Hey, any Floridians out there? I am really bummed to find out that i cannot legally bake in my home kitchen. Are there any loopholes around this? i want to advertise or get a business going but am unsure how. What do you all do?
~Tiffany

i do not have a baking /decorating business so i don't know, but a thought is to check w/the county u live in and see if they have a different policy??????? I know in my husband's business it's county to county but this may not be the same for baking/decorating???????

GOOD LUCK & I'D LIKE TO KNOW

OH YEAH--

I SEE THAT dodibug & MariaLovesCakes are both from FL you might could pm them see if they can help you

well......I'm in the process right now.....there are a few things you can do. first check w/your county/city and find out their requirments.

but as long as your COMMERCIAL kitchen is COMPLETLEY seperate from your living quarters...then it is possible. so maybe convert your garage or something like that.

but ALL equipment must be commercial...hood, stove, sinks, grease trap, must have a bathroom (sink and toliet) that is ONLY used for the business. etc. we are going to build an attachement to our house since we can't convert our garage.

if you send me a pm w/your email and some specific questions...I can give your details if your interested.

Or you can just email me directly. my emaill address: [email protected]

I'll be glad to help w/everything I've done so far.
Christine

there are a couple of things to consider that cause people issues:

Health Dept. requirements, obviously.

Even if you are willing and able to build to meet health code requirements, you have to think about zoning (can a business be location in your home or on your property since you likely are an area that is zoned for residential purposes (you could be in mixed use, which might be easier).

Even if you meet the zoning, do you have a home owner's association? they may prohibit home based businesses.

I am very discouraged as well. Seems awfully risky to say the least to build,buy,or even rent a place in florida for baking cakes if you're like me,BROKE and not even sure if you're going to have a market for it. I live in a small, hick town...have all of my life...although we do have a country club and some affluent community members. We do not have a bakery anymore...for years now...so cakes are purchased a dime a dozen from walmart or winn dixie stores. Starting a business w/out knowing if you have a client base is ridiculous!
Friends and family have suggested I go into the cake business but they don't realize what all it entails in FL and frankly neither did I before reading the forums. Seems after reading many of the forum comments, I'll be causing a lot of trouble for myself if I hand out 'business cards', have a website or flyers.My friends and family have suggested donating cakes to area businesses, meetings, and mixers in the community to put my name out there. How am I to do this without getting fined/etc.? I'm like a lot of other people in FL...just want to follow a dream but not file for bankruptcy and go to jail in the process.
I appreciate in advance any specific advise and help with skirting some of the red tape if possible.
THANKS

I am in the planning stage and looking to open in 6 to 9 months. I rent so having a home business is not an option. I would suggest contacting the SBA, either by their website or local office. I am taking their free courses on how to write a business plan and get a garrantee loan through them. It can be done and yes it sucks to open something in FLorida but you don't want to miss out on your dream. I know I have waited for this for 10 years and have put it off because I was scared of failure. So I am going to try and if I fail, at least I know I tried. Don't get discourages and take it one step at a time. There are plenty of people and resources out there to help you.

Tiffany
starting a business its not easy, but you need to have a more positive approach that things can be done. The same way so many people had make it you can make it too.
How about working for other cake decorator to get confidence?

I am also looking to make my dream come true. I don't charge for any of my cakes (all gifts). I've even tried to rent kitchen space, but even this has become a challenge.

May, why do you say this? your cakes are really Professional, why can't you find a kitchen, I'd like to know about your experience.
My boyfriend lives in Hallandale and have ask me to move with him, but I'm scared cause I feel is hard to star a cake business in Miami

I am in the same boat as everyone else and I have to say you need to keep an open and positive mind.

Maywest, I think your work is fantastic and you should definitely try and find a place to work out of.

Paolacaracas, I think that the level of expertise on your cakes is fantastic! I can honestly say I've lived in Miami for 20 years this August and the market is wide open for new talent. If you look at cake decorating in miami it is more the traditional old way to decorate and not the newer style we see her on cakecentral or in the american arena. I think the field is wide open and people are tired of paying obscene amounts for a cake. One of the main cake decorators had a cake I liked and the flowers alone were $350! And the worst part is that they were bought from a catalog because I know the distributor they buy everything from! In this market its either a $3k cake or a publix cake. I'm shooting for the middle. Paola, I think you'd fit in at the top just fine!

Sorry for the long post, but south florida needs a new style of cake decorators and it might as well be one of us!! lol

Jackie, wow your words are very encouraging
I've been told that the wedding cake business belongs two a couple of ladies and almost impossible to crack in, and for parties it looks that everybody it's ok with publix
I have a established business in Venezuela for more than 10 years now, but between my love and Chaves there is a possibility I will move there maybe next year...
thank you for your kind words...did my boyfriend pay you ?
Paola

harrison:
Your words struck home with me....
I am in South Alabama and also in a hayseed town It is VERY frustrating not to be able to advertise to get the business to open a shop. I have given the cakes to the dentist, local hospital, local high school, friends and local grocery store. No orders yet. Well, I take that back - probably 2 or 3 "paying" customers. And every time I took they're money I worried it wasn't right but they could have gone to Walmart or Winn Dixie and they didn't.
I believe in all things good will eventually come to those that wait. It's the waiting that's tough. So, continue to have the dreams and it will happen with determination.

Paolacaracas: come on to the States!!!!!! Your work will definitely get you business!!
P.S.: made some more petit fours - take a look. Tried making different colors this time

PaolaCaracas,
I think you are so talented you shouldn't have a problem opening a business in Florida. Yes there are many cake decorators in Miami, not many in Hallandale, but you know there are many colors in a rainbow, and they are all unique and all are favorites of one person or another. You are very talented and I'm sure you can succeed. Like I tell my son art comes in different forms and it's all in the eye of the beholder. If you come to Miami I will definitely like to meet you. Good Luck.

I'd love to!!!! Ya'll keep me in mind!

I love that idea too! Being the local girl I will humbly offer my tiny house! lol If ya dont mind two crazy dogs!

I have friends here who are into cake decorating and there's no club or anything for us to get together. It would be great if we all got together this summer!

paolacaracas, I think you would be brave to pack up and leave and its not an easy choice to make, but with the devil there the future is not bright. My parents had 2 businesses in valencia and they packed us up and left venezuela because the exchange rate was 27 bolivares to the dollar. Today its more than 2200! I would highly recommend coming over but I can imagine its hard to leave. But hey you'd make so many friends here! lol

I understand everyone's frustration with trying to somehow make it work in Florida. I am in the Naples/Fort Myers area and am happy to share how I have LEGALLY made it through the red tape...Not easy, but possible...I think in a more metro area such as Miami it should be a bit easier.

Anyway, this is what I did...I found that churches and other halls weren't open to renting their kitchens out. I think I called every one in the area! Then I started calling the smaller coffee shops. BINGO! That's what worked. They're not really competiton as most of them buy their baked goods. The biggest problem was finding one that had the kitchen space that I liked! Because of it's location being outside of the city limits and it being in the unincorporated part of the city, I only had to go to the County for my liscence.

In Florida, coffee shops and bakeries are not inspected by the Health Department, but by the Department of Agriculture which has a more lenient set of rules--very important if you never worked in the food industry!! Since the coffee shop already had their inspection and liscencing, the Dept. of Agriculture treated me a "mobile vendor" and the coffee shop was my comissary. The coffee shop wrote a letter stating I had permission to use their kitchen and provided copies of their liscencing to the inspector who then signed off on the paperwork. That was it. I am legal and happy! I hope this helps

cupcakecrazy...

Welcome to CC!!

And for a first post, very informative!!
The local Health Dept man I've worked with said if I could do what you did I would be totally "safe". He's even keeping an eye out for me for somewhere that would allow me to do my thing perhaps when they closed in the early evenings.

That's exactly what worked...The coffee shop I use closes at 5:00pm and since I work during the day it's when I would need to use it anyway! It has actually worked out really great. The owner of the coffee shop recommends me to everyone and has even allowed me to have a "display" corner with my business cards and flyers as well as sells my cupcakes in the shop

Thank you so much! I am going to check ou my area. I so want this!

hello! Yes, I am also from FL, Orlando, but I don't do it as business right now.

It is pretty tough to get a license here from home, like pinkbunny mentioned, so I decided to put that off and maybe work for someone else in the future... If I have the money and the time, maybe I can have something built separate from my own home and have somethin going. But that would be down the road...

Anyway, good luck!

Thank you to everyone who gave such great information here. I live in Jacksonville and want to start doing cakes for more people (for fun) I don't charge any more for my cakes than it costs me to make them, so do I fall under the same rules or can I get away with it as a "hobby" that doesn't generate income?