Economic Development

Florida Chamber Board Chair Invites You to Join us in September

  Register     Book Your Hotel   Florida Chamber Board Chair Bob Grammig Invites You to Join us at the 2018 Future of Florida Forum Have you registered for the Florida Chamber Foundation’s 2018 Future of Florida Forum? Join us as Florida’s business leaders, industry experts and elected officials from around the state lead conversations on topics from the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida 2030 research, including: Florida’s cradle to career continuum and preparing tomorrow’s workforce, Diversifying…

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Florida’s New $1 Trillion Economy Creates Opportunities

July 30, 2018 Opportunities That Can Also Overcome Challenges I’ll never forget where I was on September 29, 2007. It was a Saturday, and I was in the Atlanta airport, walking to my next connection to catch a flight to D.C. for a meeting with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As I was keeping pace with others focused on catching their next flight, I happened to look over and saw a Wall Street Journal newspaper…

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Third Quarter Small Business Index Survey Reveals Businesses Still Need a Skilled Workforce

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (July 23, 2018) – Florida job creators continue to grow increasingly concerned about workforce quality, according to the latest Florida Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index Survey. This is the sixth quarter in a row in which employers are concerned about finding skilled workforce to meet open job demands. Small businesses are also concerned about economic uncertainty – likely a signal that recent activities with tariffs and international trade are causing some concern. This…

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Intersection: The Impact of Tariffs on Florida’s Trillion Dollar Economy

Listen to Alice Ancona, Director of International Strategy and Policy, with the Florida Chamber of Commerce explain the potential impacts of a trade war on Florida’s economy on 90.7 WMFE.   Could tariffs hurt Florida’s $1 trillion economy?  Tariffs and the threat of trade war are leaving Florida businesses worried. Alice Ancona, director of International Strategy and Policy with the Florida Chamber of Commerce says manufacturing is feeling the impact. “Some of those imported components will…

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BREAKING: Florida’s Economy Hits New $1 Trillion GDP Milestone

Florida Chamber Foundation Finds Florida’s Economy Just Became a $1 Trillion Economy for the First Time in History If Florida was a nation, it’d be the 17th largest economy in the world and would be larger than nations such as Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Argentina   TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (July 13, 2018) – Florida’s economy hit a new milestone today when the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) topped $1 trillion, the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Chief…

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Gov. Scott: Nearly Twenty Thousand New Jobs Means Real Results for Families

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On June 15, 2018, Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida businesses have created 19,000 private-sector jobs in May and 179,000 in the past year, for a total of 1,539,800 jobs since December 2010. Florida’s annual job growth rate has outpaced the nation for 73 of the past 74 months. The only month that Florida did not exceed the nation was due to Hurricane Irma. In May, Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to…

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Ken Lawson on the Importance of Tourism Industry

  View New Scorecard Data on International Visitors   “Florida is open for all tourists from all the states and all countries” According to research from TheFloridaScorecard.org, in 2017 Florida welcomed 116.5 million visitors who spent $111.7 billion in our stated. We caught up with Ken Lawson, President & CEO of VISIT FLORIDA who shared his thoughts on the importance of tourism to Florida’s economy. Click the video below to see why this industry matters.…

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Florida Chamber Series on Free Enterprise: Quint Studer

  Sign the Petition to Help Grow Florida’s Economy   Pensacola Business Leader Quint Studer: Economic Development Is Key In the latest edition of the Florida Chamber’s Series on Free Enterprise, Quint Studer, Founder of Studer Family of Companies and Pensacola businessman, shares why economic development is vital for growing Florida’s small businesses. “I think economic development really creates a quality of life that attracts people to your area. We’re living in the first history…

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Mosaic on Becoming More Globally Competitive

Mosaic is the world’s largest supplier of phosphate and potash but is looking to stay competitive in a rapidly growing industry. Karen Swager, Vice President of mining at Mosaic, said improvements in global phosphate mining has motivated the company to revamp its own practices. “We are in the process of transformation and what we are trying to do is ensure that all of our assets remain competitive in the market as they continue to evolve.…

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Florida Chamber Unveils 2018 Legislative Report Card

Highlights 15 Distinguished Advocates of the 2018 Legislative Session TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (April 5, 2018) – Following the 2018 Legislative Session, the Florida Chamber of Commerce today is releasing grades earned by all members of the House and Senate on the Florida Chamber’s 2018 Legislative Report Card. Lawmakers earned higher grades this session with their renewed focus on certain competitiveness issues like cutting red tape, chipping away at Florida-only taxes, funding for economic development, tourism marketing…

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Quint Studer is Helping Lead Pensacola’s Turnaround

  Help Florida’s Economy Continue to Grow- Sign the Petition   Authored by: Quint Studer, Studer Family of Companies The Cambridge Dictionary defines economic development as, “the process in which an economy grows or changes and becomes more advanced, especially when both economic and social conditions are improved.” This is what Quint Studer, Florida Chamber Board of Governors member and founder of the Studer Community Institute, is doing in Pensacola. Prior to its recent revitalization,…

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Weyerhaeuser Wants Better Economic Development in Florida

  Help Florida’s Economy Continue to Grow- Sign the Petition For more than 100 years, Weyerhaeuser has worked to become the world’s premier timber, land and forest products company. Following that road has led them to become a significant presence in economic development in Florida and in the United States. Rosemary Fagler, Manager of Economic Development with Weyerhaeuser, markets development properties ranging from residential to industrial across the company’s portfolio. She said Florida needs to…

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Ocala Marion County Chamber on Economic Development

  Help Florida’s Economy Continue to Grow- Sign the Petition   Authored by: Kevin T. Sheilley, President/CEO of the Ocala-Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership Jobs. Investment. Wages. Taxes. Entrepreneurship. Incentives. Construction. All of these terms have been used to define economic development. Depending on where one lives, all could be right, some could be right, or none could be correct. Defining economic development is different for every one of Florida’s 67 counties. While defining…

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Florida Chamber Series on Free Enterprise: Dr. Jackson Sasser

  Sign Our Economic Development Petition   Take Economic Development Survey   Learn More About Diversifying Our Economy   Dr. Jackson Sasser, President of Santa Fe College, and Florida Chamber of Commerce North Central Florida Regional Board Chair, talks about economic development in the latest installation of the Florida Chamber’s Series on Free Enterprise.   “If a person does not have a job that sustains life for them and their family, then they are lacking a fundamental…

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Florida Chamber of Commerce Summarizes Legislative Session

Despite Several Wins, Florida Legislature Makes It a Bit More Expensive for Families and Small Businesses, and a Little Less Competitive for Florida’s Job Creators   TALLAHASSEE, FL (March 12, 2018) – Lawmakers rightfully took steps this session to implement school safety measures following the Parkland tragedy, but overall results of the 2018 Legislative Session show lawmakers made it a bit more expensive for families and small businesses, and a little less competitive for Florida’s…

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