Statement of Agency Organization
and Operation

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation is the agency charged with licensing and regulating businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, such as cosmetologists, veterinarians, real estate agents and pari-mutuel wagering facilities. Our mission is to license efficiently, regulate fairly, and we strive to meet this goal in our day-to-day operation. We are under the executive branch of the Governor, and are governed by Chapter 120, F.S. Our department is structured according to the requirements of Chapter 20.165, F.S.

Agency Head.

The head of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is the Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation. The secretary is appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. There is no set term limit; the secretary serves at the pleasure of the Governor.

Secretary: Ken Lawson is currently the Secretary.

The secretary is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating and executing the powers, duties, and functions vested in the department, its divisions, bureaus, and other subunits.

Organizational Structure.

The department is set up in three major areas:

1. Agency administration,
2. Business regulation and
3. Professions regulation
   

Chief of Staff:
The Chief of Staff is responsible for the day-to-day service operations of the agency, including technology and communications.

Deputy Secretary for Business Regulation:
The business regulation side of the agency is responsible for licensing and regulating four major industries: (1) Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco; (2) Condominiums, Timeshares, & Mobile Homes; (3) Hotels & Restaurants (including elevator safety); and (4) Pari-Mutuel Wagering.

Deputy Secretary for Professional Regulation:
The professions’ regulation side of the agency is responsible for licensing and regulating individual professional licenses primarily through regulatory boards administratively housed within the agency. This side of the agency is responsible for licensing a very diverse group of professions, including certified public accountants, boxers, community association managers, construction and electrical contractors, child and farm labor contractors, cosmetologists, geologists, real estate appraisers, brokers and sales associates, and veterinary physicians.

The Division of Administration and Financial Management is responsible for the areas of Administration, Budget and Financial Management. Administration includes the department’s personnel, agency services, purchasing and support services such as agency-wide award program, safety and loss control and facilities management. Budget includes performing the department’s central planning and budgeting functions, including monitoring of spending, legislative budget requests and budget amendments. Financial Management includes revenue projections, fiscal impact statements and Long Range Program Planning.

The Office of Communications manages the department’s media/press relations, public relations with stakeholders, licensees and consumers, and internal relations, such as the department’s Intranet and Governor’s Office of Citizen Services correspondence function. The office also develops brochures, reports and weekly internal newsletters and coordinates external newsletter development and publication.

The Office of General Counsel performs the department’s legal functions, including hearings, depositions, arbitration and final orders. OGC staff maintains all legal documents; prepares, certifies and transmits records on appeal to appellate courts; responds to records requests; and maintains the statutorily mandated subject matter index of final orders.

The Office of Inspector General performs internal independent audits, reviews, and examinations to identify, report, and recommend corrective action for control deficiencies or non-compliance with laws, rules, or policies. The office also performs internal investigations to detect and investigate alleged misconduct by department employees involving fraud, waste, or abuse of laws, policies, procedures, and rules.

The Office of Legislative Affairs coordinates the department’s lobbying efforts, preparing and reviewing legislative proposals and informing the legislature, Governor’s office and other interested parties about the department’s position on legislative issues. In addition, this office coordinates the implementation plan for new laws to take effect with impact to the agency. This office is the central point of contact for legislators and their staffs, as well as committee staffs, for information regarding the department's programs.

The Division of Service Operations manages the Central Intake and Licensure unit, the one-stop shop for intake of applications and payments. The division also oversees the Customer Contact Center, which handles all initial interaction conducted via telephone, e-mail and the Web.

The Division of Technology oversees the processes for system design, testing, planning, implementation and administration of the department’s computer operations and desktop/field support. Development and maintenance of DBPR’s corporate database application system, LicenseEase, is handled through this division, as is the development and maintenance of the department’s Internet/Intranet presence and various Win32 and Web based applications.

The Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco issues licenses or permits that are required for any business or person to manufacture, import, export, store, distribute or sell alcoholic beverages or tobacco. The division issues permits required for any business or person engaging in business as a manufacturer, importer, exporter, distributing agent, or wholesale dealer of cigarettes; for distributors, makers, manufacturers or fabricators of other tobacco products within the state and for distributors of cigars within the state.
(Alcoholic Beverages: Chapters 561 – 565, F.S., Chapters 567 – 568, F.S., and Chapter 61A (1-5) F.A.C.; Tobacco: Chapter 210, F.S., Chapter 61A-10, F.A.C.)

The Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes provides consumer protection for Florida residents living in the communities we regulate through education, complaint resolution, mediation and arbitration, and developer disclosure. This division licenses and regulates yacht and ship brokers, and regulates condominiums, cooperatives, timeshares and mobile home parks.
(Condominiums: Chapters 718 and 719, F.S., Chapters 61B-15 through 61B-24, Chapters 61B-75 through 61B-79, 61B-45 and 61B-50, Chapter 61B-25, F.A.C.; Timeshares: Chapter 721, F.S., Chapters 61B-37 through 41, F.A.C.; Mobile Homes: Chapters 720 and 723, Chapters 61B-29 through 35, F.A.C.; Yacht & Ship: Chapter 326, F.S., Chapter 61B-60, F.A.C.; Homeowners’ Associations: Chapter 720, F.S., Chapters 61B-80 and 81, F.A.C.)

The Division of Hotels & Restaurants licenses, inspects and regulates public lodging and food service establishments in Florida. The mission of the division is to protect the health and safety of the public by providing the industry with quality inspections and fair regulation. The division also licenses and regulates elevators, escalators and other vertical conveyance devices. (Hotels & Restaurants: Chapters 509, 559, F.S. and Chapters 61C-1, 61C-3, 61C-4, 61C-8, F.A.C.; Elevators and other vertical conveyance devices: Chapter 399, F.S., Chapter 61C-5, F.A.C.)

The Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering is charged with the regulation of Florida's pari-mutuel, cardroom, and slot gaming industries, as well as collecting and safeguarding associated revenues due to the state. We are authorized for horse racing, harness horse racing, greyhound racing, jai alai games, and cardroom poker games. Additionally, slot machine gaming at pari-mutuel facilities is authorized in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. Florida is one of the primary pari-mutuel states in the nation, and is the leading state in greyhound racing, as well as a major horse racing state. Florida is also the only state in the United States where live jai alai games are conducted. (Chapters 550, 551, 849 and 849.086, F.S., Chapters 61D-2 through 61D-15, F.A.C.)

The Division of Professions is responsible for licensing more than 405,000 professionals. The division administers 14 professional boards, three department-regulated professions and one council. Each board office is responsible for the administrative functions of its board and for coordinating support functions provided by the department, including establishing meeting dates and locations, compiling and preparing agendas, noticing meetings in the Florida Administrative Weekly and ensuring the effective operation of board meetings and board business. After a board meeting, staff is responsible for notifying the Bureau of Education and Testing and the Central Intake Unit of all application approvals and denials, preparing executive summaries and meeting minutes.

The Division of Real Estate protects the public by the regulation of real estate and appraisal licensees through education and compliance. The division is responsible for the examination, licensing and regulation of over a quarter of a million individuals, corporations, real estate schools and instructors. Located in Orlando, the division administers the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) and the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board (FREAB). (Chapter 475, Part I and II, F.S., Chapter 61J1 and Chapter 61J2, F.A.C)

The Division of Regulation is the enforcement authority for the professional boards and programs. The division monitors professions and related businesses to ensure that the laws, rules and standards set by the Legislature and professional boards are followed. This is accomplished by proactively monitoring the professionals and related businesses; investigating complaints of wrongdoing; utilizing compliance mechanisms such as notices of noncompliance and citations; and the performance of statutorily mandated inspections. The division is divided into six program areas and operates eight regional offices. The six program areas are: Complaints, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Unlicensed Activity, Compliance, Farm Labor and Child Labor. Regional offices are headed by Regional Program Administrators, located in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Ft. Myers, West Palm Beach, Margate (Ft. Lauderdale), Miami and satellite offices in Pensacola and Tampa. (Alternative Dispute Resolution: Chapter 455.2235, F.S.; Child Labor: Chapter 450, F.S., Chapter 61L-2, F.A.C.; Farm Labor: Chapter 450 Part III, F.S.)

The Division of Certified Public Accounting is responsible for the regulation of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and accounting firms. The division processes applications to sit for the CPA license, original Florida licensure applications, licensure by endorsement applications, reactivation of a delinquent or inactive CPA license, temporary permit applications, accountancy firm licensure and continuing education reporting forms. In addition, the division provides administrative support to the Board of Accountancy.
(Chapter 473, F.S., Chapters 61H1 – 19 through 38, F.A.C)

The Division of Drugs, Devices and Cosmetics safeguards the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the state of Florida from injury due to the use of adulterated, contaminated, misbranded drugs, drug ingredients and cosmetics by administering the provisions of the Florida Drug and Cosmetic Act (Chapter 499, F.S.). The Program carries out its responsibilities through three bureaus: Compliance & Enforcement, Licensing and Legal.

The Bureau of Education and Testing is housed within this division. The bureau administers numerous examinations, including DBPR developed and national exams, and monitors contracts with private testing companies for the department. The Bureau also monitors continuing education and compliance of the certified and registered licensees as well as approving providers and their courses.
(Chapter 455, F.S.; Architecture & Interior Design: Chapter 481, F.S., Chapter 61G1, F.A.C.; Asbestos: Chapter 469, F.S., Chapter 61E1, F.A.C.; Athlete Agents: Chapter 468, Part XI, F.S., Chapter 61-24, F.A.C.; Auctioneers: Chapter 468, Part VI, F.S., Chapter 61G2, F.A.C.; Barbers: Chapter 476, F.S., Chapter 61G3, F.A.C.; Boxing Commission: Chapter 548, F.S., Chapter 61K1-1, F.A.C.; Building Code Administrators and Inspectors: Chapter 468, Part XII, F.S., Chapter 61G19, F.A.C.; Community Association Managers: Chapter 468, Part VIII, F.S., Chapter 61-20, F.A.C.; Construction Industry: Chapter 489, Part I, F.S., Chapter 61G4, F.A.C.; Cosmetology: Chapter 477, F.S., Chapter 61G5, F.A.C.; Electrical Contractors: Chapter 489, Part II, F.S., Chapter 61G6, F.A.C.; Employee Leasing: Chapter 468, Part XI, F.S., Chapter 61G7, F.A.C.; Geologists: Chapter 492, F.S., Chapter 61G16, F.A.C.; Landscape Architecture: Chapter 481, Part II, F.S., Chapter 61G10, F.A.C.; Pilot Commissioners: Chapter 310, F.S., Chapter 61G14, F.A.C.; Pilotage Rate Review: Chapter 310, F.S., Chapter 61E13, F.A.C.; Talent Agencies: Chapter 468, Part VII, F.S., Chapter 16-19, F.A.C.; Veterinary Medicine: Chapter 474, F.S., Chapter 61G18, F.A.C.)

Agency Clerk’s Office

Ronda Bryan is our Agency Clerk, and it is her responsibility to provide an efficient and centralized area for the maintenance of filed documents, and to comply with statutory and rule requirements of the agency. This office maintains final orders and other legal documents; prepares, certifies and transmits records on appeal to appellate courts; responds to records requests; and maintains the statutorily mandated subject matter index of final orders for the department. The office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of State recognized holidays. You may reach the Agency Clerk’s office as follows:

Telephone: 850.921.0342

Facsimile: 850.488.5761

Address: Agency Clerk’s Office
1940 North Monroe Street, Suite 92
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Email: AGCfiling@dbpr.state.fl.us

Requests for filings may be submitted by hand delivery, regular mail, email, or facsimile transmission. Filings will be accepted during business hours; requests received after 5:00 p.m. will be filed on the next regular business day.

Pursuant to Section 28-101.001, please note the following:

A party who files a document by electronic mail or facsimile transmission represents that the original physically signed document will be retained by that party for the duration of the proceeding and of any subsequent appeal or subsequent proceeding in that cause, and that the party shall produce it upon the request of other parties.

A party who elects to file a document by electronic mail or facsimile transmission shall be responsible for any delay, disruption, or interruption of the electronic signals and accepts the full risk that the document may not be properly filed with the agency as a result.

The filing date for a document transmitted by electronic mail or by facsimile shall be the date the agency receives the complete document.

Requests for Variances and Waivers

Requests for variances and or waivers should be submitted for filing to the Agency Clerk’s office. Requests must be submitted according to the guidelines outlined in Section 120.542, F.S. and Chapter 28-104, F.A.C.

Public Records/Office of Open Government

There are several options available for requesting public records. The divisions maintain regularly requested information electronically on their home pages, including licensee downloaded files. Please visit the For Consumers link on our website to see if the records you are looking for are available electronically. If the public record you are seeking is not available, please send an e-mail to the appropriate division or office contact. For a list of division or office contact information, please visit the Request Public Records Open Government option on our website. You may also request a record by telephone, facsimile or mail. The main telephone number for our department is 850.487.1395. Our facsimile number is 850.488.5761, and our address is 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1027.

You may also choose to contact our Office of Open Government at 850.488.0062.

Publications, Documents, Forms, Applications, Etc.

All requests for publications, documents, forms, applications for licenses, permits and other similar certifications can be obtained by contacting the Customer Contact Center in the following ways:

Telephone: 850.487.1395

Fax: 850.488.5761

Email: contact form

Address: 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399