Thank You,

Douglas Feldman, ASID
ASID FSC President 2006-2007

IDAF
Shari Silkoff, ASID
Florida South Representative

Please complete this IDAF questionnaire.

The Interior Designers Associations Foundation was founded to represent the interior design profession in the State of Florida in all matters pertaining to legislation, regulation, and education. Our objectives are to provide a unified voice for all Florida Interior Designers in regard to legislative issues; to guide and monitor legislative and regulatory concerns affecting the profession of interior design; to inform and educate the members and related industry to legislation affecting the industry; to support and encourage the pursuit of higher and continuing education of all design professionals; and to promote professional competency, ethics, and inter-professional relationships.

We are a non-profit organization that exists financially through the efforts of its member organizations – ASID, IIDA, NKBA, NCIDQ, and the educational community. We support the vital services of a professional lobbyist, and attend the quarterly Florida State Board of Architects and Interior Designers meetings to ensure there is adequate voice from the interior design community.

Initially founded to address concerns of licensing, our agenda has continued to evolve as our profession matures and continues to grow. While licensing in the State of Florida has existed for over 10 years, there are new and significant issues on our table today. One of these issues we are presently addressing is having Interior Designers included in the Florida Building Code. As of this time, we are the only licensed professional excluded from mention in the building code and who are not allowed to submit plans, etc without another licensed professional’s seal- such as an architects, even though we are now being held to the same standards as these other professionals. 

Another issue that is under discussion is Contract Administration. It has come to the Board’s attention that there is not only a lack of involvement on behalf of architects, contractors, and developers to follow through with contract administration, but that CA has actually become a part of what the Interior Designer does by trade. CA poses interesting issues for the design community itself. Some of these issues include the concept of value engineering and/or accountability in the quality of a project.

You will notice on an adjacent page, a questionnaire concerning Contract Administration. Please take a moment to share one or more examples when you have personally been involved in a project and dealt with an issue where by your intervention, were able to contribute to the health, safety, and welfare of your client. This information is important in our quest to establish CA as falling under the auspices of design professionals and not the owners, contractors, and/or developers who have other interests at heart.

In addition, I am including some commonly asked questions and answers which I hope you find helpful. The full set of these questions may be found at www.myflorida.com

Chapter 481, Part 1, of the Florida statutes and Rule 61G1 of the Florida Administrative Code are the statutes and rules governing the practice of Architecture and Interior Design in the State of Florida. For a copy of the latest agendas, minutes, and rules and regulations you may log on to www.myflorida.com or simply request a booklet be sent to you directly from the statehouse.

You will also find Interior Design license applications, Certificate of Authorization forms, and all forms and/or applications pertinent to the design professional readily available and may be printed or saved directly from the site.

In order to become a licensed Interior Designer in the State of Florida you must have a minimum 2-yr degree in interior design from a FIDER/ CEDIA accredited institution. You must have a minimum of 4 years of work experience under a licensed architect or interior designer. If you have a 4-year degree, you will need 2 years of work experience under the supervision of a licensed architect or interior designer equaling a total of 6 years. Passage of the NCIDQ exam is mandatory.

You may be considered for licensure without an interior design degree, if after review of your existing degree by the Board, it is deemed that it is equivalent in nature according to the Rules in the Florida Statutes. Course curriculum must be submitted with the licensing application for review. However, if you do not have an interior design degree or what is considered its equivalent, it is no longer possible to become licensed without the required education regardless of work experience.

Florida has licensure by endorsement, which means you can only get your license from another state endorsed as long as you meet Florida’s requirements.

If you have your own business and it is in your name as a sole proprietor, you may operate an Interior Design business and do not need a certificate of authorization.
In order to practice in any name other than your individual name, you need to apply for an interior design certificate of authorization to operate a business and you must obtain board approval to become the business qualifier. You may obtain the application online at www.myflorida.com.

In conclusion each licensed interior design business is required to display their license number in all advertising. Advertising includes newspapers, telephone directory, business cards, stationary, magazines, billboards, proposals, contracts, and job site signs.

Remember it is your responsibility to know the rules and regulations that govern our industry. We will do the best we can to keep you informed of any changes in legislation and/or the rules and regulations, however it is important to take the time every month or so to check the status of pending legislation and or rules changes by going to www.myflorida.com. There will be new updated copies of the rules and regulations booklets available from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the ASID office in DCOTA following the February, May, July, and October meetings of the Board.

If you have any further questions, I will do my best to answer them or direct you to the proper place. I may be reached by email at shari@bayardesigns.com or 954-349-9015.