May 28, 2010

Dear Friends:

While many of you will probably be enjoying time with your families and friends this Memorial Day weekend, I hope you will join me in honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

In addition to honoring those who have served our country, the long weekend is a good time to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. Tuesday, June 1, marks the beginning of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, and I encourage you to create a disaster preparedness plan. Preparing now will enable you to better protect your family, your home and your livelihood, allowing you to recover much more quickly.

We have been fortunate the past few years that Florida has not experienced any major damage from hurricanes, but it does not take much to remember the devastation caused by Charley, Wilma, Ivan, Dennis or Katrina. It is important that we learn from the destruction in the past and prepare our homes and businesses before this hurricane season begins.

Through the Division of Emergency Management, the state offers a very useful Web-based tool to help business owners and families create customized disaster plans. To create a plan for your business and family, go to www.FloridaDisaster.org.

Here are a few quick tips you should think about when creating your business plan:

• Retrieve all important business records and store them in a watertight container in a safe place.
• Expect no cell or telephone communications immediately following a storm.
• Establish essential staff for post-storm recovery and have predetermined locations for employees to meet when conditions permit.
• Prepare a photo or video inventory of assets and store it in a safe location.
• Ensure that your insurance policy payment is up-to-date.
• Maintain detailed expenses for disaster recovery for possible reimbursement from FEMA.
• Have cash on-hand, as banking may be unavailable for several days.

As you prepare for this hurricane season, I would like to make a commitment to you. If a storm does hit Florida's shores, the department will be here to support you and your business through the recovery.

Sincerely,

Charlie Liem
Interim Secretary

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