April 15, 2011

Dear Friends,

Of all the professions our department licenses and regulates, the real estate industry accounts for more licenses than any other. DBPR issues more than 300,000 real estate licenses, including real estate corporations, brokers, and branch offices.

I always look forward to the annual real estate gathering in Tallahassee — real estate professionals are some of the most upbeat and positive people licensed by DBPR. These men and women work hard to make sure our families have the right places to live and encourage people to locate here. They also have a direct and important impact on local economies. They're among the first to feel a decline in business, but also among the first to notice what may be early signs of improvement.

This week, our department participated in Great American Realtor Days at the Capitol. More than 2,000 realtors from across the state attended various legislative briefings to discuss concerns affecting all Florida residents and visitors. DBPR had staff present to meet with Realtors one-on-one to gather information on how we can better serve them. I was pleased to hear these interactions were very positive, and even more pleased that real estate professionals are seeing a slight increase in sales — an early indicator that our economy is beginning to bounce back. I look forward to our continuing dialogue with Florida's realtors so we can better serve our customers and help get Floridians back to work.

Sincerely,

Charlie Liem

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