February 13, 2009

Dear Friends:

This week, I was pleased to sit down with Bill Veach, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants Director, to discuss the recent centralization of the restaurant plan review function to Tallahassee. As many of you know, we are constantly striving to make business better and licensing easier, and this centralization is another step in the right direction.

All restaurants that are under new construction or being remodeled must submit a plan of the facility before receiving a license. Previously, plan review had been done all over the state—in the Division of Hotel and Restaurants' seven districts.

By centralizing plan review, we've accelerated 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. This change helps license Florida's restaurants an estimated four days sooner than before.

The process to centralize plan review began in May of 2007, and it was completed this January with the final district, Miami, moving to Tallahassee. Each district plan review office was moved to Tallahassee in a staggered implementation which ensured a proper, smooth implementation and effective customer communication.

Basically, this change helps support Florida's economy. Now, restaurants can hire staff, open doors and serve Florida's consumers faster. Please take the time to watch the video where you can hear about the reorganization directly from Bill.

Sincerely,

Charles W. Drago
Secretary

Department of Business and
Professional Regulation
1940 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Customer Contact Center:
850.487.1395
www.MyFloridaLicense.com