BySteel Rose, CPA,
Forbes Staff.
I
n October 2019, when Hurricane Michael, a Category-5 storm, slammed into the Florida Panhandle, it was likely not viewed as an accounting challenge by most of the world. But CPA Mindy Rankin of Warren Averett CPAs and Advisors in Panama City, Florida, was well aware of the impact it would have on the area—and on her line of work: “[The hurricane] destroyed our entire community. It was horrible. Our own office, our own houses.”
Undaunted, Rankin and her firm leapt into the fray. “We got into the nuts and bolts; we helped our clients with insurance, contractors, etc.,” she says, noting that they even ran payroll for some clients. Still, in the midst of that maelstrom, tax implications loomed. “It was October 10, and all businesses were worried about their tax deadline—and that was when the IRS did not easily extend them. Since then, we have done advocacy work to help pass laws, because such disasters and practical delays are frequent—not having internet or even computers at those times. As CPA’s we are trusted advisors, it’s more than just taxes. We were there for them.”
