It appears the Florida Department of Revenue is hitting mailboxes this week with tax assessment notices [bills].
These taxes ARE NOT due to an incorrect filing or underpaid deposit.
In a nutshell, the Florida unemployment ‘piggybank’ has been empty for years. Because that fund is basically insolvent, Florida continues to borrow from Uncle Sam to meet its unemployment obligations.
All of us as Florida employers must bear the burden of paying the interest on that debt, and that is what these notices pertain to. It appears the state is examining a look-back period of 7/1/09 through 6/30/10 for the purposes of computing each firm’s obligation.
The formula for calculating the payment is specified by law. The calculation is based on your taxable wages reported from 7/1/09 through 6/30/10 which is listed as line 1 on your bill. There will be a flat charge of $25 for any delinquent quarter which is line 2 on your bill.
Call us with any questions.
- Thanks to Greg Borden at Olde Florida Payroll for this information.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Power of the Press Release
You are constantly looking for the best ways to market your business… but I bet you are missing one of the most obvious ones: The Press Release! And guess what, other than the time put in, they are free. Plus a newspaper article holds a lot more credibility in people’s eyes than an advertisement because it appears to be coming from a trusted, third-party source, rather than the company itself.
Let’s start by saying what a press release is. Wikipedia defines it as “a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value.” This means if you have something that people would want to know about, the press wants to hear about it. This can be anything from a charity event you are hosting to the hiring of a new employee.
Press releases have a very regimented format and will only be considered by the media if written correctly. There are many online sources to guide you, and there are even entire books written about this topic. Take a moment to read up on this to be sure that you don’t waste your time.
Once your press release is written, choose the media contacts that you will be sending it to. They are usually listed on the websites of the papers and trade associations. Remember, not all of the media contacts out there are looking for the same stories. A charity event would be directed to most of the contacts, but a new employee would go to the business section writers and trade publications. So think about what you are sending and be realistic.
Thank them when your article is used. This is such a simple thing, but so many people forget to do this! You like to be thanked when you do something nice. They do, too.
The last tip I will leave you with… Only send a press release once. You may not hear back from your contacts even if they plan on using your story, but do not hassle them. Nothing will put you on their block list quicker.
So take a moment and learn to use this powerful tool. Or give us a call. We offer press release services. Isn’t it time to see your name in the headlines?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Congratulations, January licensees!
· Mino Campobasso at Bell'Aqua Pool Service, Inc. of Naples, FL
· Scott Kish at Kish Enterprises, Inc. of Naples, FL
· Matthew Lyons at Expedited Development Services, LLC of Pompano Beach, FL
· Kevin Barry at Orion Home Inspections, Inc. of Bonita Springs, FL
· Dan Sheffield at J and L Electric Group, LLC of Seville, FL
We're also pleased to share the newly created or revamped Social Media Networking pages for these fine businesses we get to call clients:
· The Lykos Group
Be sure to connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
Would you like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, too? Call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Get Motivated
You might have received our out of office reply on Tuesday that let you know we were “away from our desks”. We were actually lucky enough to receive tickets to the Get Motivated seminar, which claims to be “an action-packed, fun-filled, explosive, exciting, inspiring, skill-building business event that is world famous for its mega-watt superstar speakers and spectacular stage production.” We have to say that between the fireworks, confetti drops, and speakers like former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, and former First Lady Barbara Bush, it was definitely explosive and action packed!
Our personal favorites ranged from General Powell, who is obviously known to be a great speaker, to unknown James Smith, whose shock-and- awe style had us in tears with laughter. But we also sat through a sales pitch that went a little far before the lunch break. After a few minutes, they lost our attention and we started making infomercial jokes, laughing to ourselves.
Motivational was not an adjective that would have described them all. Laura Bush discussed 9-11, Rudy Giuliani spoke about the reading initiative program, but the unknowns really got your blood pumping and gave motivation in the bucketfuls.
We have heard both sides from others who attended. Some say it was unbelievable and they are so glad they went, while others didn’t quite get why the event even exists. All we can say is the gals at Licenses, Etc. have always been motivated and always will be motivated to find ways to help our clients achieve their goals! As always, call us and we will help you get motivated to start a business, obtain your license, and market your business.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Time Is Almost Up to Grandfather for Home Inspection and Mold Licenses
Our phones have been ringing with questions about Mold and Home Inspection licenses. These new licenses came into existence in July of 2010. The DBPR has provided a short window of time to get licensed via Grandfathering—a process with dramatically fewer requirements than the normal licensing procedure. The deadline to Grandfather for these licenses is March 1, 2011. It is important to note that having a State Certified Contractor license has NOTHING at all to do with getting any of these licenses; however having these new licenses may be a nice compliment to the licenses that you may already hold. Grandfathering is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the DBPR. Future requirements will be as stringent as the requirements to become a Certified Contractor!!
Mold Remediation and Mold Assessment are two separate licenses. Each can be grandfathered in one of two different ways. By far the easiest is by belonging to a state or national mold-related association, completing 30 hours of CEUs for Mold Remediation and 60 hours of CEUs for Mold Assessment on mold related services, and applying with the DBPR. The other option is to Grandfather via Experience. To do this you must establish at least 3 years of experience by submitting at least 40 invoices for mold assessment or mold remediation (as applicable to the license desired). The DBPR may investigate the validity of a mold invoice and, if the applicant submits a false invoice, may take disciplinary action.
There are also two ways to grandfather into a home inspector license. The easiest way is to belong to a state or national home inspection association, complete 14 hours of home inspection CEUs, and then apply with the DBPR. The other option is to Grandfather via Experience. To do this you must establish at least 3 years of experience as a home inspector and complete at least 14 hours of verifiable education on home inspection services. To establish the 3 years of experience, you must submit a list of at least 120 home inspection reports. The DBRP may investigate the validity of a home inspection report submitted and, if the applicant submits a false report, may take disciplinary action.
There are also two ways to grandfather into a home inspector license. The easiest way is to belong to a state or national home inspection association, complete 14 hours of home inspection CEUs, and then apply with the DBPR. The other option is to Grandfather via Experience. To do this you must establish at least 3 years of experience as a home inspector and complete at least 14 hours of verifiable education on home inspection services. To establish the 3 years of experience, you must submit a list of at least 120 home inspection reports. The DBRP may investigate the validity of a home inspection report submitted and, if the applicant submits a false report, may take disciplinary action.
Please note that these licenses are individual licenses—they do not qualify a business. This means that there must be a licensee on site at each project that is being worked on. So there will need to be a licensed mold remediator on each project while work is being performed. You cannot have staff working on a project without having a licensee present. Assessment work can only be performed by a licensed assessor. Reconstruction can only be performed by an appropriately licensed contractor.
How can Licenses Etc. help you get licensed quickly and easily?
As always, we make preparing the application forms as easy as possible for our clients. We have created a special discounted fee structure for people who are trying to beat the grandfathering deadline. Because we know that many of you will be applying for two or maybe even three of these licenses, we’ve developed a package deal.
Initial Licensing: Grandfathering (via certification and education only)
Mold Remediator, Mold Assessor or Home Inspector:
1st application per applicant: $300—additional concurrent applications $150 each
This charge includes the following:
§ Typed, easy-to-read forms (with the exact information required to get your application approved the first time!)
§ In-depth, 2-time review of the entire application package to ensure everything is exactly right and all necessary supporting documents are included
§ Overnight shipping to the DBPR
§ Monitoring of DBPR’s approval process and immediate response to any issues that arise
§ Unlimited time from us to provide assistance and answer any questions you have related to the license and application process
§ A copy of your entire license package sent to you once we send it to DBPR
You will need to provide proof of certification by a state or national association for the requested license type(s) through proof of a proctored examination and also proof of completing the required number of hours of education per license type(s). We can provide information on different courses that are available…just let us know if you need details.
The other costs for you are the class/membership fees, the DBPR application fee, and the fingerprinting fee. The application fees must be separate checks made out directly to the DBPR for $330 for each license that you’re going to acquire. The fingerprinting costs are $57.25.
This pricing is valid for deposits received no later than February 15th 2011. Applications must be RECEIVED at the DBPR no later than February 28th, 2011.
Call us now and you can have the paperwork in hand when you complete the class. What could be easier than walking out of class with everything together and ready to mail? Contact us NOW…we’ll make things easy for you!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
New Online System at the DBPR
The DBPR has implemented a new online system. EVERYONE who has a license will need to Re-Register on the DBPR site to have access to their personal account. If you’d like assistance, we can take care of this for you for $50 for the first license and $10 for each additional license in the state of Florida. If you’d like to complete the process yourself, here are the steps you’ll need to follow:
Pick your profession (construction industry), and then click the registration button.
A new window will open.
· Enter your name (as it appears on your license)
· Enter your email address (this will be your username) it will also be where your temporary password will be sent.
· Answer one of three ‘secret’ questions:
1. Mother’s maiden name
2. Where you were born
3. Street where you grew up
4. Or you can create your own question.
· Enter the randomly generated letters at the bottom (security thing)
At that time, an email will be sent to you with a temporary password that IS case sensitive.
You can then hit the ‘return’ button and go back to the login page.
· Enter your username (email address) and password.
· You will be taken to a page where you can then create your own password.
Now you’re logged in.
But here’s the crazy part. Now you have to tell them which licenses are YOURS!!
· Click on: Link an Existing License to My Account
· Choose your profession (construction)
· Choose your specialty (CGC, CPC, CFC, etc.)
· Enter only the NUMERIC portion of your license
· Click on Next
You’ll then be prompted to enter your SSN and another of those random security things.
It will then allow you to add the license number to your account.
* You will need to repeat this process for all licenses. *
Once these steps are complete, you can now click on your license to do maintenance options:
· Address change
· Change of status from Active to Inactive
· View CEU credits
Feeling overwhelmed? We are more than happy to help you with this process. Contact us and we will get this off your to-do list immediately.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Congratulations, December licensees!
· Michael Maree at A-OK A/C, LLC DBA Mike's Neighborhood Cooling, Heating And Handyman Service of Fort Myers, FL
· Donald Labonte at Evergreen Construction, LLC of Chicopee, MA
· John Osborne at Pinecrest Building Corp DBA Rusaw Homes By Pinecrest Building Corp of Lecanto, FL
· John Gibson at J & L Constructors, LLC of Parrish, FL
· Bill Bryan at Bryan Construction Group, Inc. of Orlando, FL
· Benjamin Chapin at Sterling Purchasing Corp DBA Sterling Manufacturing of Sarasota, FL
· Nelson Owen at Specialized Roofing and Contracting, Inc. of Largo, FL
· Darren Eaton of Clearwater, FL
· Scott Shinham at Aussie Properties LLC dba Aussie Contracting of Ellenton, FL
· William Samuels, Sr. at Approved Roofing, LLC of Bradenton, FL
We're also pleased to share the newly created or revamped Social Media Networking pages for these fine businesses we get to call clients:
· Kinetico Water Systems of SWFL
o Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kinetico-Water-Systems-of-SWFL/182814538397031?v=app_112078882147346&ref=sgm
· barbara rooch interior elements, inc.
· Love The Dunes
· Beach, Bay, and Beyond
· Terrilyn VanGorder, PA
Be sure to connect with them all on Facebook and Twitter.
Would you like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, too? Call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.
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