Our family tree has cypress knees

Rooted in the Swamp, three generations of Warrington alumni maintain the family business of accounting and Gator pride.

Most fans of the Florida Gators joke about bleeding orange and blue, but the Prida family knows Gator pride is in their blood.

Three generations of Pridas have graduated from the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, beginning with Luciano Prida, Sr. (BSBA ’49) who earned his degree in business administration after being decorated for his service in the United States military. After graduating, he and his wife founded the accounting firm that is run today by their son and grandson: Prida Guida & Perez, P.A.

Following in his parents’ footsteps, Luciano Prida, Jr. (BSBA ’72) joined the family firm with his CPA certification and a degree from the Warrington College of Business. Despite his success as an accountant, though, he encouraged his son to take a different track.

Andres Prida (MAcc ’00) has always had a knack for building and tinkering. When he started his undergraduate education at Western Kentucky University, a degree in engineering seemed to make the most sense – until he took a course in accounting and discovered his talent in that field, as well. From there, the graduate program at the Fisher School of Accounting was a natural fit, and Andres carried the family legacy by joining the firm as a Florida alumnus in 2001. Since then, he’s become president of the firm and helped his father add an audit and tax department, growing their business from a dozen employees to 40 team members.

Together, father and son have navigated the evolution of the accounting industry while guiding the growth of their firm. Artificial Intelligence is the latest instigator in the development of accounting, and the Pridas affirm that the technology is just another phase of the industry’s evolutionary process.

“Technology is definitely changing the industry dramatically,” Andres explained. “AI, at some point, will have a dramatic impact on it, [but] there’s still going to be a need for human interactions and delivery. Everything is not black and white in our industry.”

A lot has changed since the 50’s, when the Pridas visited clients’ houses to write up their taxes, but the heart of their work remains the same. Even with the participation of AI, the Pridas know that accounting will always be a people-oriented trade where clients are best served through trust and face-to-face communication.

“It’s a care business,” Luciano, Jr. said. “At the end of the day, we always look at what our client needs were and took care of our clients the best way we could. Yeah, it’s about numbers, but how are the numbers presented?

“What impact do the numbers have on the operations and how can behavior change the numbers or the outcome?”

The Pridas have been maintaining relationships with their clients through the fourth generation, currently serving the great-grandchildren of the firm’s earliest clients. Employees are brought into the family, as well; trophies are passed between desks of the latest victors in an ongoing cornhole championship, and the office is infamous for its casino-themed Christmas parties and bowling tournaments. Employees who transition into roles outside of the firm often keep the connection by coming back as clients.

Now that the baby boomer generation has reached retirement, it’s a great time for young people to integrate into the accounting profession, the Pridas say. Every year you can find them recruiting on UF campus, ready to help the next generation of accountants find their feet. The Pridas support also extends to the faculty through the Luciano Prida, Sr. Professorship, currently held by Term Associate Professor Philip Wang.

“Florida has been our school,” Luciano, Jr. said. “My brother’s kids have gone there. It’s part of our heritage.”

At least once a year, the Pridas look forward to a visit from J. Roy Duggan Professor Gary McGill, senior associate dean of the Warrington College of Business and director of the Hough Graduate School of Business and Fisher School of Accounting. Andres recently designed a new office for the firm, and the door is always open to McGill to catch up on their lives and discuss all things accounting.

Being a Gator family establishes a foundation for the Prida family outside of the office, too. Andres remembers traveling out of state with his father to cheer on the Gators in their first SEC championship. Today, he continues the tradition with his kids, always stopping for a Cuban sandwich on their way to a football game.

“At the end of the day, it’s orange and blue,” Andres said.