Forensic Accountant in Sunrise, FL

Quick Answer

Joey Friedman, CPA, P.A. provides forensic accounting and business valuation services to Sunrise, Florida attorneys and parties from a practice office in Pembroke Pines (1 SW 129th Ave STE 408 A, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027) — in Broward County, the firm’s home county, serving the 17th Judicial Circuit. The work is performed by the firm’s President, Joey N. Friedman, CPA, ABV, M.Acc, MIB, a Florida-licensed CPA Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) by the AICPA since 2008. The firm applies Florida statute-specific methodology to divorce equitable distribution (§61.075), alimony income reconstruction (§61.08), shareholder oppression and statutory fair-value buyouts (§607.1436), commercial litigation damages, and fraud investigation — work structured to be defensible at trial under Florida’s Daubert standard (§90.702). Sunrise’s large retail, restaurant, hospitality, and corporate-office economy makes cash-business valuation, skimming and embezzlement investigation, and shareholder and commercial disputes especially common locally. The firm serves Florida statewide, the United States nationwide, and international matters (active engagements include Canada and Iceland). Engagement cost is scoped to the specific matter and documented in the engagement letter. Direct: 954-282-9615.

Key Takeaways

  • Sunrise is in Broward County — the firm’s home county — the practice office (Pembroke Pines) and residence are both in Broward, giving same-circuit familiarity with the 17th Judicial Circuit’s family, commercial, and probate divisions, and reasonable proximity to central-western Broward.
  • A major retail, hospitality, and corporate-office economy — Sunrise’s regional retail and entertainment district and large corporate office park generate valuation, shareholder-dispute, and commercial-damages work, plus a high concentration of cash-intensive businesses.
  • Cash-intensive businesses face elevated internal-fraud risk — restaurants, retail, and hospitality operations are common skimming and embezzlement targets; detecting and quantifying that fraud is a recurring forensic task in Sunrise.
  • Florida statutes govern the analysis — §61.075 (equitable distribution), §61.075(6) (passive vs. active appreciation), §61.08 (alimony), §61.30 (child support), §61.16 (attorney/expert fees), §607.1436 with §607.1301(5)(c) (statutory fair value), §726.105–110 (UVTA fraudulent transfer), §90.702 (Daubert, adopted by the Florida Supreme Court effective May 2019).
  • Engagement cost depends on the records universe, number of entities, timeline urgency, and whether expert testimony is required — not on any single rate. The Florida market runs from roughly $3,500 for a focused single-issue analysis to $100,000+ for complex multi-entity litigation, at an average Florida forensic billing rate near $400/hour; each engagement is scoped against the specific matter and documented in the engagement letter.

Forensic Accounting and Business Valuation in Sunrise

Sunrise’s retail, hospitality, and corporate-office economy shapes the forensic CPA work the firm performs in the area. The firm’s ABV credential and Florida Daubert-defensible methodology apply across business valuation, fraud investigation, shareholder disputes, and divorce.

Retail, Restaurant, and Hospitality Business Valuation

Retail stores, restaurants, and hospitality businesses are cash-flow-driven, often multi-unit or franchised, and sensitive to seasonality — features that complicate valuation. The firm applies AICPA Statement on Standards for Valuation Services No. 1 (SSVS 1) to these engagements, normalizing owner compensation and discretionary expenses, analyzing same-store and unit-level performance, and addressing franchise-agreement terms, for divorce, partner buyouts, and shareholder disputes.

Cash-Skimming and Embezzlement Investigation

Cash-intensive retail and hospitality businesses are common targets for internal theft — skimming at the point of sale, voided and refunded transactions, fictitious vendors, payroll schemes, and inventory shrinkage. The firm investigates suspected fraud by reconstructing transactions, analyzing point-of-sale and inventory data, performing cash-reconciliation and source-and-application-of-funds analysis, quantifying the loss, identifying control weaknesses, and producing work product that supports an insurance claim, civil recovery, or law-enforcement referral, with expert testimony under Daubert (§90.702).

Shareholder and Corporate Disputes

Sunrise’s corporate-office concentration produces shareholder and partner disputes. The firm handles statutory fair value valuations under §607.1436 — when a shareholder petitions for judicial dissolution (for example, for oppression under §607.1430) and the company or remaining shareholders elect to buy out the petitioner, the price is “fair value,” which Florida defines under §607.1301(5)(c) to exclude minority and marketability discounts — plus partnership and LLC buyouts under operating agreements.

Divorce Forensic Accounting for Business Owners

When a Sunrise divorce involves a spouse who owns or controls a business, the firm’s engagements include equitable distribution analysis applying §61.075(6) (passive vs. active appreciation), alimony income reconstruction under §61.08, hidden-asset discovery and tracing, and marital business goodwill analysis under Florida case law — with particular attention to unreported cash income in cash-intensive operations.

Commercial Damages and Other Engagements

The firm also prepares commercial damages valuations in breach-of-contract, lease, business-interruption, fraud, and economic-loss cases brought in the 17th Circuit; estate and gift tax valuations for family transfers (IRS Rev. Rul. 59-60 plus Florida factors); and guardianship and estate accounting analysis under §744.367 and §744.3678.

Expert Witness Testimony Under Florida’s Daubert Standard

Florida applies the Daubert standard to expert testimony (§90.702), adopted by the Florida Supreme Court effective May 2019. The firm’s reports satisfy Daubert’s reliability requirements through replicable methodology, peer-tested techniques (AICPA SSVS 1 / SSFS 1; IRS Rev. Rul. 59-60, 68-609, 77-287, 83-120, 93-12), primary-source documentation, and transparent statements of limitation. Engagements are accepted through deposition and trial in the 17th Judicial Circuit (Broward), the federal Southern District of Florida, and AAA arbitration.

Common Sunrise Engagement Patterns

Pattern 1: Restaurant or Retail Valuation in a Divorce

A Sunrise divorce involves a spouse who owns a restaurant or retail business. The firm values the business under SSVS 1 — normalizing owner compensation and testing for unreported cash — reconstructs income for alimony under §61.08, and testifies at deposition and trial.

Pattern 2: Skimming Investigation at a Cash Business

An owner suspects an employee or partner is skimming cash. The firm reconstructs sales and cash flows, analyzes point-of-sale and inventory data, quantifies the loss, and supports an insurance claim, civil recovery, or law-enforcement referral.

Pattern 3: Shareholder Oppression in a Sunrise Company

A minority shareholder petitions for judicial dissolution for oppression, and the company elects to purchase the shares under §607.1436 in lieu of dissolution. The firm calculates statutory fair value — excluding minority and marketability discounts per §607.1301(5)(c) — and supports the conclusion through expert report, deposition, and trial.

Pattern 4: Commercial Lost-Profits Claim

A Sunrise business pursues breach-of-contract or business-interruption damages. The firm performs a but-for analysis, a mitigation analysis, an expert report under Daubert (§90.702), and deposition and trial testimony.

Sunrise and the Surrounding Broward Service Area

The firm serves Sunrise and the adjacent Broward communities, including Plantation, Lauderhill, Tamarac, Davie, Weston, Coral Springs, and Broward countywide, and works with attorneys throughout the 17th Judicial Circuit. Because the firm’s office and residence are both in Broward County, Sunrise engagements benefit from same-county familiarity with the local courts and counsel. The firm also works Florida statewide, US nationwide, and internationally.

Credentials and Service Approach

Joey N. Friedman, CPA, ABV, M.Acc, MIB — Florida-licensed CPA since 2006, Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) since 2008, with Master of Accountancy and Master of International Business academic credentials and active membership in the AICPA and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Experience includes 100+ litigation engagements; $250M–$500M+ in total business and asset value assessed; and testimony across multiple Florida Judicial Circuits, two US Federal District Courts, and international matters. All engagements are provided by the firm, Joey Friedman, CPA, P.A., through its President.

Engagement onboarding typically includes: (1) an initial consultation with the engaging attorney or client to scope the matter; (2) a conflict-of-interest check; (3) an engagement letter documenting scope, billing structure, anticipated work product, and timeline; (4) a records-collection and subpoena-strategy plan; (5) phased work execution with status updates; (6) production of a Daubert-defensible expert report; and (7) testimony preparation if the engagement extends through deposition and trial.

Florida Statutes Applied in Sunrise Engagements

Divorce / Family Law: §61.075 (equitable distribution), §61.075(6) (passive vs. active appreciation), §61.08 (alimony), §61.13 (financial affidavit), §61.16 (attorney/expert fees), §61.30 (child support guidelines).

Corporate / Shareholder: §607.1430 (judicial-dissolution / oppression grounds), §607.1436 (election to purchase in lieu of dissolution, at fair value), §607.1301(5)(c) (fair value defined — excludes minority and marketability discounts).

Fraudulent Transfer: §726.102–110 (Florida UVTA), including §726.105(1)(a) actual-intent fraud, §726.105(1)(b) constructive fraud, §726.108 creditor remedies, and §726.110 limitations.

Probate / Guardianship: §744.367 (annual report duty), §744.3678 (annual accounting).

Evidence: §90.702 (Florida Daubert standard, adopted by the Florida Supreme Court effective May 2019).

Frequently Asked Questions — Forensic Accounting in Sunrise

Is the firm located in Sunrise?

The firm’s practice office is in Pembroke Pines, in the same county — Broward — and serves the 17th Judicial Circuit, including Sunrise. The firm’s office and residence are both in Broward, which supports in-person meetings, document exchange, and courthouse access for Broward matters. The firm accepts engagements requiring expert testimony at deposition and trial in the 17th Circuit and the federal Southern District of Florida.

My Sunrise business is a restaurant/retail store. How is it valued?

Under AICPA SSVS 1, with attention to normalizing owner compensation and discretionary expenses, analyzing unit-level performance and seasonality, testing for unreported cash, and addressing any franchise-agreement terms.

I think an employee is skimming cash from my Sunrise business. What can the firm do?

The firm reconstructs sales and cash flows, analyzes point-of-sale and inventory data, quantifies the loss, identifies the control weaknesses that allowed it, and produces work product supporting an insurance claim, civil recovery, or law-enforcement referral, with expert testimony if needed.

What credentials should I look for in a Sunrise forensic accountant?

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with active Florida licensure, Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) from the AICPA, demonstrated forensic accounting experience, and prior expert-witness testimony experience.

How does the firm’s work integrate with mediation?

The expert report and supporting analysis become discoverable material that informs mediation. Many Broward divorce and commercial cases settle at mediation because the forensic CPA’s findings shift expectations on both sides. The firm can attend mediation when engaged for that role.

What if the opposing side hires its own forensic CPA?

Common in contested matters. The firm’s reports are structured to anticipate and respond to rebuttal reports, and the Daubert standard (§90.702) governs which testimony survives challenge — well-documented methodology survives.

How does engagement cost work?

Cost depends on the records universe, number of entities, timeline urgency, and whether expert testimony is required — not on any single rate. In the Florida market, focused single-issue analyses commonly start around $3,500, while complex multi-entity litigation can run $100,000 or more, at an average Florida forensic billing rate near $400/hour. Each engagement is scoped against the specific matter and documented in the engagement letter.

Can the court order the opposing spouse to pay the firm’s fees?

Florida §61.16 gives the court discretion to allocate attorney and expert fees between divorcing spouses based on relative financial position. In Broward family court, the higher-earning spouse who controls financial information is often required to advance forensic CPA fees. Your divorce attorney can address the procedural mechanism.

How long does a Sunrise forensic engagement take?

A focused single-issue analysis can complete in 4–8 weeks. A comprehensive multi-account investigation runs 2–4 months. Complex multi-entity engagements run 4–6+ months, depending on records access, subpoena response time, and whether the engagement extends through deposition and trial.

Related Resources

Forensic Accounting & Business Valuation — Florida Service Areas

Joey Friedman, CPA, P.A. serves clients across Florida, including:

Contact Joey Friedman, CPA, P.A.
Office: 1 SW 129th Ave STE 408 A, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027 (Broward County — the firm’s home county)
Direct: 954-282-9615
Service area: Sunrise / Broward served from the Pembroke Pines office; Florida statewide, US nationwide, and international (Canada and Iceland matters active).