August 29, 2008

Dear Friends,

Yesterday was the first day of “On the Road to Better Business,” and was even more eye-opening and successful than I had imagined it would be.

About 20 licensees came to the Department’s Tampa office, and I sat down with each person in a one-on-one session to hear about their experiences with the Department. Every licensee was polite, well spoken, and offered insight into their interactions with the Department. The absolute best part was that every licensee who had a complaint also had a recommendation—or two— on how to fix the problem.

I learned about issues that I wasn’t aware of before, and I also learned a great deal more about issues that I already knew existed. Lori Rodgers and Ed Anderson of Bert Rodgers Schools of Real Estate gave unique insight into the continuing education provider approval process. Lori suggested that the Department send e-mails, in addition to letters, in order to expedite response times. Rita Iacimo recommended that one deficiency letter be sent detailing all deficiencies with an application in order to reduce the amount of back-and-forth that sometimes takes place.

I’d like to share some of the feedback that customers provided on anonymous surveys they completed:

• “I believe communication is very important and believe this is a step in the right direction.”

• “I sincerely felt like I was heard.”

• “Secretary Drago was very open to ideas and ways to improve procedures.”

Nearly every person I sat down with said how refreshing it was to have the opportunity to meet with me. Some had said that they’d never had the opportunity in the past. I can honestly say that the feeling is mutual. As much as the licensees gained from meeting with me, I would say that I gained 10-fold from them. Their suggestions have the potential to help thousands of others who may have experienced similar issues.

I look forward to meeting licensees at the City of Gulf Breeze City Hall in the Pensacola area on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Sincerely,

Charles W. Drago
Secretary

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

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