I warned you long ago that pesticide safety is LOADED with acronyms and here is another one: LCLM. I will make it even worse, there are changes coming to LCLM that radically change how you get this mystical, yet to be defined, thing. Read on to find what I mean with LCLM, what is it and what has changed.
You have waited long enough, LCLM stands for Limited Commercial Landscape Maintenance, which is a specific certification in the Florida Statute, Chapter 482. This still isn’t enough, so we developed a good publication that lets you know a little about what this certificate is and what you need to GET this license and to KEEP it. I HIGHLY recommend you download the pdf as all the links self-link within the document and it works to it’s highest potential in this form. I know we are working to have the website version work the same, but that’s a battle for another day. If you just won’t read that or want more context, read on for WHAT the LCLM actually lets you do.
What is it?
Perhaps the best place to start is that this certificate is really more about what you CAN’T do and less about what you CAN. Here are the basics:
- You can treat pests of the landscape around occupied structures
- Flower beds, bushes, tree islands, sidewalks and driveways
- The pests MUST be pests of the landscape NOT people or non-ornamental plants
That’s about it for what you CAN do…now to the CAN’T do’s
- You can’t use Warning, Danger, Danger (Poison) or restricted use pesticides (RUP)
- You can’t supervise anyone, this certificate is for you and you only
- You can’t treat any turf or pests of turf
- Fire ants in the long are a no-no, wasps are a no-no, mosquitos are a no-no
- You can’t use any power equipment
- You can’t use backpacks exceeding 5 gallons
- You can’t get this certificate without insurance
I know it seems confusing and very restrictive but in Florida there are tons of opportunities to use this certificate.
What is changing?
Now that we have what this certificate is and how we can use it, what is this change you mentioned? It used to be that in order to get this certificate you had to take 6 hours of training related to the type of work you would do. This is actually the only certificate that had a pre-training requirement quite like this. Others may have requirements for on job experience, but this was the only one with classroom requirements. Well on July 1st of this year, a mere few days away, this 6 hour requirement is gone. That’s right in the long list of can’t (you can’t get this certificate without 6 hours) is a little shorter. To be clear:
July 1st, 2024, nobody getting the LCLM certificate needs any classroom instruction. If you have insurance, and can prove it, you can apply to take the exam and get your certificate.
There is one less requirement. This is kind of a big deal and FDACS should be commended for thinking about the stakeholders and reducing a burden. I know it can seem like we always get more complications and more restrictions, so this is a good thing. So now you know all about LCLM, what is it and what has changed.
As I write this we are preparing to celebrate the 4th of July. I hope you all have a chance to take a break, appreciate what you have in life, and enjoy a safe and enjoyable 4th.
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