News

New Florida Chamber Statewide Poll Shows Florida Voters Bullish on Florida, Pessimistic about America

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 31, 2022) – The latest Florida Chamber statewide poll shows likely Florida voters believe Florida is headed in the right direction, while at the same time a majority of voters, more than 6 out of 10, believe the country is on the wrong track. Voters in eight of Florida’s ten media markets believe Florida is headed in the right direction, with only two believing otherwise by a narrow margin: Miami-Fort Lauderdale (40:45) and…

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Small Business Spotlight: Barbara Wilson with Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, LLC (FGA)

Have a Conversation with Barbara Wilson, President & CEO with Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, LLC (FGA) What does your business do? FGA is a freight railroad based in Tallahassee with over 400 miles of track running between Baldwin in the east and Pensacola in the west. Our railroad parallels Interstate 10 and is critically important to serving industries that need to transport bulk materials. FGA moves about 30,000 railcars of freight each year, effectively…

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Her Story: Woman of 2030 – Susan Towler, Florida Blue

In this interview, Susan Towler, Executive Director of the Florida Blue Foundation and Chair of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Board of Trustees, shares her experience as a female leader, Florida 2030 interests, words of wisdom for the next generation of female leaders and more.   Is there a female leader(s) that has inspired you in your professional career? If so, who and why? If I count the direct leaders I’ve worked under in my career, I’ve…

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Record Investment in Florida’s Future, Passage of Necessary Competitiveness Policies Paired with Challenges for Florida’s Businesses

Florida’s Legislative Session by the Numbers: 1,956 Bills and PCBs filed; 285 Bills passed both chambers Florida Chamber of Commerce testified 85 times on legislation impacting job creators Florida Chamber is analysing more than 3,000 votes cast by lawmakers and will soon release its Legislative Report Card $112B budget passed, which is the largest in state history TALLAHASSEE, FL (March 14, 2022) — The 2022 Florida legislative session saw passage of the largest budget in…

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Guest opinion: Future of Work Florida: Championing importance of work, value of skilled trades

Florida has a workforce crisis and it’s impacting Florida’s employers and job seekers in dramatic and negative ways, and yet it’s an opportunity business leaders should leverage. Pre-COVID, despite Florida creating 1 in every 11 new U.S. jobs (2015-2020), the number one concern among Florida’s job creators was the inability to find quality, and qualified, talent to fill open jobs. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and with 493,216 open jobs and only 466,000 unemployed…

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Understanding the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace | Opinion

What if I told you we knew one of the keys to fostering success within the business community across Florida? You’d jump at the opportunity to learn more, right? Since the launch of the Florida 2030 Blueprint, the Florida Chamber Foundation has been working to uncover just that, and throughout the course of our work, we have uncovered some game-changing insights. One in particular? Diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environments have a significant impact on…

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VISIT FLORIDA Extension Passes Legislature, Heads to Governor DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, FL (March 8, 2022) — Moments ago, the Florida Senate passed legislation that extends the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, better known as VISIT FLORIDA, through 2028. Now headed to Governor Ron DeSantis for his approval, SB 434 will bring certainty to VISIT FLORIDA, allow them to plan long-term, and recruit and retain top talent. “Florida’s tourism industry is a key driver of the state’s $1.23 trillion economy, and VISIT FLORIDA is a natural…

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Small Business Spotlight: Wendy Gattis with DITEK Surge Protection

Have a Conversation with Wendy Gattis, Chief Executive Officer, DITEK Surge Protection What does your business do? For over 30 years, DITEK has designed and manufactured surge protection, UPS solutions, and networking hardware for the commercial and industrial market. Our primary objective is to keep vital business systems functioning and communicating at all times while preventing the escalation of problems caused by a surge, spike, or loss of power. What’s your biggest concern as a…

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Florida Chamber Applauds Governor DeSantis and Florida Legislature for Extending Chamber-Backed COVID-19 Liability Protections for Florida’s Health Care Providers

TALLAHASSEE, FL (February 24, 2022) —Florida’s business community commends Governor DeSantis’ signing of SB 7014 earlier today. This bill, sponsored by Senator Danny Burgess and Representative Colleen Burton importantly extends the COVID-19 liability protections for health care providers until June 2023. Florida has more billboard trial lawyer ads than any nation on the planet and this important protection for our health care workers is vital. “Passage of common sense COVID-19 lability protections for Florida’s job creators has been a top priority for…

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Small Business Spotlight: Tiffany Barfield with NAF

Have a Conversation with Tiffany Barfield, Senior Director, Policy & Advocacy with NAF What does your business do? NAF helps solve some of the biggest challenges in education and the workforce by transforming the high school experience to include work-based learning and career-focused education. We are committed to providing access to opportunities for all students. What’s your biggest concern as a small business owner? Bridging gaps in education and career development, as we continue to…

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New Florida Chamber Statewide Poll Shows Voters Believe Florida Heading in the Right Direction While America on Wrong Track

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 13, 2022) – The latest Florida Chamber statewide poll shows a majority (50:41) of likely Florida voters believe Florida is headed in the right direction, while at the same time nearly three-quarters of voters believe the country is on the wrong track. Only three of Florida’s ten media markets believe Florida is on the wrong track: Tallahassee (29:65), West Palm (47:50) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale (41:46). “As I shared recently at our Legislative Fly-In,…

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Florida Chamber of Commerce Unveils 2022 Jobs & Competitiveness Agenda

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has unveiled its 2022 Jobs and Competitiveness Agenda highlighting where it stands on key business priorities for the upcoming Legislative Session. Each year prior to Florida Legislative Session, the Florida Chamber of Commerce releases its annual Where We Stand business agenda that outlines key issues facing Florida’s business community in the coming year. As we work to keep Florida, Florida and grow our economy to the 10th largest in the world by 2030,…

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Free Enterprise Isn’t Free: Florida’s Business Community Uniting to Keep Florida, Florida this Legislative Session

Florida is at an important crossroads. Post pandemic, the world will never be the same and the time to focus on making sure the right things continue to happen here in Florida is now. Free enterprise isn’t free. Unfortunately, there are many forces wanting us to be more like New York, California and Illinois. We can all agree that with businesses fleeing high-cost, big government states and finding their way to the Sunshine State to…

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2022, The Time is Now to Secure Florida’s Economic Health and Stability

I think we can all agree, the phrase “a year like no other” is getting tired. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean it is an incorrect statement, the world, and certainly Florida has undergone a transformation “like no other” over the past two-years, but it is time to look toward 2022, and instead of a return to normal, a shift to the future of Florida. Florida is at a crossroads, and in 2022, we have to…

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Time to revamp, expand state’s role in supply chain

The global supply chain has drawn unprecedented attention in the past few months, with reports of 80-plus container ships waiting offshore to be unloaded at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. There have been rapid increases in costs for shipping, loading and storing goods; and there have been shortages of everything from semiconductors to building materials to basic household goods. Three out of four businesses responding to a Florida Chamber Foundation survey in…

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