Florida’s ports — especially those with large cargo operations stretching from JaxPort in the north to PortMiami and Port Everglades in South Florida and Port of Tampa on the West Coast — are poised to capture new trade opportunities. But we can only do so if strategic capital investments are coupled with an integrated statewide network of trade gateways, logistic centers and transportation corridors.
Business has set the agenda in Tallahassee for much of the past decade, pressing lawmakers to change the ground rules for growth, education, lawsuits and insurance.
Now, one of Florida’s most influential business organizations has written a strategic plan for the state for the next 20 years.
Florida has already been contributing to Amazon.com’s dominance and the demise of true market competition. State leaders’ refusal to modernize the state sales tax system and demand payment from Internet-only retailers has put Florida retailers at a disadvantage for more than a decade.
Dale Brill has a vision for Florida, but it’s not the ordinary economic development master plan.
Brill, president of the Florida Chamber Foundation, met with elected officials and community leaders Friday to talk about the “Six Pillars” program, an effort to chart a vision for the future of the Sunshine State.
Florida Governor Rick Scott is traveling the state to promote a number of bills he’s signed that are part of his jobs and economic growth package, but Regan McCarthy reports some experts question whether the governor’s policies will help Floridians get back to work.
The results from the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council survey show the overall business health in Florida is improving, as nearly 40 percent of small-business owners are planning to hire in the next six months.
Nearly 40 percent of Florida’s small business owners said they plan on hiring more employees in the next six months, according to the latest survey results from the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council.
Nearly 40 percent of small business owners plan to hire more employees during the next six months, according to a Florida Chamber of Commerce survey released Wednesday. That’s up 7 percent from July 2011.
Earlier this year, the Florida Chamber of Commerce conducted a survey of Florida’s small businesses, thanks in part to many Lakeland Chamber members. The information that was provided will guide the Florida Chamber as they work to track the trends and issues affecting small businesses in Florida that may be addressed by the Florida Chamber’s Small Business Council.
State Representative Janet H. Adkins has received a 100% grade on the 2012 Florida Chamber of Commerce Legislative Report Card.
“I am honored to be recognized for my vote to help create a stronger Florida. Small business ownership is the second half of the American Dream, and Florida has made it a goal to become the best place to invest and grow a business,” said Rep. Adkins.
