Business View Civil and Municipal | March 2021

7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MARCH 2021 FLORIDA ENGINEERING SOCIETY & AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINE COMPANIES OF FLORIDA ANNOUNCE 2021 SESSION PRIORITIES Urban Search & Rescue Engineer Liability Protections, and Long-Term Water, Energy and Transportation Solutions Top Priorities T he Florida Engineering Society (FES) and American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC-FL) has released its 2021 Legislative Session priorities, placing a priority on liability protections for engineers conducting urban search and rescue missions during natural disasters, and on long- term water, energy and transportation planning and solutions. “Engineers serve as boots on the ground to Florida’s growing resiliency and infrastructure needs, and are frequently the ‘go-to’ resource for engineering-related search and rescue missions during times of natural disasters. While lawmakers will rightly place a leading focus on the health and safety of Floridians and our state’s economic recovery from COVID-19, we encourage elected leaders to also take bold actions on the tremendous infrastructure- related needs facing Florida,” said Allen Douglas, Executive Director of FES and ACEC-FL. Urban Search and Rescue Engineer Liability Protections During times of natural disasters, structural engineer volunteers are often called upon by local and state government officials to inspect structures to ensure they are safe for first responders to enter. Since 2017, the number of licensed engineers volunteering their search and rescue services has dropped by 60 percent due to threats of liability lawsuits. OPENING L INES