(1) Pursuant to Florida Statutes § 473.315, standards of practice are established for independence, and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in public practice is required to be independent in fact and appearance when providing services under Section 473.302(8)(a), F.S., namely expressing opinions on financial statements, referred to herein as attest services.
    (2) Independence permits a CPA to perform an attest service without being affected by influences that compromise professional judgment or materially impair the CPA’s ability to act with integrity and exercise objectivity and professional skepticism. The CPA shall determine whether those influences, when present, create such a threat that would cause the CPA not to act with integrity and exercise objectivity and professional skepticism. The CPA shall not perform an attest service where independence is impaired as described in this rule.
Rulemaking Authority 473.304, 473.315 FS. Law Implemented Florida Statutes § 473.315. History-New 12-4-79, Amended 2-3-81, 10-28-85, Formerly 21A-21.01, Amended 10-20-86, Formerly 21A-21.001, Amended 5-21-03, 1-31-05, 12-10-09, 10-10-22.