State CPA Societies in Action: Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA)

• Website: www.ficpa.org
• Number of current members: 18,500+
• Headquarters: Orlando, Florida
• Founded: 1905
• President & CEO: Shelly Weir

FICPA Mission Statement
“To protect the value of the CPA license, promote the accounting profession, educate and enrich the professional excellence of the members we serve, and innovate through forward-thinking leadership.”

The FICPA Vision
“A thriving and future-ready accounting professional that powers the success of Florida businesses and the communities we serve.”

Founded in 1905, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) is the premier association serving CPAs, accountants and financial professionals in the state of Florida.

One of the largest state CPA organizations in the county, FICPA advocates on behalf of their more than 18,500 members who work across public accounting, private industry, government and education.

At the executive level, the FICPA is led by its president & CEO, Shelly Weir, chief growth and innovation officer, Carrie Summerlin, and chief financial officer, Kristin High, all of whom have joined the organization within the last two years. Together, they have crafted the FICPA’s new mission and vision and embarked on a five-year strategy plan to diversify membership and learning programs, enhance member value, strengthen the Institute’s advocacy efforts, and build an education and career-development foundation of the future, supporting the next generation of CPAs.

In partnership with the FICPA Board of Directors, Weir oversees the development and execution of the strategic vision for the association, and leads a staff of 40 professionals responsible for carrying out the missions of the FICPA and FICPA Scholarship Foundation.

In her role, Weir also serves as secretary-treasurer of the FICPA board of directors and represents the membership with the state’s Board of Accountancy and the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation. She serves on the board of directors for Florida TaxWatch and the Florida Chamber Foundation and is a member of the CPA Society Executives Association and the AICPA’s Experience, Learn & Earn (ELE) Advisory Group.   

An association executive with over 20 years of experience, Weir began her tenure at the FICPA in April 2021. Prior to joining the FICPA, Weir spent 10 years with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), where she was most recently the senior VP of career development. Prior to the AHLA, Weir served as director of membership for the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association.  She earned a B.A. from Florida State University.

Focused on fostering and maintaining relationships, Weir has traveled more than 20,000 miles and conducted more than 100 in-office visits since her arrival, re-engaging members and firm leaders across the state.

The FICPA has also added new regional directors of membership to serve as the primary contact for members in north Florida and the panhandle, central Florida, Tampa and southwest Florida, Palm Beach and Broward counties, and Miami and the Keys. In their first year, they conducted organized than 400 members visits, engagements and events.

In the past year, the FICPA has increased its conversion of newly licensed CPAs to FICPA members by 12% and secured a 99% retention rate with its member firms.

#CPACount

With advocacy its stated primary member benefit, the FICPA’s government affairs team builds relationships with state and federal lawmakers to both protect and promote the CPA profession in Tallahassee and in Washington, D.C.

In late 2022, the FICPA played a leading role in advocating for state and federal relief after hurricanes Ian and Nicole had a direct impact on members and firms across the state. The Institute quickly mobilized to support friends and colleagues in need, collecting donations, distributing supplies, feeding the community, and bringing the IRS to southwest Florida a special disaster-relief seminar. The organization helped secure critical tax relief for all of Florida’s 67 counties.

This past spring, during Florida’s 2023 legislative session, the FICPA successfully prevented several pieces of potentially negative and burdensome legislation from impacting CPAs in Florida, shielding members from additional CPE requirements and mandatory audit firm rotations; working with bill sponsors to guarantee a carve-out that protected interstate mobility for professionals; and beginning discussions to grant automatic extensions during a state of emergency or natural disaster.

And in May, members of FICPA leadership participated in 18 congressional visits with federal lawmakers, lobbying to have Hurricane Ian declared a qualified disaster and establish accounting as part of STEM education.

On Feb. 8, 2023, the FICPA officially opened its new headquarters in the Park Building at 250 S. Orange Ave. in downtown Orlando. The ceremony marked the completion of the societies’ multi-year relocation to Orlando from Tallahassee, where an office is retained for legislative and regulatory affairs teams. The new 11,000-square-foot facility will house more than 30 staff members. The space was chosen specifically for its proximity to FICPA member firms and organizations likewise located in the downtown area.  

“I am immensely grateful to the FICPA staff members and volunteer leaders who worked so diligently to navigate this transition and execute our relocation,” said Weir. “We are excited to hit the ground running in our new home and to write the next chapter in the proud history of the FICPA. From our headquarters in Orlando, we will continue to provide CPAs and other financial professionals across the state, from the panhandle to south Florida, with exceptional member value.”