Division of Certified Public Accounting

Information Regarding New Rules

Professional Profile

MISSION: To promote consumer protection by ensuring that certified public accountants and firms meet and adhere to the statutory requirements for licensure.

Within Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the division focuses on the regulation of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). The division processes applications to sit for the CPA examination, original CPA licensure, reactivation of a delinquent or inactive CPA license, temporary permit applications, accountancy firm licensure, and continuing education reporting forms. In addition, the division provides administrative support to the Board of Accountancy. The Board consists of nine members, seven members of which are CPAs and two who are consumer members. The board meets approximately 10 times a year at various locations throughout the state. Meetings are open to the public.

2008 Board Meetings Deadlines

Are you interested in serving on a professional board or council?

If you have an interest in serving on one of the department’s boards or councils, you may obtain a Gubernatorial Appointments Questionnaire by contacting the Governor’s Appointments Office at 850.488.2183 or by downloading application for governor's appointment. Once your application is complete, return the questionnaire to the Governor’s Appointments Office at PL01 The Capitol, Tallahassee Florida 32399-0001 for consideration.

At the present time, the Board of Accountancy has no vacancies.

Minority Scholarships

To encourage students to remain in school for the fifth year required to sit for the CPA exam, a fifth-year minority scholarship program has been established, setting aside $100,000 per year in scholarships. Requirements for the program include financial need; ethnicity, gender or racial minority status; scholastic ability and performance (including the intention of sitting for the CPA exam); attainment of 120 credit hours; and Florida residency. The application deadline is June 1st. If requirements are met and money is available, scholarships of $3,000 per semester are awarded for a maximum of two semesters. An application form may be downloaded from our forms center or by writing to the Florida Board of Accountancy (BOA) at 240 NW 76th Drive, Suite A, Gainesville, FL, 32607.

In addition to the BOA Minority Scholarship program, scholarships for accounting students are available through the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (FICPA) Educational Foundation. For more information on how to apply to the FICPA Educational Foundation’s scholarship program please contact Betsy Wilson at 850.224.2727, ext. 224 or wilsonb@ficpa.org.

Address Changes

To ensure that you receive correspondence from the Board, applicants and licensees are responsible for making sure that we have a current mailing address for you. You can change your mailing address online at http://www.myfloridalicense.com. If you use a post office box as a mailing address, you must also provide a location address. Location addresses can not be submitted online, but must be submitting using the Request for Name or Address Change Form (DBPR-0080-1), available at the forms center. The completed form must be sent to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0783, or via fax to 850.487.9529.

Selecting A Certified Public Accountant

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a person who has met the requirements of Florida state laws and has been issued a license to practice public accounting by the Florida Board of Accountancy.

Only persons who are licensed can legally call themselves a Certified Public Accountant. As practitioners, CPA's provide accounting, auditing, tax, financial planning and management consulting services.

When you choose a CPA we have the following suggestions you may find helpful:

• Check the license status from our online search at http://www.myfloridalicense.com or call the Customer Contact Center at 850.487.1395.
• Specifically, make sure the license is current, and check for any disciplinary actions against the licensee.
• Check to see if the license is active and how long the individual has been licensed.
• Interview the prospective CPA either by telephone or in person. Find out what type of accounting work they typically perform. Compare the CPA's experience to your service needs.
• Ask about the office hours of the CPA; determine whether the office is open year round; inquire if the CPA is available to take telephone inquiries.

It is important to make certain before any work is done by the CPA that you receive an engagement letter detailing the work to be performed for you, who specifically will be performing the work, and cost of the services.