Our Blog Has Moved!!!

We are super excited to share with all of you our new online image! Please visit our brand new website at www.LicensesEtc.com and take a look around. It was designed by the lovely folks at PWSI Systems and Technology. Their expertise in web design, IT support and even hardware made this upgrade so easy. 

By creating the new look and feel for our site, they have helped to bring our site to the 21^st century. The ease of navigation between the pages will help individuals like you to find information regarding licenses for construction, electric, home inspection or mold, new business startup, running your business, or even just getting a personal or business credit report.

The site has also been re-engineered to be a resource for contractors. Our blog will keep you up to date on the latest news for the contracting world. The resource page has helpful links that give you access to many different facets of the industry. You can even tell the world about your experience by visiting our testimonials page!

Feel free to visit us at our online home and let us know what you think! We always love to hear feedback. Also, visit our friends at PWSI Systems and Technology. and be sure to tell them we sent you! Oh and they can do more than websites... don't go to a chain store for your hardware need, they can build it for you!

Congratulations, April licensees!

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

• Paulette Brown at Brown & Brown Residential Builders, Inc. of Punta Gorda, FL
• Arnulf Albrecht at Arnulf Albrecht General Contracting, Inc. of Naples, FL
• Robert Ricciardelli at Pelican Bay Contracting, Inc. of Naples, FL
• John David Lowe at Physical Security, LLC  of  Bessemer, AL
• David Williams at Eikon Builders LLC  of  Fort Myers, FL
• Jeff LeBon at LeBon Services LLC  of  Port Charlotte , FL
• Erique Matta at SPF Roofing Systems, Inc. of Pompano Beach, FL
• Matthew Jackson at T.V. Diversified, Inc. of Lake Worth, FL
• Randolph Carter at All Septic All Plumbing, Inc. of Cape Coral, FL
• Michael Cusick at Mike Cusick, LLC  of  Leesburg, FL
• Gary Huffman at Campus Crest Construction, Inc. DBA Florida Campus Crest Construction, Inc. Charlotte, NC
• Richard Copeland at Thor Construction, Inc. of Minneapolis, MN
• James Calvert at Advanced Service by James Calvert, L.L.C. of Venice, FL
• Shanze Lee at S Lee LLC  of  Lake Mary, FL
• James M. Burbach at Summit Building & Development, Inc. of Lake City, FL
• Perry Hodges at Highway Intelligent Traffic Solutions, Inc. of Lancaster, TX
• Blaise Daluise at Innovative Construction Design LLC  of  Sarasota, FL
• Jose Toledo at Melcon General Contractors, LLC  of  Long Island City, NY
• William Markulin at Modern Concepts HVAC, Inc. of Sarasota, FL           

Any questions? Call Lisa at 239.777.8321 for more information.

Our Experience with the New Experience

As everyone knows, the biggest part of an application for a new construction license is the experience section. What experience are they looking for? How much do they need? What do they consider valid experience?

For Division II Contractors, the basics are simple. In the minimum four years of experience that the board requires for licensure, if you have not gained experience in all areas of installation listed on the application then it will go for an automatic board review. They then will review your work history with you and decide whether or not you have the required experience to be able to receive a license.

Division I Contractor applications are a bit more complicated than that. They are looking for four years of experience working for a licensed contractor. To prove this, actual project details must be listed. Each project must meet four of the areas required by the statute. If the projects do not, you can list additional projects so that at least four areas are met for the requisite time frame. If there is any doubt in the reviewers mind, the applications are going straight to the board for further clarification.

College can take time off the amount of experience you need to submit. The board specifies that 1 year of college is equal to 30 earned credits at an accredited college. No matter how many credits you have, you will still need a minimum of 12 months of experience as a foreman.

The board also has provided the minimum amount of hours that 1 year of experience is supposed to be. Each year of experience is to be 2,000 hours of work under a licensed contractor. The intent is for W-2 employment. This way the individual is working legally under a contractor and is covered by all appropriate insurances. Many applicants going before the board are being asked to produce W-2s.

This is not a guarantee in any way that your application won’t go for board review. We are seeing more and more sent for review. They are really cracking down. We can help to avoid certain pitfalls that applicants are stepping into. Call us to discuss these details in depth. We are here to help.

Licenses, Etc. - A DBPR Approved Credit Reporting Agency

In Florida, to work as a State Certified Contractor the Department of Business & Professional Regulation’s Construction Industry Licensing Board requires all applicants need to provide credit reports personally and on the business entity they want to qualify. Both credit reports must indicate that local, state, and federal records have been searched and personal credit reports must contain a FICO derived credit score.

Licenses, Etc. is now on the Florida DBPR’s List of approved Credit Reporting Agencies!

Our credit reports include:

• FICO Score
• Statement that Public Records have been searched at the Local, State and Federal Levels

So whether you need just a report run or you need an entire application service, call the team at Licenses, Etc.

Credit Report FAQs

Why do I need a Credit Report to get a Contractor’s License?
Your Personal Credit Report enables the State to make a decision on your Financial Responsibility and lets them ensure that the contractor applying for the license is Financially Responsible.

Why do I need a Credit Report for a newly formed business?
They are checking for open liens, judgments and bankruptcies. The State requires that all companies must have a credit report included in the application. The fact that it is a new company does not negate the need to have a report run on that company.

Can I have I have any open bankruptcies, judgments or liens?
The company, applicant and any officer of the company cannot have any unpaid Liens, Judgments or non-discharged Bankruptcies. You will be required to show legal documentation of satisfaction or discharge as proof in order to have your application reviewed.

Congratulations, March licensees!

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

• Anthony Onesti at US Electrical Construction Co, Inc. DBA US Construction Group of Woodstown, NJ
• Armando Quintero at Intellisite, Inc. of St. Pete Beach, FL
• Maynard Grover at Elektro Systems, LLC of Ocala, FL
• Clifford Byrd at Specialty Building Services, Inc. of Naples, FL
• Trevor Kutz at Progressive Power Group, Inc. of Rossmoor, CA
• Ryan Hughes at Ryan Hughes Design, Inc. of Palm Harbor, FL
• William Martell, III at Martell & Slattery Construction, LLC of Sarasota, FL
• David Jones at Jones Air Conditioning & Electric, Inc. DBA R-Value Insulation Contractors of Naples, FL
• Greg Walls at Fallsafe Solutions, LLC DBA Fallsafe Walls & Ceilings of Ft. Myers, FL
• Mary Ceavers at Lefta Construction, LLC of Miami , FL
• Louis LaMarca at LaMarca Construction Managment, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA

Any questions? Call Lisa at 239.777.8321 for more information.

Alert! BOGUS Certificate of Status Request Form

If you recently set up a new business on the Department of State, Division of Corporations website (sunbiz.org), you may be sent a 2013 Certificate of Status Request Form. Please be aware that this is NOT required to complete any registration process with the state.

These notices are NOT from the Dept. of State, Division of Corporations. The request asks you to make checks payable to Florida Center of Corporations for a fee of $54.47. Do NOT confuse these notices with the messages sent by the Division of Corporations. If you receive this letter--toss it out. This is NOT an official government document, it is a SCAM.

They cleverly are stating that “You have one step left to receive your Florida certified certificate of status.” It appears to the untrained eye that this means there is one step left to be active with the state of Florida. If you are in need of a Certificate of Status for any reason, they can be obtained directly from the Dept. of State, Division of Corporations for only $5 for an LLC and $8.75 for a Corporation.

This should also in no way be confused with your annual report. 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. THESE MUST BE SUBMITTED BY MAY 1^ST TO AVOID A $400 LATE FEE.

As always, the team at Licenses, Etc. is 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.

Don’t Forget: The Tax Man Cometh a Month Earlier for Businesses

Just a quick reminder from Hill, Barth and King, LLC that the deadline for corporate income tax returns (Forms 1120, 1120A, and 1120S) or to request an automatic six-month extension (Form 7004) is March 15, 2013.

What does all this mean?

Put simply, if your business is a corporation --whether a regular C corporation or an S corporation—you need to have all of your IRS forms filed no later than the last available postmark timestamp on Friday, March 15^th or at the least, you must have completed and submitted the appropriate paperwork to file for an extension.  The good news on the latter is that it’s a simple document and requires little more than your request and your signature.

Just as a quick refresher: C-corporations contain all the typical company characteristics such as possessing “legal persons” status and offering shareholders limited legal liabilities.  They are taxed on their income before distributing their earnings to their shareholders. S-corporations are a in a separate classification because they are not taxed on their income and shareholders shoulder the company’s legal status and protections evenly.

If you have any questions about business or personal income tax, feel free to contact Kevin J. Deardorff, CPA, MBA of Hill, Barth & King LLC’s Naples office by calling (239) 263-2111 or e-mailing him at kdeardorff@hbkcpa.com.

By Kevin Deardorff

Hill, Barth and King LLC® ranks as the 83^rd largest public accounting firm in the nation.  HBK LLC® employs nearly 300 professional and support staff members who serve clients in 12 offices located throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.

To learn more about Hill, Barth and King LLC® visit www.hbkcpa.com.