Consumer Alert Concerning Annual Minutes

It appears that there is a scam out there regarding the annual report filing for the Department of State, Division of Corporations. Please be aware that COMPLIANCE SERVICES (not to be confused with the Florida Corporation, Compliance Services, Inc.) is mailing businesses a notice for "Annual Minutes" to be ordered for a fee of $125.

These notices are NOT from the Dept. of State, Division of Corporations. "Annual Minutes" are NOT required to be filed with any agency. Do NOT confuse these notices with the messages sent by the Division of Corporations reminding each business to file its 2012 Annual Report. If you receive this letter from COMPLIANCE SERVICES saying that you need to file your Annual Meeting Minutes--toss it out. 

You DO need to file an annual report with the Department of State, Division of Corporations (AKA Sunbiz), but these are two separate issues. Annual Reports can be filed online directly at www.Sunbiz.org or you can call us for help with the filing.

As always, the gals at Licenses, Etc. are here to help you in any way that we can. If you have any questions or need assistance, give us a call. We can help make sure that you don’t get scammed.

Home Inspection Continuing Education Requirements

So many of you are taking advantage of the home inspection license while the state has ‘re-opened’ the window for grandfathering. This is only for those who currently hold a Division 1 license with the state (Certified General, Building & Residential Contractor License).  There is no testing required, and also no education required. It is definitely the easiest it will ever be to get one, but the license expires on 07/31/2012, so what about the renewal?

We wondered the same thing so we went straight to the source and found out that the first 14 CE credits will not be required until 2014 renewal cycle. Home Inspectors should not start taking CE until after July 1, 2012.   CE credits taken before then will not be counted towards the 2014 renewal cycle. Moving forward, a minimum of fourteen (14) hours of continuing education will need to be completed every two years in order to keep the Home Inspector License active.

Just because there are no CEUs required this round, you’re not totally free.  The license DOES expire on 7/31/12. A renewal notice will be mailed to the address that you have on file with the DBPR office 90 days prior to renewal. Renewal fees are $205 and may be mailed to the department or you may renew your license online at www.MyFloridaLicense.com or with a Customer Contact Center Agent at 850.487.1395.

We will keep you up to date on all requirements as they are made known.  Keep an eye on our blog and e newsletter for the most current information available. If you are interested in obtaining this license or have any questions, just give us a call! We are always here to help.

Congratulations, December licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in November:

·         John Zalud Jr. at D&D Painting and Restoration, LLC of Sarasota, FL

·         William, Keith and Doug Daubmann at KDD, Inc. DBA My Shower Door of Fort Myers, FL

·         Andrew Ernst at AC Ernst Building Corp of Oviedo, FL

·         Gerald Reed at Reed & Co DBA Dreammaker Bath & Kitchen of Naples of Naples, FL

·         Anthony Robison of Lake Mary, FL

·         Elmer Edmonson at Pro Tech Plumbing & Insulation, Inc. of Lehigh Acres, FL

·         Dustin Parramore at ServPro of Cape Coral of Cape Coral, FL

·         Matthew Jamison at IRB Services, LLC of Indian Rocks Beach, FL

·         Paul James Yasbeck, JR. at Yasbeck Construction, Inc. of Leesburg, FL

·         Joseph Trufan at Air Care of SW, FL LLC of North Fort Myers, FL

·         Keith Reed at Can Do Construction Services, Inc. of Naples, FL

·         Travis Haehnle at Lazer Built, Inc. of Cincinatti, OH

·         Timothy Webb at Webb Construction Services, LLC of Cutler Bay, FL

·         Frank Herreda at F.M.H. HVAC, Inc. of Key West, FL

·         Andy Colombino at A F J Construction Company, Inc. of Orlando, FL

·         Anthony DiVergilio at Zanotti Divergilio, Inc. of West Bloomfield, MI

·         Robert Davis at Davis Company Homes of Pensacola, FL

·         Michael Greenan of Cocoa, FL

·         James Houser at Advantage Plastering & Finish Carpentry, Inc. of Bonita Springs, FL

·         Mario Maenza at Sticks & Stones Home Services, LLC of Orlando, FL

And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.

Resolve to Be Licensed

It’s a new year and that means a fresh start. Resolutions are flying everywhere. These are supposed to be goals that you want to accomplish for the year. Some people seem to think they are making a wish.  Goals take action to accomplish…

What resolution did you make for this year? If it was to be licensed, start your own business or add on a new service to your existing business, then there are clear steps you must take. First, decide which license you need. If a test must be taken to be able to apply for the license, you will need to sign up for a class and then take the test. Once you pass the test, the application needs to be submitted and you have accomplished your resolution!

Starting the New Year off right is as easy as that. But if you want to make it even easier, contact the gals at Licenses, Etc. We can advise you on the license you are able to apply for, assist in starting the business and help the application portion go as smoothly as it possibly can. Don’t just wish, resolve and accomplish!

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy this little Christmas jingle from us:

Congratulations, November licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in November:

·         Ronald Maret at Ocala Plastering Inc. of Ocala, FL

·         Jose Pose at Posetek Appliance Services, LLC of Bonita Springs, FL

·         Steven D. Moss at Liberty Solutions Florida, LLC of Charlotte, NC

·         Glenn Babst at Glenn's Plumbing, Inc. of Marco Island, FL

·         James Hawley at Storm Solutions, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL

·         Henry H. Sherrill, III, at Custom Climate Concepts, Inc. of Palmetto, FL

·         Adam Canales at Gator Cooling, LLC of Fort Myers, FL

·         Brien Mastriana at Matriana Construction, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, FL

·         Garrett Grabowski at Certified Property Restoration, LLC of Port Saint Lucie, FL

·         Christopher S. Fox at Precision Roofing of North Florida, Inc. of St. Augustine, FL

·         Robert Mauceli at Vision Developer of Naples, FL

·         Patrick Hynes at The Martin Group, Limited Liability Company of Matawan, NJ

·         Brian Rippl at 5 Smooth Stones, LLC of Fort Myers, FL

·         James Hawley at Storm Solutions, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL

·         Khalil Nemer at Sonrise Construction, Inc. of Swartz Creek, MI

·         Donald Fecher at Donald Fecher Construction Services, LLC of Largo, FL

·         Derek Isaacson at Citory Solutions, LLC of Harmony, FL

And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.

Fictitious Name Renewal

So we all love this time of year.  The ending of another glorious year.  We can start wrapping things up and hope that next year will be even better.  But it is also a time when a lot of renewals come due.  One of those is fictitious name renewal. 

When you file for a fictitious name, it is good for 5 years. Your renewal must be filed by December 31st of the 5^th year since you filed to remain active. This can easily be done online at www.Sunbiz.org. If you fail to file the renewal, the registration will "Expire" and will not be able to simply be renewed or reinstated. You would need to file a new fictitious name registration all over again. This will include another ad in the paper, too.

When you renew your fictitious name, it will be active again for another 5 years. The fee is $50.00 and at this time you can change your mailing address, the county of the principal place of business, the federal identification tax number and the name and/or address of any owner.

Many people have questions regarding if they need a fictitious name or not. This is because most people don’t understand what a fictitious name is. All it means is any name being used to do business other than the legal name of the company. An example would be ABC Contracting, Inc. that would like to advertise themselves using the name ABC.  This usually pertains to franchises like when a local company wants to do business as McDonald’s.

If you have a fictitious name and aren’t sure if you are due this year, go to http://www.sunbiz.org/ficinam.html and type in your name. Click on the link for your name that should appear on the next page and find the expiration date listed under the filing information.  As always, if you need help in filing or would like further clarification, give the gals at Licenses, Etc. a quick call.  We are always here to help.