Florida Gulf Coast University Accounting and Tax Conference Recap

The Florida Gulf Coast University Accounting & Tax Conference attracted a record number of attendees at its annual conference held November 1-2 in Ft. Myers. 125 people were treated to a variety of topics presented by some of the top names in the industry.

Bret Hood opened the conference on Thursday with a fascinating session on Fraud; Ed Grossman provided an update on Not-for-Profit Organizations; Ray Placid and 8 Florida Gulf Coast University accounting students provided a Tax Update; Nace Cohen reviewed the Six Basic Rules of a 1031 Exchange; Pat Patterson provided a CIRA Update; Chris Stormer followed this with a Small Company Update – Little GAAP; Roberta Reese provided the GASB Update; and Jonathan Gopman ended the first day with a riveting presentation on Estate Tax Hot Topics.

Carl Pacini started the day Friday with his Trade Secret Espionage: A Growing Form of Intellectual Property Fraud presentation; Peggy Stafford with the local Department of Revenue provided a Florida Sales Tax Update; Gene Ristaino provided the latest Accounting and Auditing updates; Ken Wilkinson provided a very timely update on the Property Tax situation in Florida; Guy Whitesman spoke on Mergers and Acquisitions – Business Reorganizations Structural & Tax Issues; and Ara Volkan and a group of Florida Gulf Coast University accounting students ended the conference with a session on Pension Accounting – Issues and Controversies in SFAS 158. All in all, everyone who attended was given the opportunity to upgrade their skills and knowledge and gain valuable CPE credits.

Chris Stormer presenting on Little GAAP

A special Thank You goes to the Conference Planning Committee for their efforts throughout the past year in planning the conference and securing such top-notch speakers. Members of the committee include:

Kevin Carmichael, Conference Chair
Deanna Burgess
Abigail Castellanos
Max Holcher
Tonya Johnson
Mark Meltzer
Rosa Scola
Barry Sifen

Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s conference. Mark you calendars now for next year’s event which will be held November 6-7, 2008 in Ft. Myers and check the FICPA website at www.ficpa.org for additional information and updates throughout the year.

Outstanding Networking Opportunities