Gulf Coast state rep seeks to curb bureaucracy

The business license and registration process in Florida, long a hotbed of entrepreneurial loathing, could be on the verge of an overhaul.

In fact, late last month the Florida House Business & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee reviewed a plan from the state Department of Revenue that would create a universal registration portal for new businesses. In the current system, would-be business owners have to go through multiple state agencies, sometimes more than five, from professional regulation to management services.

“When looking to start a business in Florida, for too long, business owners have been burdened by many duplicative registration forms that can become costly and time consuming,” House Business & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee Chairman Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, says in a statement. “The new 'one stop' registration process will go a long way toward improving Florida's business climate and reducing the burden the state places on businesses seeking a license.”

The Department of Revenue plan allows agencies to share pertinent business owners' information. The department also says its registration process could help businesses save money, through a consolidation of tasks such as criminal background checks and receiving payments.