Making a Difference: Recent Episodes
FL DACS
A podcast for the staff of the Division of Consumer Services at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Join division director, Amy Topol, as she talks about the division’s culture, its most critical asset – the people, how the division serves the people of Florida, and how the division fits in to the department.
Consumer Services is a diverse organization with a wide variety of responsibilities. Education and outreach activities help generate support for division programs and insure consumers have the right information to make safe decisions.
Special guest: Chris Green
The division licenses professional surveyors and mappers in Florida through the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers. There is so much more to this fascinating profession than many people realize.
Find out how surveyors and mappers affect our everyday lives and who in the division works to insure the industry is well-regulated.
Special guest: Jenna Harper
Safety First: Fair Rides inspectors are on the front line of trying to insure the safety of patrons throughout the state.
Which rides do they inspect? What do they look for? What advice do they have for the public concerning fair ride safety? Special guests: Michelle Faulk and Mark Gonzalez.
The Fuels and Fluids Laboratories are critical to insuring quality products that meet the strict standards adopted by the department are available to Florida consumers. How are those strict standards determined, and who are the folks that make sure quality products are available to consumers?
Special guest: Vanessa Benchea
Retail gas stations across Florida are routinely inspected to ensure that fuel dispensers are working safely and properly. But, those aren't the only gas inspections we do in this division. We can't forget LP Gas! Who performs those inspections, and what do they do to insure Florida’s consumers are protected?
Special guests: William Snipes and Wayne Erato.
What is the Metrology Lab? What goes on there, and how are the strict standards established? What is a typical day like for a weights and measures inspector in Standards? What do they do, and how do they do it?
Special guests: Amy Smith and Dan Brown
What are credit card skimmers? How do they work? What is the division's role in combating them? In today's episode we will hear consumer safety information you need to know and share with your family and friends.
Special guest: Mark Snyder
This episode will focus on the enforcement side of Mediation and Enforcement. Find out what kinds of cases get referred for enforcement and the process those cases follow.
How many different industries DOES this division license? Plenty! Find out what happens in Compliance, and how that bureau functions as a part of the overall division team.
Mediation and Enforcement has two main functions - informal consumer complaint mediation and enforcement actions related to statutory violations. Find out what kind of complaints the division receives, and how those complaints are processed.
DNC vs. Telemarketing - What are the differences and connections? How are DNC complaints processed, and who handles them?
Strategic planning can be a very cold and clinical process. Not the way we do it! Our process is organic, reflecting the values and culture of our division.