Dear Friends,

It’s tax season, and here at DBPR we’ve been working with the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) to remind people that before they hire a certified public accountant, they should check to make sure that person has a state license. Unlicensed certified public accounting activity not only takes jobs away from licensed Florida professionals, it can also cause serious financial harm to consumers.

Every year, we work to educate people about the importance of using licensed professionals and this year, we got some extra help from accounting students throughout the state. Together with the FICPA, we held a contest for the best student videos about unlicensed certified public accounting activity. This week, I had the honor of meeting a member of the first place team, Team Gazzillo/Flynn from the University of Florida. These students won $1,000 and an extra $350 for their school’s accounting program with their video. Team JJD from the University of South Florida came in second place, and the NSU Accounting Club from Nova Southeastern University placed third.

You can watch all three winning videos at www.ficpa.org/ImpostulatorsWinners and you can check state licenses for certified public accountants at www.myfloridalicense.com. Check before you hire a CPA this tax season!

Sincerely,

Ken Lawson
Secretary

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