This was a good week for the FSDA in Tallahassee.  FSDA President Alex Sarafoglu, board member Melissa Acayan and Sean Stafford met with Ronald Rubin, the new Commissioner of the Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) and his staff.   Alex and Melissa outlined the FSDA’s mission, its history, and current initiatives and invited Commissioner Rubin to address our Board at an upcoming meeting and attend one of our elder fraud prevention seminars.  We certainly appreciate the time and effort put in by all those involved for this introductory meeting and look forward to working with Commissioner Rubin and his staff going forward.   

Also, on March 13, 2019, the Florida House Insurance and Banking Committee unanimously passed House Bill 143, which, if it becomes law, would give the industry some tools to help combat financial fraud against vulnerable investors.  Ms. Acayan testified before the committee in support of the bill and answered questions from committee members on the legislation and on the problem of vulnerable investor fraud.    House Representative Byron Donalds (R-District 80), the bill’s sponsor, made a fantastic presentation on the bill and effectively addressed questions from the committee members. A number of other industry representatives and trade associations supported the legislation, including the Florida Alzheimer’s Association, SIFMA and the Financial Services Institute.   

After more than 32 years with the OFR, Pam Epting will be retiring on April 2. The FSDA appreciates her service to the State of Florida and her support of FSDA's mission.