Florida CPA Spotlight: How Will Specialization and AI Shape Accounting Profession?

CEO Shelly Weir discovered that her notions of what CPAs were like differed from who they actually are when she came to the Florida Institute of CPAs. Putting aside the “number crunchers” concept, she has leaned into their strategic and critical thinking skills and their people-person approach to help revamp educational efforts to the next generation of accounting professionals. With Florida growing so quickly, the need for quality and specialized CPAs is growing, too, and she details on Paychex THRIVE, a Business Podcast, what FICPA is doing to address this. Weir also shares her take on AI and how it can reshape the accounting profession.

Topics Include:

00:00:00: Episode preview 00:01:01: Introduction to Shelly Weir 00:01:29: Background of Shelly Weir 00:05:50: Learnings about CPAs 00:06:17: Qualities of successful CPAs 00:09:07: Specialization in CPA profession 00:12:41: Major CPAs’ specialties in Florida 00:16:03: Unique CPA practices in Florida 00:20:43: Pipeline and recruiting in the profession 00:21:16: National level recruitment challenges and solutions 00:26:59: Programmatic solutions for recruitment 00:28:10: Certification requirements discussion 00:30:59: Impact of work-from-home on accounting profession 00:33:27: Future of Remote Work – a Florida perspective 00:37:21: Future of AI in the accounting profession 00:40:58: Impact of AI in accounting profession 00:42:01: Wrap-up and thank you

DISCLAIMER: The information presented in this podcast, and that is further provided by the presenter, should not be considered legal or accounting advice, and should not substitute for legal, accounting, or other professional advice in which the facts and circumstances may warrant. We encourage you to consult legal counsel as it pertains to your own unique situation(s) and/or with any specific legal questions you may have.