DBPR Highlights Improvements to Business Services
Contact: DBPR Communications Office, 850.922.8981
DBPR HIGHLIGHTS IMPROVEMENTS TO BUSINESS SERVICES
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) today highlighted various improvements made throughout the year to improve customer service for its businesses and professionals. DBPR’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly, and these improvements will make it easier for people to start businesses, get state licenses and get back to work.
“The Department is committed to smarter regulations that make better business sense, so qualified people are able to get to work,” said DBPR Secretary Ken Lawson. “I am very proud of the improvements we have made over this past year, and I look forward to making even more over the next year.”
First, the agency has significantly reduced the time it takes to process license applications. As of the end of November 2012, the average time to process professional license applications had been reduced to just over two days. This is an improvement from 2008, when the average time to process an application was more than 40 days. The agency achieved this success by maximizing the use of staff and technology resources as well as regularly measuring and evaluating processing times.
The Department completed the ApplyNow! Project, which revised the applications for 19 professions under DBPR’s jurisdiction. The Project goal was to reduce the number of applications filled out incorrectly so qualified individuals could become licensed faster. Throughout the 16-month implementation period, rules related to applications were also revised and/or eliminated if they were unnecessary or duplicative. Since April 2012 when the revised applications began rolling out, the Department has seen a steady decrease in applications completed incorrectly and an increase in application volume. All revised applications will be in place by the end of 2012.
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. The Department licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals ranging from hotels and restaurants, real estate agents and certified public accountants to veterinarians, contractors and cosmetologists. For more information, please visit www.MyFloridaLicense.com.
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More information about DBPR is available online at www.myfloridalicense.com. Also, follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for updates about license cycles, events and other important news.
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