EDITORIAL: Deregulation of licenses isn't a bad idea when it's harder to become a barber than a paratrooper

Nov. 30--No all regulations are created equal.

We've long stood for those that protect the environment and effectively manage growth.

But Gov. Ron DeSantis is right -- occupational licenses in Florida need to go under the microscope.

No surprisingly, DeSantis, a U.S. Navy veteran, compared Florida's occupational training requirements with military training: "You can become a sniper in the U.S. Marine Corps by completing training for 79 days, which is roughly 632 hours, and yet in Florida becoming a licensed interior designer in requires 1,760 hours. You can earn jump wings by completing Army Jump School in three weeks, or about 168 hours; Florida law requires 1,200 hours to become licensed as a barber."

We get the necessity of licensing certain professions. The work of a doctor can determine whether you live or die. The work of an attorney can determine whether you go to jail or go free. The work of an engineer can determine whether a building stands or falls.

But the work of an auctioneer can determine....what? Whether you get outbid? Yes, Florida requires licenses auctioneers to get a license. Also sports agents, manicurists and mixed martial arts fighters and trainers.

Unlike those examples, some trades and professions intuitively seem to demand some level of licensing and training, but the state's requirements have a random nature to them.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Florida specifies more training hours for barbers and cosmetologists (1,200 each) than it does for certified nursing assistants (120 hours), emergency medical technicians (110 hours) and school-bus drivers (0 hours).

Call us crazy, but it seems a lot more can go wrong driving a bus full of little kids than giving someone a trim.

But Florida loves its licenses. According to a James Madison Institute report last year, nearly 30% of Florida's workforce needed a license. That's higher than all but three other states, including regulatory boogeymen like California and Massachusetts.

Another JMI report earlier this year found that occupational licensing can create financial and practical barriers for people getting out of prison and looking to re-enter the workforce in a high-demand field like, say, installing drywall. But Florida makes it harder to get a drywall license than all but three other states, the JMI report found.

The harder it is to get a job, the higher the chances an ex-offender will commit another crime. Reducing the number of occupations that require a license, along with the amount of training time, could significantly reduce the state's rearrest rate, according to the report.

The Florida Legislature headed in the right direction earlier this year in an ambitious criminal justice reform bill. The bill limits the amount of time an agency can deny someone a license because of criminal history, and it allows a person to apply for a license while they're still in prison, making it easier and faster to get to work once they're released.

DeSantis wants more. He's asking lawmakers to consider a bill that would get rid of or dial back some licensing requirements. He also wants the state to issue licenses to a person even if they've defaulted on a student loan. We like that.

We're more wary of his idea to allow county-issued licenses to be effective in any county, in part because it could amount to yet another state attempt to curb the power of local governments.

DeSantis (and the Legislature) shouldn't get too carried away with their deregulatory zeal. Licensing is meant to provide a degree of protection to the public, protection from incompetence and charlatans, of which Florida has no shortage.

Take harbor pilots. They guide freighters and massive cruise ships in and out of Florida's ports. At the risk of stating the obvious, Florida needs to maintain stringent licensing requirements for that type of job. You don't want to learn a lesson about unintended consequences when thousands of lives are at stake.

In a broad sense, DeSantis is on the right track. It shouldn't be such a steep climb for someone to cut hair or hang drywall. Let 'em work.

Editorials are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board and are written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Mike Lafferty, Shannon Green, Jay Reddick, David Whitley and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.

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