The State of Florida Small Business Regulatory Advisory Council (SBRAC) was statutorily created by FL Ch. 2008-149. The Council's mission is to reduce the regulatory burdens placed on Florida's small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The Council monitors new rules being published by agencies for any adverse impacts on those businesses, and then makes recommendations to agencies for lower-cost regulatory alternatives. The Council is composed of nine members who must by law be current or former small business owners. Members are appointed – three by the Governor, three by the Senate President, and three by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Members reside and work throughout the State of Florida.

The Council has an advisory group consisting of nine members, all of whom represent trade organizations, economic development groups, or other small business assistance entities. These advisors represent the interests of SMEs around the state, and they provide invaluable input to the Council for both gauging the impacts of rules and finding solutions that will lessen the burden of those rules. This service is of particular importance in these already troubling economic times.

Recently, there has been a dynamic shift in Florida’s rulemaking processes. First, the Legislature overrode former Governor Crist’s veto of House Bill 1565. This bill requires agencies to do an economic impact study on rules that will have an adverse impact on small businesses, or will increase regulatory costs in the aggregate more than $200,000 in the year following implementation. The new law also contains many new requirements for rulemaking. Additionally, Governor Rick Scott, in one of his very first acts as Governor, issued Executive Order EO 11-01. This Order mandated that agencies under the direct supervision of the Governor submit any proposed rule (even those already in process) to his newly formed Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform. This new entity is to work with SBRAC in order to further reduce the regulatory burdens on small businesses in Florida. A new working relationship between the Council and the Governor’s office has already been initiated, and agencies are now, more than ever, being held accountable for determining, and lessening, the adverse impacts of their rules on small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Council is excited about the changes that have occurred, and about joining with Florida’s Governor and Legislature in making Florida more small-business friendly. The Council will continue to strive to be the voice of SMEs, to make their voices heard, and to provide a better economic environment in which Florida’s businesses can grow and flourish.