FOR BUSINESSES
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Charles W. Drago, Secretary
On July 31, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist appointed Charles W. Drago (Chuck) as the Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. He has served as the Interim Secretary of the Department since February 2008. Since January 2007, he served as the Deputy Secretary of Business Regulation for the Department, advancing the Department’s mission of licensing efficiently and regulating fairly. As Secretary, he continues his commitment to public safety through community interaction and involvement.
Before joining the Department, Secretary Drago enjoyed a successful, 32-year career in law enforcement in the State of Florida. He served in the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department for nearly 30 years, rising through the ranks to the position of Assistant Chief of Police. During that time, he worked in the areas of organized crime investigations, narcotics enforcement, vice, tactical operations and stalking.
In 1989, Secretary Drago was honored with the Officer of the Year Award for the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department and was the runner-up for the State of Florida Officer of the Year. In addition, he received dozens of departmental and public commendations for his community work and accomplishments in major criminal investigations.
Secretary Drago was responsible for initiating the now famous COMPSTAT (Computerized Statistics) process for the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department, in which the Command Staff reviews and analyzes specific crime data and trends with the goal to enhance overall management, response, and geographical accountability. Secretary Drago was a state-certified police instructor and sole narcotics instructor for all recruits in the Broward County Police and Corrections academies. Additionally, he is responsible for training hundreds of police officers throughout the U.S. in narcotics and stalking investigations.
In 2004, he was selected to be the Chief of Police in the City of Oviedo. Secretary Drago spent three years in Oviedo where he is known for establishing community policing and problem-oriented policing in the agency, which emphasizes research and analysis as well as prevention. The City reported the lowest crime rate in the history of Oviedo for those three years. He developed numerous community-based programs and partnerships that are still operating today.
In addition to his police service, Secretary Drago has been active in the community and participated in many civic organizations, such as: the American Cancer Society, Broward County Women in Distress, and Father Flanagan’s Boys Town in Central Florida.
Secretary Drago is a graduate of St. Thomas University in Miami and the Southern Police Institute, University of Louisville Command Officers Development Course.
AGENCY INFORMATION
The Division of Administration is responsible for the department's personnel, agency services and support services such as agency-wide award programs, safety and loss control, and facilities management
The Office of Communications manages the department’s media/press relations, public relations with stakeholders, licensees and consumers, and internal relations, such as the department’s Intranet and Governor’s Office of Citizen Services correspondence function. The office also develops brochures, reports and weekly internal newsletters and coordinates external newsletter development and publication.
The Office of General Counsel performs the department’s legal functions, including hearings, depositions, arbitration and final orders. OGC staff maintains all legal documents; prepares, certifies and transmits records on appeal to appellate courts; responds to records requests; and maintains the statutorily mandated subject matter index of final orders.
The Office of Inspector General performs internal independent audits, reviews, and examinations to identify, report, and recommend corrective action for control deficiencies or non-compliance with laws, rules, or policies. The office also performs internal investigations to detect and investigate alleged misconduct by department employees involving fraud, waste, or abuse of laws, policies, procedures, and rules.
The Office of Legislative Affairs coordinates the department’s lobbying efforts, preparing and reviewing legislative proposals and informing the legislature, Governor’s office and other interested parties about the department’s position on legislative issues. In addition, this office coordinates the implementation plan for new laws to take effect with impact to the agency. This office is the central point of contact for legislators and their staffs, as well as committee staffs, for information regarding the department's programs.
The Office of Budget and Financial Management performs the department’s central planning and budgeting functions, including monitoring spending; revenue projections; fiscal impact statements; legislative budget requests; budget amendments; and the Long Range Program Plan. The office is also responsible for the payment of the department’s bills.
The Division of Technology oversees the processes for system design, testing, planning, implementation and administration of the department’s computer operations and desktop/field support. Development and maintenance of DBPR’s corporate database application system, LicenseEase, is handled through this division, as is the development and maintenance of the department’s Internet/Intranet presence and various Win32 and Web based applications.
The Division of Service Operations manages the Central Intake and Licensure unit, the one-stop shop for intake of applications and payments. The division also oversees the Customer Contact Center which handles all initial interaction conducted via telephone, e-mail and the Web. Education and Testing for licensees is also housed within the Division.