Another Year United in Advancing Our Mission to Secure Florida’s Future
By: Mark Wilson, President, Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and Family. I, along with the Florida Chamber Foundation team, am grateful for your leadership and the opportunity to work with each of you on a regular basis. Without your help, Florida would not be where it is today and continuing to grow and diversify as we head towards 2030.
As we begin our fiscal year, I wanted to provide a recap of noteworthy movements over the past year that came to fruition with your leadership:
Florida is Now the 14th Largest Economy in the World Thanks to Your Leadership—
Less than halfway through our Florida 2030 Blueprint, Florida is now the 14th largest economy in the world. Over the past five years, Florida’s economy has surpassed Indonesia, Spain, and Mexico, adding $510 billion in gross domestic product (GDP), and is now only $570 billion below current #10, Italy’s economy!
I hope you and your management will join me for the virtual 2024 Florida Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit on January 25 from 1:00pm-4:00pm EST, where we will discuss important topics impacting the future of your business, including Florida’s workforce shortage, property insurance crisis, income migration, potential impacts of the 2024 election, and more. Register HERE>.
2023 Florida Chamber Annual Meeting & Future of Florida Forum Unites Florida Leaders in the Race to 2030 and Beyond—
As the Florida Chamber and Chamber Foundation united Florida’s business community at the 2023 Florida
Chamber Annual Meeting & Future of Florida Forum, October 23-24 in Orlando, it was clear Florida’s leaders were all in on the conversations that matter for winning the Race to 2030 and Beyond.
In addition to thought-provoking keynote presentations from world-renowned keynote speakers, including Entrepreneur and repeat guest Shark on Shark Tank Matt Higgins, the inspiring Nikic team, serial inventor Jim Marggraff, and more, the event featured over 70 speakers focused on securing Florida’s talent, the state of the current and future economy, infrastructure, quality of life and more.
If you haven’t done so already, I invite you to register yourself and your team to join us for the 2024 Forum HERE>.
The Untapped Potential in FL Report Showcases Why We Must Prioritize Childcare Affordability and Accessibility in Florida—
A few months back, the Florida Chamber Foundation released the Untapped Potential in FL report, revealing that Florida’s childcare crisis is the #1 reason working parents are leaving the workforce. In a time where we are working to close the gap between open jobs and available/qualified workers, it is essential we fix this.
Please continue to share this report with your network and contact Zenani Johnson at zjohnson@flchamber.com to engage with our Florida Chamber Foundation’s efforts to tackle Child & Family Care as a root cause of poverty.
The Florida Business & Economic Mid-Year Report Provides Mid-Year Economic Analysis for the Business Community—
In July, the Florida Chamber Foundation released its first Florida Business & Economic Mid-Year Report to provide leaders with a mid-year analysis of the local and national trends impacting the way Florida does business and what to watch for as we move toward 2030. Thank you for your great feedback on this report. We look forward to continuing to release this annually in efforts to keep you informed on Florida’s economic progress year-round.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions on how we can further enhance our report in 2024 or would like to get further involved in our research efforts, please be sure to reach out to our senior research economist Sheridan Meek at 850-521-1269 or smeek@flchamber.com.
Register for the 2024 Florida Economic Outlook & Jobs Solutions Summit HERE> to help inform your strategic approach for 2024.
The Florida Equality of Opportunity and Future of Work Florida Initiatives Amplify Their Reach to Secure the Path to Prosperity in Florida
Our Chamber Foundation remains dedicated to prioritizing access to opportunity in Florida. Through the Future of Work monthly memo, Opportunity Insights monthly newsletter and ongoing webinars, our team has ramped up its efforts to engage the business community in the issues impacting their talent the most.
Our Florida Equality of Opportunity Initiative is looking to grow its advisory board leadership and zip code adoption efforts across Florida. Contact Zenani Johnson at zjohnson@flchamber.com for information on how you or someone you know may be a good fit.
The war on talent continues, and our Future of Work Florida Initiative is looking to engage Florida leaders in its ongoing efforts to solve the talent crisis, including through the expansion of its advisory board. Contact Rachel Ludwig, Senior Director of Future of Work, at rludwig@flchamber.com for more information.
As I wrap this update, I want to again thank Susan Towler of Florida Blue Foundation for her service as Chair of our Chamber Foundation. It was an absolute honor to witness your leadership over the past two years, and I look forward to continuing your legacy alongside our new chair Don Kiselewski of Florida Power & Light Company.
I cannot wait to see where 2024 takes us.
My best,
Mark