Florida Board of Accountancy Announces Clay Ford Scholarship Recipients for CPA students

For Immediate Release

August 23, 2019

 Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida Board of Accountancy Announces Clay Ford Scholarship Recipients for CPA students

$200,000 awarded to deserving college students through annual scholarship

Gainesville, Fla. – The Florida Board of Accountancy (FBA), a professional regulation board of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), today announced the 2019 recipients of the Clay Ford Scholarship which is awarded to minority students who are pursuing their fifth year of an approved accounting education program which is required to become a certified public accountant (CPA).

“I’m very proud of these deserving students as they work on completing their requirements to become a licensed CPA,” said DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears. “Through the contributions of current licensed accountants, the Clay Ford Scholarship provides a pathway for recipients to finish their education and jumpstart their accounting careers.”

The Clay Ford scholarships are administered through the CPA Education Minority Assistance Program, which was created in 1999 to encourage minorities to enter the CPA profession. The scholarships are awarded on a combination of criteria related to both financial need and scholastic ability and performance.

The CPA Education Minority Assistance Program is funded by a portion from each individual and CPA firm license fee. Through the award, scholarship applicants may be awarded up to $6,000 per semester for a maximum of two semesters.

2019 Clay Ford Scholarship recipients include:

  • Amanda Aflalo (University of South Florida)
  • Julia Blair (Florida State University)
  • Anne Bryant (Stetson University)
  • Genisa Callwood (Stetson University)
  • Ivan A. Cardenas Jr. (University of Central Florida)
  • Alfredo Cortez (Florida State University)
  • Christy Evans (University of Florida)
  • Charvae Gaines (Florida Atlantic University)
  • Nataly Gonzalez (Nova Southeastern University)
  • Jennifer Gravitt (Florida State University)
  • Pierce LaPrey (Florida Gulf Coast University)
  • Ashley Lezniewicz (Stetson University)
  • Kristie Millan (Warner University)
  • Stephanie Murphy (Webber International University)
  • Nicole Ordway (University of North Florida)
  • Isis Perez (Florida International University)
  • Tiffany Pham (University of Tampa)
  • Daniel Prinz (Florida International University)
  • Miguel Santana (Florida International University)
  • Loidys Scott (Florida International University)
  • Fatima Zapata de Rivero (University of Miami)

Applications are accepted each year on a rolling basis and will be applied to the appropriate school year. The deadline for applications for the 2020 – 2021 school year is June 1, 2020. Applications are available online at www.myfloridalicense.com/CPAScholarship.

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The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, including accountants, architects and interior designers, asbestos consultants, athlete agents, auctioneers, barbers, building code administrators and inspectors, community association managers, construction contractors, cosmetologists, electrical contractors, employee leasing companies, geologists, home inspectors, landscape architects, mold assessors and remediators, pilot commissioners, real estate appraisers and brokers, and veterinarians, as well as businesses dealing in alcoholic beverages, tobacco, food service, public lodging, pari-mutuel wagering, and condominiums, timeshares, and other cooperative residential arrangements.  The Department’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly.  For more information, please visit www.myfloridalicense.com.

Follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for important information and updates on matters relating to Florida’s business and professional licensing.

 

August 23, 2019 /  
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Opens Entry Period for Annual Quota Beverage License Drawing

DBPRLogo

 

For Immediate Release

August 21, 2019

 Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

 

Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Opens Entry Period for Annual Quota Beverage License Drawing

A total of 51 licenses are available in 27 Florida Counties

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco opened the entry period for the 2019 Quota Beverage License Drawing. The Division will accept quota license drawing entries for 45 days, ending at 5 p.m. on October 2, 2019.

 

Quota beverage licenses authorize the holder of the license to sell beer, wine, and distilled spirits, either for package sales only or for consumption on the licensed premises, depending on the license series elected. The Florida Beverage Law limits the total number of quota alcoholic beverage licenses by county population estimates, authorizing the Division to issue no more than one license for every 7,500 residents within a county. Each year, the Division analyzes population data in Florida’s 67 counties, and based on the licenses available, opens the drawing process for a 45-day period beginning the third Monday in August.

 

The 2019 drawing entry period will include 51 new quota beverage licenses available for issuance in 27 counties, including: Bay, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Leon, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, and Volusia.

 

Once the entry period closes on October 2, the Division will process entries and announce the winners during a public drawing at a later date. Entrants selected from the drawing will be awarded the priority right to apply and qualify to hold one of the available licenses in the county from which their entry was selected. During the 2018 entry period, for which rights to apply for available licenses were recently awarded following the public drawing, the Division received more than 28,000 entries for 51 licenses in 27 counties.

 

Entrants can apply by using DBPR’s online portal to pay by credit card. To enter and pay by check or money order, applications and payment can be mailed or hand delivered. For more information about the Quota Beverage License Drawing entry process, interested entrants are encouraged to contact a local Division of Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco District Office or visit our website by clicking HERE.

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The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, including accountants, architects and interior designers, asbestos consultants, athlete agents, auctioneers, barbers, building code administrators and inspectors, community association managers, construction contractors, cosmetologists, electrical contractors, employee leasing companies, geologists, home inspectors, landscape architects, mold assessors and remediators, pilot commissioners, real estate appraisers and brokers, and veterinarians, as well as businesses dealing in alcoholic beverages, tobacco, food service, public lodging, pari-mutuel wagering, and condominiums, timeshares, and other cooperative residential arrangements.  The Department’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly.  For more information, please visit www.myfloridalicense.com.

Follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for important information and updates on matters relating to Florida’s business and professional licensing.

August 21, 2019 /  
Florida DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears Applauds Governor’s 2019 State of the State Address

Highlights Department Efforts to Pursue Governor’s Vision of Reasonable Deregulation That Broadens Access to Professional Careers for Floridians

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears applauded Governor Ron DeSantis on delivery of the 2019 State of the State address, which emphasized the Governor’s bold commitment to pursuing appropriate deregulation of businesses and professions as a priority of his administration.

“Our charge from the Governor is clear, we must facilitate bold and appropriate deregulation for the hardworking men and women who are seeking to start or grow their professional careers in Florida,” said Secretary Beshears. “This mission is fundamental to making Florida a beacon of opportunity for individuals and businesses to enter the market and contribute to our state’s economic success.”

With the support of Governor DeSantis, Secretary Beshears has continued to lead this agenda for improving Florida’s regulatory environment for businesses and professions by:

  • Hosting the Florida Deregathon, a first-of-its-kind, one-day gathering of seventeen professional licensing boards working to identify unnecessary regulations for modification or elimination;
  • Working with the appointed members of Florida’s professional licensing boards to turn the Florida Deregathon’s recommendations into reality through concerted planning and action at subsequent board meetings;
  • Coordinating with members of the Florida Legislature regarding recommendations of the Florida Deregathon that may require future statutory updates;
  • Meeting with interested stakeholders representing the interests of varied businesses and professions to learn their perspectives on the status of Florida’s regulatory environment and their ideas for improving the regulatory outlook; and
  • Challenging program managers within the Department to think critically and creatively regarding continued opportunities where the Department, under its own authority, can contribute to creating a more reasonable approach to certain regulated activities.

“With today’s address, Governor DeSantis is leading the dialogue on improving access to a stable job and a clear career path for Floridians,” said Secretary Beshears. “Our continued focus at DBPR will be achieving these objectives of broadening the pathway to enter skilled professions while balancing the interests of public health and safety.”

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. The Department licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals ranging from hotels and restaurants, real estate agents and accountants to veterinarians, contractors and cosmetologists. For more information, please visit www.myfloridalicense.com. Follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for updates about license cycles, events and other important news.

March 5, 2019 /  
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Seeking Additional General Contractors to Help Rebuild Florida Repair and Rebuild Homes Damaged by Hurricane Irma

Today, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Executive Director Ken Lawson issued a call for qualified general contractors to assist the Rebuild Florida program. Rebuild Florida is a long-term recovery effort to repair and rebuild thousands of homes of Florida families that were significantly damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

“Governor DeSantis has made it clear that helping Floridians rebuild is our priority,” said DEO Executive Director Ken Lawson. “Rebuild Florida is using federal funding to repair, rebuild or replace the homes of those impacted by Hurricane Irma. We need Florida’s construction industry, especially general contractors, to partner with us to get these Florida families back into safe and stronger homes.”

DEO is looking to enter into contracts with qualified general contractors to perform all services necessary to repair or rebuild homes. These services include, but are not limited to, the provisions of a general contractor’s oversight and supervision, and all labor, associated hardware, materials, required permits, drawings and equipment necessary to repair homes.

“Rebuilding damaged and destroyed homes is a crucial milestone in the recovery process for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Irma,” said Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears. “Florida is fortunate to have a large pool of talented, DBPR-licensed general contractors and we urge them to use their skills to help their neighbors through Rebuild Florida.”

Interested parties can learn more about the technical requirements and submit bids once the Invitation to Bid is released later this month. Please check MyFloridaMarketPlace, the state of Florida’s online procurement system, for updates.

DEO issued an initial invitation for bids for general contractors in August 2018, but additional general contractors are needed to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of Florida families impacted by Hurricane Irma.

Rebuild Florida is a partnership of DEO and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program helps eligible homeowners impacted by Hurricane Irma. Rebuild Florida helps repair, rebuild or replace damaged homes across the hardest-hit communities of the state, with priority funding for those low-income residents who are elderly, disabled, families with children under the age of 18 or persons displaced from Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands who are permanently resettling in Florida as a result of Hurricane Irma or Maria.

 About DEO

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce and community development efforts. This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.

Originally published on the DEO website. 

February 18, 2019 /  
Governor Ron DeSantis Kicks Off Deregathon in Orlando

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis kicked off the start of Deregathon alongside First Lady Casey DeSantis, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez and Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) Secretary Halsey Beshears at Valencia College in Orlando.

The one-day event held in conjunction with Florida’s Professional Licensing Boards aims to find solutions to harmful regulations facing Floridians to strengthen the state’s economy.

“We’re working hard to reduce barriers to opportunity for the people of Florida.” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida needs a licensure system that protects consumers but doesn’t put up roadblocks for people to succeed. Bold and appropriate deregulation will continue to be a top priority of my administration and we’re looking forward to getting the job done to open new opportunities for Floridians.”

“Small Businesses are the backbone of our economy, which is why it is essential the State of Florida focus on paring back burdensome regulation,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez.“This will not only spur more economic growth, it will remove burdens holding back many of Florida’s industries. Cutting red tape will help create a climate that is good for both those starting a business, and those growing one. The idea is to reduce bureaucracy in order to allow individuals and businesses to regain control, develop the workforce and boost innovation for our great state.”

“Needless regulations make it difficult for Floridians to enter the profession, start new businesses and stay in the profession of their choosing,” said Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears. “The Florida Deregathon is an important first step toward developing a reasonable regulatory approach that gives more Floridians access to a stable job and clear career path.”

Originally published on www.flgov.com

January 31, 2019 /