Promising Practices and Resources

2020 Florida Business Leaders’ Summit on Prosperity and Economic Opportunity

Did you know more than 3 million Floridians live in poverty? Of those, more than 260,000 are under age 5.

Join business and industry leaders as well as elected officials and community voices us as we analyze a path to prosperity for each of Florida’s zip codes. We will also discuss best practices around the state, how they can be replicated and more. Conversations will also focus around 10 topic areas that the Florida Chamber Foundation’s research shows are: Jobs, Education, Housing, Health, Food, Safety, Child care, Justice, Transportation and Agency-Community voice.

Florida Business Leaders Summit on Prosperity and Economic Opportunity
May 19, 2020
The Westin Sarasota
Sarasota, Florida

To have your logo featured here, click here or contact Aaron Kinnon at AKinnon@FlFoundation.org.

Robin Safley on Paths to Prosperity, Food, and More

We caught up with Robin Safley, Executive Director of Feeding Florida to discuss issues like food insecurity, paths to prosperity, and how businesses can play a part in creating solutions. Click the videos below to hear more.

---

On food security:

“A child who is hungry can’t learn in school. And an adult who is stressed and is hungry can’t be retrained for a job… I think businesses could do a big job with their employees and the individuals they come in contact with to really identify food insecurity.”

---

On their Produce Program:

If you estimate that about 16 percent of all produce grown doesn’t make it into the supply chain…but it’s perfectly edible. What could possibly be available is between 700 and 900 million pounds of produce on an annual basis. There’s about 3.2 million individuals who are food insecure. If I was going to try to attempt to get every one of them a serving of fruit and vegetables every day- all I would need to do is source 104 million pounds of food. We could that with some nutrition classes, so that we are really teaching people the importance of that food and also how to prepare it.

When you look at poverty and you look at all the intricate parts of that- housing and transportation and jobs- I almost see food as that common denominator, that fundamental base that people needs to have prosperity in those other sectors.

---

On place-based solutions and intersectionality of issues:

“The more that we don’t isolate these conversations- it’s not just take care of housing, but when you are taking care of housing, you should think about transportation and where is the food in proximity to that housing. [Consider] place-based solutions- how do we embed food in an environment- whether it’s charitable or retail. We don’t necessarily need more bricks and mortar, we just need to utilize the bricks and mortar we have more intently.”

---

On creating financial literacy and understanding the A.L.I.C.E. population:

Sometimes we think individuals are not making the right choice in that early moment, and it’s probably under the stressful situation in which they are just surviving- sometimes to the detriment of that long-term planning. I think if we wrap all of those issues around some of the individuals we are dealing with, with food being that fundamental, I think we are going to see success.

---

Stay Involved in the Conversations

Learn About the Initiative

Past Events, Webinars, and Interviews:

2019 Florida Business Leaders Summit on Prosperity and Economic Opportunity

The recent Business Leaders Summit on Prosperity and Economic Opportunity brought together business and industry leaders as well as elected officials and community voices on May 22-23 in West Palm Beach.

Click here for additional information.

A video highlight of the 2018 Florida Business Leaders’ Summit on Prosperity & Economic Opportunity is also available- click here to learn more.

Robin Safley on Paths to Prosperity, Food, and More

During a recent Florida Horizon interview, Robin Safley, Executive Director of Feeding Florida, discusses issues including food insecurity, paths to prosperity, and how businesses can play a part in creating solutions. Click here to learn more.

Prosperity & Economic Opportunity Webinar and Call: Justice

Click the image below to hear Robert Doar, Resident Fellow & Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies of American Enterprise Institute discuss the impact poverty has on justice-related issues.

 

Business Leader Video Series

Click here  to watch business leaders including Will Weatherford with Weatherford Partners, Ann Reinert with JPMorgan Chase, and others discuss how we can move forward during the 2017 Florida Business Leaders’ Summit on Prosperity and Economic Opportunity. 

Harris Rosen’s Challenge to Business Leaders

 

Join the Prosperity Initiative      Attend the Florida Business Leaders’ Summit on Prosperity & Economic Opportunity
 
 

“My dream is that every under-served community in the United States of America would have a Tangelo Park program. And when that happens- we won’t recognize America.”

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. Central Florida used to be the center of the universe for the phosphate industry,” Swager said. “Recently, more deposits in the world are becoming economic and are being developed, particularly over the past decade. Africa and the Middle Eastern are some of the areas where this is happening and they are being constructed with the latest and best technology.”

One aspect of the company that is transforming is the participation of Mosaic employees. Input from ground-level workers has been integral to the development of new ideas. By bringing them into the process, Swager said employees have a greater sense of involvement in the company’s new direction.

“In order for us to remain competitive, we really need to develop a culture that is focused on innovation and reliability. We’ve really engaged our employees in this effort and have a very strong pipeline to the front line,” Swager said. “We are eliminating some of the red tape and bureaucracy from the past, which may have stymied some of the decision making in these areas and some of the innovation that our employees are quite proud of.”

The decision-making process isn’t the only change the company is making. In 2017, Mosaic completed the largest land acquisition in the company’s history. The company purchased Vale Fertilizantes in Brazil for $2.5 billion, a move Swager said is still paying dividends. The goal was to increase the company’s international presence and strengthen its presence domestically.

“I think the acquisition of Vale Fertilizantes is going to have tremendous benefits for Mosaic. It certainly enlarged our footprint in one of the fastest growing agricultural markets. It is going to ensure that the whole company benefits from that growth,” Swager said. “In addition, that newer, bigger footprint in South America will ensure that we remain the producer of choice for our customers in America. With a broader asset base in the hemisphere, it makes it harder for offshore competitors to compete and penetrate these markets.”

In addition to land expansion, Mosaic is also ramping up efforts in the Tampa Bay community. The Company partners with the Tampa Bay Lightning on the Goals for Food program. Since the program’s inception, Mosaic has provided nearly a half-million dollars to local food banks.

“We’re really a producer of agricultural commodities and it’s such a primary mission to help the world grow the food that it needs. What a lot of us know is unfortunately in our own back yard there’s thousands of families that lack certainty on where their next meal is going to come from,” Swager said. “There is no better brand to associate with in Tampa than the Lightning and they have helped raise the profile of all of these organization. They’re also critical to ensuring that families that are struggling to make ends meet and are able to put food on the table.”

Swager said projects like Goals for Food are a core part of what Mosaic wants to be as a company. She added that a free market economy gives Mosaic and other companies the best opportunity to do so.

“People don’t just move here for beaches and warm weather. They move here because Florida has a vibrant economy where they can start a business and be successful,” Swager said. “That growth is enabled by Florida’s approach to free enterprise. Our property taxes are lower than most states and we have no income tax because the state is able to fund its obligations by revenues generated by this business activity.

Watch: Leaders Discuss Prosperity and Economic Opportunity

Topics the Florida Business Leaders’ Summit on Prosperity and Economic Opportunity Will Cover:

Join business and industry leaders, as well as elected officials and community voices as we analyze a path to prosperity for each of Florida’s zip codes, discuss best practices around the state and how they can be replicated, and more.

Conversations will also focus around 10 topic areas that the Florida Chamber Foundation’s research shows are part of the conversation of prosperity. Below, you can watch business leaders from the 2017 Florida Business Leaders’ Summit on Prosperity and Economic Opportunity discuss how we can move forward. 

---

What role do businesses have in creating economic opportunity for all Floridians?

---

Jobs

How can Florida’s business leaders use partnerships to help ensure economic opportunity?

How can Florida’s business community encourage entrepreneurism?

What are some barriers to employment that Floridians often face and how can training programs help reduce these barriers?

---

Education

What role does education play in ensuring paths to prosperity and what challenges must learners, educational institutions and businesses be ready for?

---

Housing

How do you get the business community engaged in an issue like homelessness?

---

Food

What is food insecurity and what is one solution Florida can take?

---

Child care

What is a “two-generational” framework and how can addressing “fiscal cliffs” through this framework help drive economic prosperity?

---

Justice

What can Florida’s business community do to help reduce recidivism rates?

---

Transportation

What role can reliable transportation play in encouraging economic opportunity?

---

Agency-Community voice

What is collective impact and what role does it play in ensuring that the business community drives meaningful change?

What role can communities and partnerships play in ensuring economic opportunity for all Floridians?

Bipartisan Affordable Housing Bill Passes Senate Community Affairs  

Today, the Florida Chamber of Commerce commended the Florida Senate Committee on Community Affairs for voting favorably on bipartisan affordable housing legislation that would prohibit the sweep of the State and Local Housing Trust Fund. The legislation, Senate Bill 874, sponsored by Senator Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples), is slated to be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development.

“Attainable housing is a key ingredient to meet the needs of Florida’s growing workforce. Ensuring workers have access to affordable housing will help our economy to continue growing, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce thanks members of the Senate Community Affairs Committee for protecting this important program,” said David Hart, Executive Vice President, Florida Chamber of Commerce.

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida 2030 research project— a once-a-decade benchmarking report looking at the fundamentals of the state and planning for future changes and disruptions— provides a more in-depth analysis on the need for affordable and attainable housing in order to secure Florida’s future. As part of the Florida 2030 research project, the Florida Chamber Foundation visited 67 counties and engaged more than 10,000 Floridians in town hall conversations. One issue universally identified as crisis across the state was the availability of attainable housing, particularly for critical workers.

Additionally, during the Florida Chamber Foundation’s annual Economic Outlook Summit last week, Florida Chamber Foundation Chief Economist, Dr. Jerry Parrish, identified affordable housing as one of Florida’s constraining variables to economic growth.

A statement on the need for attainable housing, prepared for today’s committee meeting by Tony Carvajal can be found here.

Sign Up to Continue This Conversation

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Less Poverty Through More Prosperity Summit identified ten specific areas Florida must get right if we are to secure economic prosperity for all Floridians. From housing to childcare, click here to sign up for your specific area of interest.

Florida Chamber CEO Delivers Unexpected Message

 

Janelle O’Dea, Bradenton Herald, February 17, 2017

On Wednesday, Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson delivered a somewhat unexpected message to a room of 75 businesses leaders and government officials.

“I’m positive that when some of you got the invite for today you asked, ‘What’s the chamber doing looking at poverty?’” he said.

Wilson took attendees through a presentation showing how business leaders and their attitudes need to adjust to solve the problems associated with generational poverty.

Read the full article that appeared in the Bradenton Herald.

 

Join the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Movement. Click here to learn more.

 

JUST RELEASED: More than 3.1 Million Floridians in Poverty

By 2030, Florida is expected to grow to 26 million residents and will welcome more than 150 million visitors per year. With this, comes opportunities and challenges, as this growth is expected to come during one of the most disruptive periods, where changes in the landscape of work, technology and talent will create a new normal. With this in mind, the Foundation’s Florida 2030 project is committed to focusing on Florida’s long-term future and ensuring global competitiveness, pathways to prosperity and vibrant and sustainable communities.

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Less Poverty, More Prosperity: Florida’s Fiscal Cliffs Report shows Florida has more than 3.1 million people living in poverty, with  944,415 of that total under the age of 18. The large number of Floridians living in poverty in our state impacts not only individual families, but also businesses, Florida’s economy, and our state’s global competitiveness. Florida will find it harder to succeed in 2030 and beyond if more than 1 in 6 Floridians continue living in poverty.

Click here to download the report.

O’Hara: Florida Chamber’s Scorecard Raises Flags About Jobs, Senior Tsunami

Originally Published in the Sun Sentinel by the Editorial Page Editor, April 12, 2017

 

If you like to paint by the numbers, paint storm clouds on Florida’s horizon because a gray tsunami is headed our way that’s destined to change our population mix and threaten how we are taxed for government services.

On the sunny side, numbers compiled by the Florida Chamber Foundation show we’ve made remarkable progress in high school graduation rates, averaging 80.7 percent statewide. Though one in five children still fails to complete school, it wasn’t so many years ago that graduation rates hovered around 50 percent.

But before we go puffing our chests, consider the high number of Florida children living in poverty — 23.4 percent, including a good number with disabilities — and you’ll see the biggest threat facing our state’s economic growth.

“If you take the poverty rate of kids under 18, and the high school graduation rate, if you could only give me two metrics to predict how well a county was going to do, I would pick those,” says Jerry Parrish, the foundation’s chief economist.

Parrish recently presented the state’s updated scorecard at the Broward Workshop’s 9th Annual State of the County Forum. I called him later to dig deeper into the numbers on the website, TheFloridaScorecard.org.

“If you’re in poverty, your probability of graduating high school is lower than everyone else,” he says. Plus, poverty leads to more disabilities because of poor nutrition and lack of health care. “So if you work on child poverty and get more kids through high school, it’s highly correlated with economic success.”

Click here to read the entire Sun Sentinel article. 

One in six Floridians live in poverty

Originally Published in the Herald Tribune by Dale White, February 22, 2017

 

Although he received a positive reception from an audience of local business and civic leaders Wednesday, Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson says he frequently gets a negative reaction when he raises the troubling issue of how many Floridians live in poverty.

Many people think an organization that promotes business interests puts profits over people and should not get involved in “a social issue,” Wilson said. “They ask, ‘Are you a lefty, liberal, social nut to worry about poverty?’”

Yet, in his role as head of the Florida Chamber, Wilson says he should be spreading the word about a disturbing reality many of this state’s more than 20 million residents would prefer not to discuss, much less acknowledge: More than 3 million of their number live in poverty and many of them are so disadvantaged that, no matter how hard they try, they cannot climb out.

When a low-income mother with two children gets a raise in wages, the presumption is that she can afford a better lifestyle, Wilson said. Yet she could actually find herself in an even tougher financial bind. As her wages go up, her children may no longer qualify for Head Start preschool. The family may lose Medicaid benefits. Her federal income taxes increase.

At a luncheon with members of the Sarasota and Manatee chambers of commerce, Wilson discussed the Florida Chamber’s launch of an initiative to tackle such quandaries and improve the quality of life for the state’s most income-challenged workers.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Wilson said. The Florida Chamber is urging every community — local chambers, business and civic leaders, county commissions — to examine how they can address poverty and the ills associated with it on the local level.

“What if everybody got on the same page with the same goal?” Wilson asked.

That goal is not to ensure “equal outcomes” for all Floridians, Wilson stressed. Disparities in incomes will always exist. The goal, he said, is to achieve “equal access to opportunity.”

The first step, he said, is to “raise awareness.”

 

Click here to read the entire Herald Tribune article. 

Promoting Opportunity and Prosperity Takes on Greater Significance

Bradenton Herald, February 17, 2017
By Mark Wilson

As the 16th-largest economy in the world, creating one out of every 10 jobs in America, Florida is moving in the right direction.

Florida adds more than 1,000 new residents each day, and they add $879,000 in income every hour. This is the Florida many know – one that’s prosperous, creating jobs and economic opportunity.

Yet, there is a different reality for many Floridians. The state’s poverty rate for those under 18 is 23.4 percent – that’s 944,415 children living in poverty. More than 3 million Floridians are on food stamps and more than 57 percent of Florida’s students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. More than 40,000 students between Pre-K and fifth grade are homeless.

Florida has led the way in economic growth and opportunity. We can and must do more to break the cycle of generational poverty by focusing on creating opportunities for all Floridians, especially those born into poverty.

The way forward has four components:

• First, business leaders can only help solve challenges if they know about them. TheFloridaScorecard.org provides essential county-by-county metrics that illuminate key data points like third-grade reading scores (only 54 percent of Florida’s third-graders are reading at grade level or above), the percentage of children eligible for free and reduced meals, and more. Please help the Florida Chamber educate everyone on the millions of Floridians who need economic and educational opportunities.
• Second, we need to recognize that, in many cases, government entitlement programs often do more harm than good, unintentionally creating a system of dependency that keeps people trapped in poverty and unable to get out. The Florida Chamber believes social safety nets are necessary, as poverty resulting from setbacks like the loss of a job or home foreclosures will always exist. However, their goal should be to act as a lifeline, not create a lifestyle of reliance on government assistance. Government should encourage earned success for job-seekers and unshackle private-sector employers rather than perpetuate permanent support.
• Third, we must ensure all Floridians have access to high-quality education that equips learners – especially young learners – with the relevant skills needed to excel in the modern, changing workforce. Rigorous standards in Florida’s classrooms will help keep educators accountable while also helping students develop necessary lifelong skills.
  Florida Chamber Foundation research indicates within five years, 65 percent of all job openings in the U.S. will require at least some post-secondary education. From middle skills to high-tech skills, Florida wins when we prepare students to succeed on a global stage and ensure students have access to affordable post-secondary education through grants and scholarship programs. These steps will help bridge the “talent gap” between the requirements of employers and their 287,000 unfilled jobs and the current skill-set of Florida’s growing workforce.
• Finally, we must address the problems related to government inefficiencies such as legislator inaction on the $1.5 billion workers’ comp increase and a broken legal climate that adds a $3,400 lawsuit tax to families who can least afford it. When Florida’s businesses and communities have to foot the bill for these added costs, it disproportionately affects Florida’s neediest and most vulnerable families.

The way forward is not easy, but we must keep the conversation going and fight for solutions. This is one reason the Florida Chamber Foundation is bringing leaders together for our 2017 Prosperity Summit on May 10 in Tampa.

The Florida Chamber views the challenge of creating the opportunity for economic prosperity for all Floridians as one of economic and moral significance. If our state’s business and government leaders work together, putting politics aside, we can end generational poverty and put Floridians back to work and on the way to achieving their utmost potential.

When Florida wins, America wins.

Mark Wilson is the president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Breaking the Cycle of Generational Poverty

This weekend, Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, discussed the importance of economic opportunity for all Floridians during a presentation at Leadership Florida.

While Florida is creating 1 out of every 10 new jobs in the U.S., and is lowering taxes and creating greater economic opportunities, 1 in every 6 Floridians live in poverty and more than 1 million households live below the federal poverty line in our state.

Earlier this year, during testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Human Resources, Wilson urged Congress to seek ways to end generational poverty by lifting up Americans through economic opportunity instead of entitlements.

“In my view, the battle of this generation is between economic equality and economic opportunity – between those who believe that everyone is entitled to equal outcomes and those who believe everyone should have an equal opportunity at earned success,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce.

High School Dropouts Lose $250,000 in Lifetime Earnings

How do we ensure that Florida’s children are prepared to succeed in education and in life? It starts with early learning, which sets the foundation for educational achievement and creates a skilled workforce for our businesses and safer, more prosperous communities for all Floridians.

 

Get Involved

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Business Alliance for Early Learning will be hosting Early Learning Roundtables in several communities throughout Florida. If you are interested in attending or would like more information, contact Tracey Lowe at tlowe@flfoundation.org.