IMPORTANT NEWS...
DBPR Launches Customer Assistance Days at the Florida Capitol
- State licensing agency will be available to answer questions, help apply for licenses during Legislative Session -
January 20, 2012
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Secretary Ken Lawson of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation today announced the Department is unveiling its CustomerAssist program that will feature a help desk at the Florida Capitol for nine days during the 2012 Legislative Session. Department staff representing specific professions and businesses will be available to customers at the Florida Capitol over the course of three weeks. The staff will be able to offer direct assistance to individuals who are applying for a professional or business license from the Department.
“It should be easy and efficient to apply for one of our licenses so people can get to work in our state,” said Secretary Ken Lawson. “This is a common sense way to increase the level of direct support our Department offers to our customers.”
The initiative was developed to provide customers who may need assistance with license applications with a direct and personal point of access to the Department, which licenses more than one million businesses and professions in Florida. Staff for specific professions and businesses will be available on specific days, and the Department encourages customers, license holders and applicants to visit the CustomerAssist table at the Florida Capitol to receive specialized assistance.
The following professions and businesses will be represented from 9am to 11am and from 2pm to 4pm on the second floor of the Florida Capitol on the following dates:
- January 23: Division of Regulation – this division oversees all regulatory enforcement for the Department’s licensees and works to protect Floridians and license holders from unlicensed activity.
- January 26: Construction
- January 27: Cosmetology
- February 13: Hotels and Restaurants – THIRD FLOOR OF THE CAPITOL
- February 15: Real Estate
- February 17: Condominiums, cooperatives and mobile homes
- February 20: Condominiums, cooperatives and mobile homes/Division of Regulation
- February 23: Construction
- February 24: Hotels and Restaurants
The Division of Service Operations, which processes applications for the Department’s licenses, will also be available on January 26, January 27, February 15 and February 23 to answer questions about license application processes. Direct internet access to the Department will also be available so customers can check the status of their license applications online, file complaints and access additional department information.
In addition to the staff on site at the Florida Capitol, the Department also periodically hosts video conferencing opportunities around the state to connect groups of license applicants with staff in Tallahassee. To date, the Department has held CustomerAssist events in Panama City and Orlando and has assisted applicants with real estate licenses and construction licenses.