Press Release

Florida DBPR Highlights 2024 Accomplishments that Bolster Florida’s Economic Success and Create Efficiencies for Working Families

December 26, 2024

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) highlights its 2024 accomplishments that bolster Florida’s economic success and create efficiencies for working families. In 2024, DBPR supported key industry growth and workforce education initiatives to create opportunities for Floridians and further solidify Florida’s position as the best state in the nation to do business.

“In 2024, Florida continued to reap the benefits of Governor DeSantis’ keen focus on business growth and penchant for government efficiency,” said DBPR Secretary Melanie S. Griffin. “This year’s accomplishments tell a story of success for Florida’s businesses and professionals through significant industry growth, streamlined processes, enhanced education initiatives and strong consumer protections.”

2024 accomplishments include:

More Than $25.7 Million in Taxpayer Savings

• In 2023, House Bill 1091 was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor DeSantis, waiving certain license and application fees until 2025. In 2024, through DBPR’s implementation of HB 1091, more than $25.7 million in fees were waived for licensees.
• On January 5, 2024, the state of Florida became the first state in the union to achieve FDA approval of a Canadian Drug Importation Program, which stands to save the state of Florida up to $180 million in just its first year of operation. This approval represents the culmination of nearly a half-decade of collaboration between DBPR and the Agency for Health Care Administration.

Supporting Industry Growth and Workforce Education

• The number of DBPR-licensed public food service establishments grew by more than 2% during 2024, increasing from 64,325 to 65,954 licensed establishments.
• DBPR’s Hospitality Education Program School-to-Career Transition Program Grant funding increased by more than $310,000 in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 to further educational opportunities for students enrolled in related industries.
  • In 2024, 222 schools received grant funding for programs directed to careers in the food service industry, with more than 58,800 students participating in these programs. 45 schools received grant funding for programs directed to careers in the lodging industry, with more than 4,900 students participating.

• Florida was ranked third in the nation for the number of professional combative sports sanctioned in 2024, a testament to Florida’s active development of the combat sports industry.
  • In 2024, the Florida Athletic Commission sanctioned 230 live professional boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts events, surpassing 2022 for the highest number on record.

Creating Efficiencies for Florida Professionals

• DBPR’s Division of Professions implemented a new method of military licensure by endorsement in 2024. The program offers license reciprocity for active-duty service members and their spouses who have been relocated due to military orders, easing their transition to Florida.
• The DBPR Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco implemented new efficiencies to the department’s software to streamline the state’s beverage quota license process. These enhancements streamlined the approval of online entry forms for the quota alcoholic beverage drawing, allowing businesses to obtain their licenses sooner.
• DBPR’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco continued to prioritize the processing of temporary initial licenses, which allow businesses to begin selling products immediately while their permanent applications are processed.
  • The Division significantly reduced the average time it takes to process an application for a temporary license, from 22 days in 2022 to 2 days for sufficient applications in 2024.
  • The Division also reduced the time to process incomplete applications by offering enhanced customer service for applicants with incomplete applications, bringing total average processing time to 9 days.
• In DBPR’s Customer Contact Center, the average time that a customer waited on hold prior to speaking with a call agent was reduced by more than 38 percent, from 12:46 minutes in 2023 to 4:55 minutes in 2024.
• DBPR’s Division of Real Estate completed additional training to streamline the processing of initial licensure and examination applications for Real Estate Sales Associates and Brokers. As a result, the average processing time was reduced to 1.3 days in 2024, down from 5.2 days in 2023.
• DBPR collaborated with the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that all examinations for professional licensure are certified so that veterans can be reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs for the cost of state licensing examinations.
• The Florida Building Commission upgraded to QR code-based processing for its Manufacturer Building Program’s insignia workflow. This update has significantly reduced department costs in providing insignias to applicants. By eliminating costly maintenance and consumables, operations have been streamlined to achieve a substantial time savings of 576 hours annually.

Consumer Protections and Education Initiatives

• DBPR’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco implemented a historic initiative to prevent the sale of harmful hemp products to minors, resulting in more than 160 arrests for the sale of hemp to minors since July 1.
• DBPR’s ABT agents completed more than 12,400 compliance checks to prevent the sale of alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products to persons under the legal age of 21.
• DBPR’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco presented Florida’s successful investigative methodologies used to identify persons being trafficked in drinking establishments in Florida to the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA). As a result, law enforcement members from other states will implement these strategies in their own jurisdictions.
• In August, the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Bureau of Law Enforcement received accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) for the sixth consecutive year and received its second consecutive “excelsior status,” the highest level of accreditation.
• In November, DBPR charged a Palm Beach County man in a $4.2 million dollar fraud scheme targeting the state’s alcohol license lottery. DBPR’s investigation revealed that Rajiv Shashikant Shah used 13,000 fraudulent entries over three years to secure at least 17 winning licenses through his companies. Shah then sold those licenses back to Florida businesses at a premium.
• DBPR’s Division of Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes launched a comprehensive website for condominium-related information and resources at Condos.MyFloridaLicense.com. The website – available in English and Spanish – is a helpful tool to understand the rights and responsibilities of condominium residents and associations under new legislation, sign up for educational opportunities and request assistance from DBPR.
• DBPR’s Division of Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes significantly increased its outreach and education efforts in 2024:
  • In 2024, the Division increased participation in educational events by more than 61 percent over the previous year. The Division hosted 136 virtual and in-person educational events in 2024, reaching 16,663 attendees – up 6,330 from 10,333 attendees in 2023.
  • In response to new legislation requiring mandatory education for condominium and homeowners’ association board members, the Department created its own free 4-hour Board Member Certification course. Nearly 9,000 Floridians registered to take the course in 2024.
• The passage of Senate Bill 676 resulted in additional protections for food orders placed through food delivery platforms, providing both customers and restaurants with specific rights when their food is ordered through a delivery platform.
• The passage of House Bill 7063 resulted in an update to anti-human trafficking requirements for public lodging establishments to ensure that suspected instances of human trafficking are reported to law enforcement as efficiently as possible. More than 72,000 DBPR-licensed public lodging establishments must comply with these anti-human trafficking training and reporting requirements.
• In 2024, DBPR’s Division of Regulation conducted a robust schedule of activities to educate Floridians on the dangers of unlicensed activity and stop bad actors from taking advantage of vulnerable Floridians, including:
  • Attending  632 public outreach events with consumers and other industry professionals to educate the public on DBPR’s role, provide educational resources and communicate the importance of hiring licensed contractors.
  • Completing nearly 500 proactive sweep activities of the state to identify unlicensed and unpermitted work in real time.
  • Conducting 8 proactive unlicensed activity enforcement operations in partnership with local law enforcement agencies across the state, resulting in 110 investigations and 107 Citations.
  • Ramping up its social media, television and radio campaigns to increase public awareness of the dangers of unlicensed contracting, encourage Floridians to hire licensed contractors, and educate the public about DBPR’s license verification tool. These campaigns delivered nearly 36 million impressions statewide.

Disaster Response & Recovery

• DBPR held a critical role in the state’s recovery efforts following an active 2024 hurricane season, aiding in the coordination of more than 20 Multi-Agency Resource Centers statewide and supporting business re-openings across key industries following Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.
• At the direction of Governor Ron DeSantis, DBPR issued Emergency Order 2024-08 to bureaucratic red tape and allowed small businesses impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton to remain open following the storms. The emergency order allowed food service businesses to operate temporary food kitchens, effectively helping them serve their communities and recover revenue as they worked to re-open.
• DBPR deployed to more than 20 Multi-Agency Resource Centers and co-located with the state’s business agencies at One-Stop Business Resource Centers to connect Floridians and businesses with licensed contractors for repairs, help contractors register with the Disaster Contractors Network, and help food service operators register temporary kitchens.
• DBPR’s Division of Hotels & Restaurants assisted establishments with safely re-opening following North Florida tornadoes and Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, completing more than 4,000 combined disaster inspections of public food service establishments.
• The Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco’s Special Response Team was activated as part of Florida’s Mutual Aid Plan, resulting in nearly 1,000 hours of support for disaster response and recovery efforts following Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.
  • The Division also created the Department’s first 20-person cut crew to be activated during deployments to expedite the clearing of roadways following disasters, enabling first responders to reach affected areas more quickly and allowing evacuees to return home sooner.
• DBPR spearheaded the state’s partnership with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association to waive pet policies for hurricane evacuees. In advance of Hurricane Milton, more than 30 hotel brands relaxed pet policies and fees across all Florida locations, and more than 70 additional individual lodging establishments participated.
• DBPR’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants shared emergency reopening guidance with 137,000 restaurants and lodging licensees across the state to ensure they were operating safely following the storm.
• DBPR’s Division of Drugs, Devices and Cosmetics proactively informed more than 2,300 prescription drug wholesale distributors of emergency distribution methods in advance of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, minimizing disruption to the safe supply of lifesaving prescription drugs to Florida.
• The Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco’s Tampa and Fort Myers offices coordinated with Pinellas and Pasco County law enforcement agencies on three enforcement operations targeting unlicensed activity to protect communities impacted by 2024 storms.
  • The operations resulted in a total of 86 arrests and the issuance of 86 citations and cease and desists, successfully stopping fraudulent behavior in the state and preventing bad actors from taking advantage of vulnerable Floridians.
• DBPR issued Emergency Order 2024-10 to streamline response and remove barriers to recovery efforts for Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
• DBPR activated its Florida Disaster Contractors Network to connect homeowners with licensed contractors and suppliers to perform emergency repairs.
  • As a result of the Departments efforts, more than 5,000 additional contractors registered with DCN in 2024.

Florida DBPR Takes Action Against Unlicensed Contractors Targeting Floridians Impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton

~ Leading to More Than 50 Arrests and Preventing More Than $250,000 in Losses for Pinellas County Homeowners ~

November 4, 2024

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –  Today, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) announced its decisive action against unlicensed contractors targeting Floridians impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. In conjunction with the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies’ (NASCLA) 2024 Coordinated Enforcement Effort, DBPR launched a targeted enforcement operation over two weeks, targeting bad actors attempting to take advantage of vulnerable homeowners through unlicensed contracting scams. The operation, completed in partnership with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, resulted in more than 50 arrests and saved homeowners from more than $250,000 in unlicensed activity scams.

“Following a disaster, bad actors flock to impacted areas to take advantage of homeowners in need of repair services. They often take deposits and are never seen again, or subject homeowners to shoddy, unsafe work and dangerous situations,” said DBPR Secretary Melanie S. Griffin. “Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ leadership, the partnership of NASCLA and the efforts of our local law enforcement agencies, the Department is well equipped to act quickly and proactively to protect Florida homeowners from these scams and keep their hard-earned money in their pockets as they work to recover.”

The unlicensed individuals apprehended through the operation had solicited payment from homeowners for 85 projects for plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, roofing, and structural repair services. 21 of the individuals were from outside the county and many had prior criminal records, including charges for contracting without a license, theft, and fraud.

In addition to these enforcement actions, DBPR conducted a public education initiative to educate homeowners on the dangers of unlicensed contracting and equip them with the skills to prevent and report suspicious activity. Through the initiative, DBPR conducted 88 outreach events, including participation at 20 disaster recovery centers for Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The Florida Disaster Contractors Network (DCN) is a free tool available to connect homeowners with licensed contractors and suppliers to perform emergency repairs. DBPR encourages homeowners in need of repairs to search for a licensed contractor at DCNOnline.org.

Homeowners are encouraged to report any suspicions of unlicensed contracting activity to DBPR through the Unlicensed Activity Hotline at (866) 532-1440 or by visiting MyFloridaLicense.com.