FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2005
CONTACT: Meg Shannon (850)922-8981

Tallahassee – In preparation for Hurricane Wilma, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation urges Florida business owners to take appropriate measures to protect their businesses and business records. The loss of such records can make the recovery process more difficult.

“Placing business records in a safe place is critical in preparing for a hurricane,” said Secretary Simone Marstiller. “In the aftermath of the storm, business owners may have many issues to face, both at home and at work. Safeguarding important documents beforehand will ensure they have one less obstacle to overcome in getting back on their feet quickly.”

DBPR recommends taking the following actions when preparing for the storm:

• Retrieve all important business records from your place of business and store them in a water tight container in a safe place. If you are required to display your license in order to do business, take it with you. In the event your business property sustains damage, you will be sure to have proof of licensure.
• Have list of locations of where your employees are sheltering from the storm and document out of town contacts.
• Expect no cell or telephone communications at first. Establish essential staff for post storm recovery and have pre-determined locations for employees to meet when conditions permit.
• Prepare a photo/video inventory of assets and store it in a safe location. In addition, if you have the capability, you may consider emailing the inventory footage to a web-based email account, such as Yahoo, for easy retrieval.
• Ensure that your insurance policy payment is up-to-date prior to insurer cut off.
• Maintain detailed expenses for disaster recovery for possible reimbursement from FEMA.
• Have cash on hand, as banking may be off-line for several days.

In the event your license is lost, you should contact the agency immediately to request a duplicate license. Requests must be made in writing and should contain your license number and address. Address requests to: DBPR, License Maintenance Unit, 1940 N Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0750.

DBPR’s mission is to ensure that professions and businesses provide quality services for the health, safety and welfare of citizens and visitors in the state of Florida. The agency licenses nearly 1 million businesses and professionals ranging from real estate agents, veterinarians, and accountants to contractors and cosmetologists. For more information, please visit www.MyFlorida.com/dbpr.

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