News

  • Mar- 2024 -
    9 March

    Florida Legislature Passes Multiple Florida Chamber Priorities, Making Florida Even More Competitive

    Florida Chamber sees passage of multiple Chamber priorities that create regulatory certainty, improvements in education and workforce, protect critical infrastructure, further address affordability issues, improve access to healthcare and more as Florida continues its path to be the state other states look to for leadership and economic growth Florida’s Legislative Session by the Numbers: 1,901 Bills and PCBs filed; over 320 bills passed both chambers Florida Chamber of Commerce testified approximately 150 times on legislation impacting job…

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  • Feb- 2024 -
    29 February

    ‘Live Healthy’ Legislation Focused on Strengthening Florida’s Healthcare Workforce Headed to the Governor’s Desk

    By: Sarah Katherine Massey, Director of Talent, Education & Quality of Life Policy, Florida Chamber of Commerce With the Florida Chamber’s support, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo has spent this legislative session prioritizing how to address the current and anticipated future healthcare workforce shortages in Florida. Her healthcare package titled ‘Live Healthy’ is now headed to Governor Ron DeSantis for his signature after passing with overwhelming support. The Florida Chamber of Commerce advocated for efforts to address Florida’s healthcare workforce needs as a robust talent pipeline advances the Florida 2030…

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  • 29 February

    Inflation Continues to Cool in 2024 but at a Slower Rate Than Expected

    By: Sheridan Meek, Senior Research Economist, Florida Chamber Foundation Rising inflation concerns have been on the top of both consumer and business leaders’ minds heading into 2024. Beginning in 2021, inflation in the U.S. started to climb rapidly, hitting its peak in mid-2022. Since then, inflation has experienced a period of cooling, but still remains well above the stable levels from years prior. The first inflation rate release of 2024 shows that inflation is continuing…

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  • 8 February

    Floridians’ Outlook on the Economy Hits Highest Level in the Past Two Years

    By: Sheridan Meek, Senior Research Economist, Florida Chamber Foundation TheFloridaScorecard.org stays up to date with Florida’s latest consumer sentiment – an indexed metric that measures Floridians’ outlook on the economy. Consumer sentiment among Floridians was 72.8 in January, an increase of 3.3 points over the month, and 7.5 points over the year. This is the most positive outlook Floridians have had in over 2 years. After 2022 and 2023 having the first and third worst…

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  • 1 February

    Member Spotlight: Lake-Sumter State College

        We sat down with Dr. Heather Bigard, President of Lake Sumter State College to ask a few important questions: Q: What does your business do? A: Founded in 1962, Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) offers a high-quality education at an affordable price to the communities of Lake and Sumter counties. LSSC embraces its mission as a community college to increase access and opportunity for all learners in its community. As a proud member of the Florida College…

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  • 1 February

    Leading Voices: Three Questions with Juan Chaluja, SVP Market Leadership, Florida Blue

          We sat down with Florida Chamber Board of Director Member Juan Chaluja, SVP Market Leadership with Florida Blue to answer three important questions: What is one piece of advice you would share with your peers? Always seek feedback. Many people appreciate the value of a mentor, it is crucial for personal and professional growth. These important advisers offer valuable insights, knowledge, and advice that can significantly impact your life. Mentors provide a unique…

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  • Jan- 2024 -
    31 January

    Breaking Down Migration In and Out of Florida

    By: Sheridan Meek, Senior Research Economist, Florida Chamber Foundation Florida has seen rapid population growth over the past few years, adding over 1 million net new residents since the release of the Florida 2030 Blueprint. Looking ahead to 2024, the Florida Chamber Foundation has forecasted another 225,000-275,000 new Floridians in its recently released economic predictions for 2024. Florida’s recent historic levels of population growth are due to the exponential changes in overall net migration. However,…

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  • 30 January

    Small Business Council Member Spotlight: Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe

          We sat down with Evelio Torres with the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe to ask three important questions: What does your business do? The Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe is a nonprofit organization established under Chapter 1002.83, Florida Statute. The Coalition is a local administrator of the state’s School Readiness and VPK program in partnership with the Department of Education. We are dedicated to ensuring high-quality early education for children in Miami-Dade and Monroe. Through…

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  • 25 January

    Florida Chamber Foundation Economists Predict Another Year of Positive Economic Growth for the World’s 15th Largest Economy in 2024

    The Florida Chamber Foundation unveiled its 2024 economic and demographic predictions during the 2024 Florida Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit. The Florida Chamber Foundation team, leading economists, industry experts, and lawmakers shared a glimpse into the opportunities and challenges Florida’s economy and businesses are facing on the road to 2030. The Solution Summit featured a 2024 Florida economic forecast, a national economic outlook, and valuable insight into Florida’s evolving workforce needs, housing trends, population…

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  • 17 January

    Mark Wilson: Working to make Florida even more competitive — addressing early learning & child care crisis

    Florida needs to create 1.21 million new jobs by 2030 and child care concerns are being addressed by legislative leaders in Florida. According to Untapped Potential in FL, a 2023 report by the Florida Chamber Foundation and the National Chamber Foundation, nearly $5.4 billion in economic value is lost annually in Florida due to working parents having to be away from their jobs to care for children under the age of six. In fact, the report found…

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  • 13 January

    Florida Chamber Safety Council: Safety a must for Florida’s workplaces

    Florida, with its diverse, approximately $1.5 trillion economy and entrepreneurial spirit, has long been a hub for business innovation, growth and promise. But beneath the sunshine lies a shadow: a state with a concerningly high rate of workplace accidents and fatalities. A recent study from Economic Leadership ranked Florida the eighth highest in the nation for workplace fatalities, meaning that workplace deaths are higher than expected in Florida based on the economic activity in dangerous…

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  • 12 January

    New Florida Chamber Statewide Poll Shows Property Insurance, Illegal Immigration, Education and Job Creation & the Economy as Top Concerns of Florida Voters

    The latest Florida Chamber statewide poll finds the top issue among female voters, Democrat voters and NPA voters is education. The top issue among male voters is property insurance, and the top issue among Republicans is illegal immigration. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis Remains More Popular than President Joe Biden, Particularly with Hispanics The Florida Chamber poll shows half (50%) of Florida voters view Governor Ron DeSantis favorably. A majority (52%) of Florida Hispanics view…

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  • 10 January

    Florida Chamber of Commerce Unveils 2024 Florida Business Agenda, Outlining Business Community’s Legislative Priorities

    Today, the Florida Chamber of Commerce unveiled its 2024 Florida Business Agenda during the 2024 Florida Chamber Legislative Fly-In, highlighting where it stands on key business priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The Florida Chamber’s annual Where We Stand business agenda outlines key issues facing Florida’s job creators and impacting Florida’s competitiveness, along with policy recommendations to keep moving Florida in the right direction. “The world is watching Florida’s economy and the Florida Chamber is…

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  • 9 January

    Florida Chamber: The last thing we should talk about is the money

    As a part of my role as president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, I have the fortune of traveling the great state of Florida probably more than anyone except Gov. DeSantis.  Every week, I have the privilege of speaking to a variety business, philanthropic, and policy leaders on Florida’s economy, areas in which we are leading the nation (and world), and what challenges we still must overcome as we work to build Florida into…

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  • Dec- 2023 -
    20 December

    Small Business Council Member Spotlight: Pinellas Technical College

          We sat down with Dr. Jake Prokop with Pinellas Technical College to ask three important questions: What does your business do? Post – Secondary Technical College What is your biggest concern as a small business owner? The biggest challenge we face is the recruitment of teachers. There is a special skill set which is required for a quality teacher. These folks are usually the top performers in their industries. This makes it difficult to recruit…

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