As directed by Governor Crist through "Accelerate Florida: Extending Florida's Economic Horizons," Secretary Drago and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation has been charged with promoting less intrusive, more effective government.
Since the "Accelerate Florida" initiative was announced on Aug. 26, the Department has been reviewing statutes, rules, procedures, and forms to ensure that:
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Regulation is exercised only to the extent necessary to ensure the public is protected.
Professions, occupations, and businesses are regulated in a manner that does not restrict entry into the practice of the profession, occupation, or business, or limit the availability of services to the public.
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Regulation does not have an unreasonable effect on job creation or job retention, or place unreasonable restrictions on individuals finding employment.
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Regulation is cost-effective and has favorable economic impact, including the indirect costs to consumers.
Please find below some of the changes that have been made at DBPR to help accelerate Florida's economy and better serve you, our customer.
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Streamlining Application Process for Appraisers through partnerships with colleges and universities |
Completed a pilot program with Florida State University to pre-certify the educational requirement for graduates based on university degree requirements. Other university programs are currently being worked on. |
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Reduced the application processing time through electronic fingerprinting for more professions | Community Association Manager, Athlete Agent, Talent Agency and Employee Leasing Company applicants will be required to use electronic fingerprinting effective March 11, 2009. |
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New delinquent notifications list | Enhanced delinquent account reporting form and Delinquent Account release form. New forms allow for the data to be entered onto the form, printed and submitted to the division. The form clarifies what information is necessary for the submission, reducing the errors in data submitted and posted. |
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Reduced the time required to process exam scores for CPAs by more than half | The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy is now transmitting scores as frequently as eight times per exam window, which is a three-month period. DBPR will now be able to provide eligible applicants with licensure packages more quickly, in approximately 30 days. |
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Reorganized Hotels and Restaurants Plan Review to Tallahassee | Centralized plan review accelerates the licensure process by reducing the time required to complete a plan review, allowing electronic submission of plans and streamlining the process by accepting applications and licensing fees along with the plan review. |
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Made additional information regarding ABT excise tax available online | This makes it much easier for customers to obtain this information. |
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Provided additional demographic data online for ABT manufacturers and distributors | It is now easier for customers to file tax reports since the necessary information is readily available online. |
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Removed requirement that applicants submit corporate documents. | Before this change, documents from the Department of State had to be submitted by the licensee. Now, DBPR mines the documents directly from the Department of State system, thus reducing deficiencies and processing licenses faster. |
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Checked Farm Labor applicant’s disciplinary history before issuing license | Any person with pending disciplinary action requires verification before the license is issued. The coordinated efforts of two divisions allows for faster screening of applicants. |
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Implemented computer-based testing for Farm Labor | The Farm Labor Contractor registration examination, previously administered through the pencil and paper, is now offered via computer at multiple sites throughout the state. |
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Expanded electronic fingerprinting from 20 existing locations to 60 | Provided business professionals the convenience of submitting fingerprints at more locations throughout the state and nation. |
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Developed enterable/savable Portable Document Format (PDF) forms for applications and complaints | Improved application process by allowing business professionals to complete applications electronically and save information for future editing and completion. Remaining forms and supporting documents are being changed to this electronic format. |
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Simplified license requirements for electrical contractor professionals and are currently seeking to do the same for contractors | The Division of Professions simplified the corporate name change application by eliminating the requirement to provide financial and credit documents for their businesses. |
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Simplified license requirements for out-of-state veterinary professionals |
The Division obtained the Board of Veterinary Medicine’s approval to rescind the requirement that out-of-state applicants submit proof of continuing education with their applications. |
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Improved ability to serve customer needs based on skill-based routing call volume analysis | Restructured and increased staffing in each queue based on the call volume demands of each section. |
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Ensured consistency in CCC process for handling and communicating all customer issues regardless of division | Enhanced our customer relations management software to include a feature to track the status of customer inquiries that are unanswered by call agents and require internal referral. |
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Improved service and response time to DBPR e-mail customers | Developed an e-mail team and improved the quality of the Department’s answers to customers’ questions. Employees on this team dedicate their time to responding to customer inquiries received via the CCC citizen e-mail. |
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Provided adequate staffing | Continuously filling all vacancies in CCC positions, including call agents, supervisors, trainers, and quality assurance team members. |
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Provided adequate staff scheduling | Continuously identify call volume peaks and valleys and retrospectively develop staff schedules according to customer needs. |
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Clarified the web-based frequently asked questions (FAQ) | Enhanced the “self-help” functionality of the website by providing more detailed and up-to-date information available 24/7. |
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Improved service to Hispanic community | Staffed each skill-based queue with a minimum of two bilingual agents. Sent news releases written in Spanish on Hospitality Education Courses being offered in Spanish to Hispanic media outlets. |
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Empowered employees to provide better and more efficient customer service | Scheduled first “ccChat,” a Web-based chat room intended to link CCC agents with policy experts without the agents having to leave the phones. |
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Removed requirement to have customer call back if wrong section selected and allow agents to transfer calls to division offices | Rescinded CCC process that required agents to advise customers they must call back if they had reached an agent who was not “assigned” to the subject matter they were calling about. |
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Moving to biennial inspections | The Board of Cosmetology amended an administrative rule to permit biennial inspections of establishments, rather than yearly inspections. We are currently expanding this inspection schedule to barbers. |