Advocacy in Action: FICPA's CPA Day at the Capitol
January 21, 2026
By FICPA Governmental Affairs
Hello, everyone. This is Jason Harrell, your Chief External Affairs Officer at the FICPA, and today,
I am excited to introduce you to our brand-new video series: This is Advocacy in Action.
Throughout the year, we’ll be offering these behind-the-scenes looks at the year-round work of the FICPA’s Governmental Affairs Team.
With Florida’s 2026 Legislative Session now underway, our debut episode is all about our record-breaking CPA Day at the Capitol held last month here in Tallahassee. On Dec. 3, the FICPA hosted the largest advocacy event in its history, as 150 CPAs from across the state visited the offices of all 160 members of the Florida Legislature.
Our morning started off with a visit from the Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Melanie Griffin, who was on hand to help us recognize two extraordinary groups of young CPAs: the recipients of our 2026 Horizon Awards and the graduates of our FICPA Leadership Academy.
We were also honored to be joined by our CPA Lawmaker and the sponsor of our priority bill in the Florida Senate, Sen. Joe Gruters. Sen. Gruters addressed our full FICPA delegation and then met us in front of Florida’s Historic Capitol for our annual group photo, standing front and center along with our President & CEO, Shelly Weir, in a show of strength and solidarity on behalf of the CPA profession.
Our individual FICPA groups then went their separate ways for a series of scheduled meetings with lawmakers and their aides. FICPA members both advocated for our priority bills –
HB 333 by Rep. Omar Blanco and SB 364 by Sen. Gruters – and voiced our opposition to filed legislation that would seek to eliminate Florida’s Board of Accountancy. Given the timing of CPA Day, I am proud to say that the CPA profession was the first to share its concerns with this proposed deregulation directly with legislators.
That said, we’re also here to help, and that’s why our priority bills are proactive, seeking to make Florida into a national model for effective, efficient licensure. Our bills streamline the licensure process, open new pathways to the profession and uphold the standards and rigor that set CPAs apart.
In support of our goals, FICPA members attended more than 80 meetings with legislators and delivered advocacy materials to every single member of the Florida House and Senate,
including House Speaker Daniel Perez. We would like to thank Speaker Perez for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with us and his local CPAs to discuss issues important to the profession.
FICPA members were also given the opportunity to take part in a tour of the Senate Chamber. There, we were delighted to be joined once again by Sen. Gruters and, for the second year in a row, by Florida’s Senate President, Ben Albritton. Sen. Albritton was, as he is always, gracious with both his time and remarks, and we are grateful for his leadership and his continued support of Florida’s CPAs.
Given that this is Sen. Gruters' last year in the Legislature, this year’s CPA Day was a wonderful way to celebrate his tenure. We could not be more grateful to him as our legislative champion
or more proud of the partnership we’ve forged during his time in Tallahassee.
In the weeks after CPA Day, the positive feedback we’ve received from both legislators and their aides has been overwhelming. Their compliments speak to the visibility and awareness of the CPA profession inside the Capitol as Auditors of Truth and Stewards of Trust.
Our efforts even captured the attention of the Capitol media, as a story about CPA Day was featured prominently on the homepage of Florida Politics, the go-to source for legislative news in Tallahassee.
Ultimately, CPA Day was a success because of members like you, who stood beside your colleagues and stood up for the CPA profession. Both Shelly and I extend our sincere gratitude
to every member who took the time to travel to Tallahassee and make their voice heard.
The FICPA Governmental Affairs Team will keep you updated all throughout Session on the progress of our priority legislation and any bill that would impact the profession. I highly encourage you to visit ficpa.org to read our Legislative Updates and watch my weekly Capitol Brief videos throughout Session. Rest assured: The FICPA Governmental Affairs Team has your back. And our work is made possible by the support of members like you.
I hope you enjoyed this debut edition of our new video series, and we’ll be back with more installments throughout the year. For now, I’m Jason Harrell, this was CPA Day at the Capitol, and this is FICPA’s Advocacy in Action.