establish a minimum level of competency for professional members of the industry. Certification is voluntary and helps regulate the industry by providing a means by which consumers can identify industry members who have demonstrated their skills and abilities. FNGLA certification provides Florida’s nursery and landscape industry personnel the opportunity to earn professional accreditations distinguishing themselves from others. Other certifications for landscapers include:

• FCHP
• FCLT
• FCLC
• FCLD