• Ask Us
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
MyFloridaLicense.com
  • HOME
  • LICENSING & REGULATION
  • ONLINE SERVICES
  • ABOUT US
    • Department Secretary
    • Department Overview
    • Divisions & Offices
    • Annual Regulatory Plans
    • Reports and Publications
    • Open Government
    • News Room

PRESS RELEASES

Florida Sees Record Increase in Professional Combat Sporting Events

 

For Immediate Release

December 15, 2021

Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida Sees Record Increase in Professional Combat Sporting Events
Florida’s Athletic Commission Nearly Doubles Annual Total of Events Hosted in the State

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) announced a record increase in the number of professional boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts events hosted by the Florida Athletic Commission (formerly the Florida State Boxing Commission) in the 2021 calendar year. As of December 15, 2021, the Commission sanctioned 114 live events, with an additional three events projected through the remainder of 2021. By comparison, the Commission sanctioned 56 professional events during 2019 and 59 events during the pandemic season of 2020. The projected 117-event total for 2021 reflects the highest number on record, a 98-percent increase in the number of professional events hosted last calendar year and a 109-percent increase in the number of professional events held in 2019.

“While other jurisdictions were closed in 2020 and early 2021, Governor DeSantis led the way in keeping Florida open for business,” said DBPR Secretary Julie I. Brown. “As a result, the number of professional combat sports matches in Florida skyrocketed, and Florida has been the fighting capital of the world over the last year.”

“Many events normally conducted in Las Vegas, California or New York moved to Florida this year,” said Patrick Cunningham, executive director of the Florida Athletic Commission. “While the health and safety of athletes remain our top priority, promoters from across the globe have recognized that Florida offers an exceptional environment to do business and to host these events.”

In Fiscal Year 2020-2021, the Athletic Commission regulated events generating nearly $1,082,000 in state tax revenue. The 2020-21 revenue total marks a more than 226-percent increase from the $331,000 in tax revenue generated from events hosted during the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

For a list of upcoming events sanctioned by the Florida Athletic Commission, visit our website.

###

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, visit 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

December 15, 2021 /  
Florida DBPR Secretary Julie I. Brown Commends Governor DeSantis’ Freedom First Budget Recommendations

 

For Immediate Release

December 9, 2021

Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida DBPR Secretary Julie I. Brown Commends Governor DeSantis’
Freedom First Budget Recommendations
Proposed Budget Reflects the Governor’s Continuing Investment in
Streamlining Government Processes and Enhancing Quality of Services for Floridians

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Julie I. Brown applauded Governor Ron DeSantis’ Fiscal Year 2022-23 Freedom First budget recommendations and emphasized that the proposed, major investments will modernize the technological capabilities of the Department, minimize burdens of government processes and deliver new, meaningful, long-term benefits for businesses and professionals regulated by the Department. The Governor’s FY 2022-23 recommended budget includes major upgrades of the Department’s online customer licensing interface and substantial advancements in the methods by which the Department serves more than 1.4 million callers annually through its Customer Contact Center.

“Since the beginning of my tenure as Secretary, my number one priority has been to enhance the Department’s technological capabilities and provide smoother interactions between the Department and our licensees,” said DBPR Secretary Brown. “With the Governor’s leadership and support for improving how we do business in Florida, this budget will make those advancements possible, while also maintaining our core focus on ensuring that businesses and professionals provide safe, quality services to Florida’s millions of residents and visitors.”

In particular, the Freedom First budget equips the Department with technological modernizations needed to continue implementing Governor DeSantis’ vision for improving Florida’s regulatory environment for businesses and professionals by:

  • Investing in the development of a modern, intuitive online system for online transactions and tools that will create efficiencies for the Department and its stakeholders alike, including: provide an improved customer-centric experience; assist in decreasing the number of deficient applications submitted to the Department and reduce corresponding license processing times; and lessen call volumes, reduce wait times, and enhance self-service options for convenience of applicants and license holders;
  • Providing users with enhanced online capabilities such as ease of access via mobile devices and applications, real-time agent assistance and 24/7 online chat capabilities; and
  • Implementing return call options for the Department’s Customer Contact Center, which introduces substantial convenience to callers and significantly reduces wait times for reaching a live customer support agent.

In addition to funding these advancements, the Governor’s FY 2022-23 budget recommendations include continuing support for the Department’s regulatory compliance programs in areas vital to the public health, safety and welfare, including the Department’s programs that serve state objectives in evaluating sanitation and safety in public food service establishments, ensuring fair and compliant administration of condominium associations, and pursuing education, investigation, and enforcement of unlicensed activity that poses substantial risks of public harm.

For more details, visit freedomfirstbudget.com.

###

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, visit 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.

December 9, 2021 /  
Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation to Protect Florida Jobs

 

For Immediate Release

November 18, 2021

Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation to Protect Florida Jobs

BRANDON, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson to sign legislation that will protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and protect parents’ rights to make healthcare decisions for students. The bills were passed through a Special Session of the Florida Legislature and are effective upon the Governor’s signature. The legislation signed today is the strongest pro-freedom, anti-mandate action taken by any state in the nation. Read about the legislation HERE.

In Florida, effective immediately:

✓ Private Employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates are prohibited.

‣ Employees can choose from numerous exemptions, including but not limited to, health or religious concerns; pregnancy or anticipated future pregnancy; and past recovery from COVID-19.

‣ Employees can choose to opt for periodic testing or PPE as an exemption.

‣ Employers must cover the costs of testing and PPE exemptions for employees.

 

✓ Employers who violate these employee health protections will be fined.

‣ Small businesses (99 employees or less) will face $10,000 per employee violation.

‣ Medium and big businesses will face $50,000 per employee violation.

✓ Government entities may not require COVID-19 vaccinations of anyone, including employees.

✓ Educational institutions may not require students to be COVID-19 vaccinated.

✓ School districts may not have school face mask policies.

✓ School districts may not quarantine healthy students.

✓ Students and parents may sue violating school districts and recover costs and attorney’s fees.

“I told Floridians that we would protect their jobs and today we made that the law,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Nobody should lose their job due to heavy-handed COVID mandates and we had a responsibility to protect the livelihoods of the people of Florida. I’m thankful to the Florida Legislature for joining me in standing up for freedom.”

“Governor DeSantis’ leadership in keeping Florida open for business has made a strong impact on Florida’s professional and business community,” said Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Julie I Brown. “These new laws demonstrate the Governor and Legislature’s continued commitment to protect Floridians’ freedom and right to provide for themselves and their families without the fear of government interference.”

Also at the event today, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced that Florida is challenging the CMS rule in court. Read more about that announcement HERE.

“Governor DeSantis has shown exemplary leadership throughout the pandemic, and I am proud to stand with him as we challenge unlawful vaccine mandates forced on Floridians by the president and his power-hungry bureaucrats,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “I will always fight for freedom, Florida’s sovereignty and the autonomy of American workers.”

“Governor DeSantis was clear: no Floridian should lose their jobs over vaccines mandates,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “I applaud the leadership of President Simpson and Speaker Sprowls for their efforts in protecting Floridians. The Free state of Florida will never bend the knee to the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional overreach.”

“I am honored to be here today as Governor DeSantis signs the ‘Keep Florida Free’ agenda into law,” said Senate President Wilton Simpson. “We are sending a clear message that Florida stands for freedom. To our health care workers, law enforcement, first responders, farmers, truckers, and every other worker who never got a day off and couldn’t work from home during the pandemic – thank you for getting us through this crisis. Thank you for putting your family at risk. You stood with us when we needed you most, and we are proud to stand with you now. The Florida Legislature and Governor DeSantis are fighting for you. We will not allow the Biden Administration to make political pawns of the very people who put their lives on the line to keep our economy running while everyone else was safe at home, and we certainly will never cede the responsibility of parenting to the school system or bureaucrats in the federal government. Florida respects the dignity of work, the responsibility to parent and the right to live in freedom.”

“Today is a great day for Florida. Working together with Governor DeSantis, Senate President Simpson, House members and our Senate colleagues, we have passed the smartest, strongest legislation in America to combat the Biden Administration’s unlawful vaccine mandate,” said Speaker Chris Sprowls. “We are proud to stand alongside every Florida parent and worker and say that forced masking of our kids in schools and forced vaccinations to keep your job stops here in Florida. We are proud to stand alongside businesses and provide some sanity and options to treat their employees as the individuals they are instead of succumbing to a one-size-fits-all federal mandate. The result of this week’s work is simple: No one who is subject to Florida law will be forced to get a vaccine who does not want one.”

“The mission of this special session was to ensure that the law reflects the values of liberty in our state,” said Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo.“Floridians are now protected in their jobs, at school and as parents to choose how to protect themselves from COVID-19. Thank you Governor DeSantis for your leadership in making practical and informed decisions based on science.”

###

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, visit 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.

November 18, 2021 /  
Florida Board of Accountancy Announces Clay Ford Scholarship Recipients for 2021

 

For Immediate Release

October 27, 2021

Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida Board of Accountancy Announces Clay Ford Scholarship Recipients for 2021
$144,000 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 2021 recipients of the Clay Ford Scholarship. The scholarships are awarded to minority students who are Florida residents in an approved accounting education program and are pursuing their fifth year, which is required to become a certified public accountant (CPA).

“I am so proud of these fifth-year accounting students on this well-deserved recognition of their hard work,” said DBPR Secretary Julie I. Brown. “CPAs play a vital role in our state and the Clay Ford Scholarship provides recipients a pathway to complete the education requirements to become a licensed CPA and the momentum to begin 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. In 2021, a total of $144,000 was dispersed across 24 total eligible semester hours.

2021 Clay Ford Scholarship recipients include:

  • Sharielle Centi (University of Florida)
  • Latrice Fields (University of West Florida)
  • Lisbet Fundora Pereira (Florida Atlantic University)
  • Sofia Gomez (University of Florida)
  • Nguyet Thi Minh Hoang (University of South Florida)
  • Abigail Jagos (University of South Florida)
  • Katherine Jones (University of West Florida)
  • Charvae Gaines (Florida Atlantic University)
  • Zhishan Liang (Florida Gulf Coast University)
  • Isabella Moorman-Lage (University of Tampa)
  • Amy Nguyen (University of Central Florida)
  • Crystal Point Dujour (Florida Atlantic University)
  • Bryanna Rodriguez (University of Florida)
  • Jodi Salzman (Florida Atlantic University)
  • Emily Sherwood (University of Florida)

Applications are accepted each year on a rolling basis and will be applied to the appropriate school year. The deadline for applications for the 2022-2023 school year is June 1, 2022. Applications are available online at myfloridalicense.com/CPAScholarship

###

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 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.

October 27, 2021 /  
Florida DBPR Opens Entry Period for Annual Quota

 

For Immediate Release

August 17, 2021

Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida DBPR Opens Entry Period for Annual Quota
Beverage License Drawing
A total of 49 licenses are available in 27 Florida counties

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Yesterday, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (the Division) opened the entry period for the 2021 Quota Beverage License Drawing. For the 2021 entry period, entry forms will be accepted until the filing deadline on September 29, 2021.

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 and off 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 if one or more of the licenses are eligible to be entered into the drawing, opens the drawing process for a 45-day period beginning the third Monday in August.

The 2021 drawing entry period will include 49 new quota beverage licenses available for issuance in 27 counties, including: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia.

Once the entry period closes at 5 p.m. on September 29, 2021, the Division will process qualifying entries and announce the winners during a public drawing at a later date. Entrants selected from the drawing will be awarded the right to apply to hold one of the available licenses in the county from which their entry was selected. During the 2020 entry period, for which rights to apply for available licenses were recently awarded following the public drawing, the Division received more than 23,600 entries for 62 licenses in 30 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 to the following address:

Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
Attn: Quota Beverage License Drawing
2601 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1019

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.

###

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 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 17, 2021 /  

Posts navigation

1 2 3 4 5 6 … 22 23 24

Resources

  • Open MyFlorida Business eGuide
  • FDACS A to Z Resource Guide
  • Emergency Bridge Loan
  • Disclaimer
  • Americans With Disabilities (ADA)
  • Privacy Statement

RESOURCES

  • MyFlorida.gov
  • Job Opportunities
  • Florida Has a Right To Know
  • Report State Fraud Waste & Abuse
  • Employ Florida
  • Florida Child Abuse Hotline
  • Human Trafficking
  • Florida Disaster

MOBILE

DBPR Mobile App

Search DBPR records for businesses and professionals licensed by the department. Users can verify licenses by name or license number.

Copyright ©2018 Department of Business and Professional Regulation - State of Florida

Get in Touch

Customer Contact Center
2601 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, FL 32399

Phone: (850) 487-1395
Submit Request: Customer Contact Assistance

"License Efficiently, Regulate Fairly"