Legislative Blog
September 28th Hurricane Sally Recovery Update
Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program Activated The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program has been activated. The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program provides short-term, zero-interest working capital loans that are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer…
September 24th Update
Hurricane Sally Resources Governor Ron DeSantis Activates Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program for Small Businesses Damaged by Hurricane Sally Governor Ron DeSantis has activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program to support small businesses impacted by Hurricane Sally. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) administers the Emergency Bridge Loan program…
September 22nd Update
Hurricane Sally Business Resources As our businesses continue to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Sally, the Greater Pensacola Chamber wants to make sure that you have access to the resources you need to get back to business as quickly as possible. If you’ve had impacts from Hurricane Sally, please utilize the following resources…
September 8th COVID-19 Update
Gov. Ron DeSantis builds up comeback message as COVID-19 ticks down in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been crisscrossing Florida and handing the microphone to coaches ready to play ball, brewers eager to pour pints again, and a doctor with controversial views who has the president’s ear. The story DeSantis wants to tell: Florida has…
September 9th COVID-19 Update
McConnell says Senate will vote on coronavirus stimulus plan as soon as this week The Senate will vote on a coronavirus stimulus bill as early as this week, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday. In a statement, the Kentucky Republican said the chamber aims to take up what he called a “targeted proposal, focused on…
September 10th COVID-19 Update
Florida small business owners stay afloat as state continues to reopen When CBS News spoke to Dr. Fitzherbert Harry in June, he said his small physical therapy business in Maitland, Florida wasn’t at “break-even” yet, because it was recovering from negative impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. Harry, 35, said then that his business could probably…
September 3rd COVID-19 Update
SBDC Offers Workshop to Help Restaurants The restaurant industry has arguably suffered the most economic losses since the COVID-19 outbreak began. And as the state and country reopen, restaurant operations can be dramatically different. To help navigate new challenges, the Small Business Development Center at the University of West Florida will host a three-part webinar…
September 2nd COVID-19 Update
Florida Businesses Could Get Break on Workers’ Comp Insurance For Florida businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s a bit of good news: Workers’ compensation insurance costs could go down in 2021. State insurance regulators have received a rate filing that would reduce premiums next year in the workers’ compensation system by an average of…
September 1st COVID-19 Update
Pensacola City Facilities, Community Centers Could Reopen in October Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson is eyeing the beginning of October as the time to reopen city facilities like community centers that have been closed since a spike of COVID-19 cases in July. Robinson said during his weekly press conference Monday that he will be meeting with…
August 31st COVID-19 Update
Governor DeSantis Encourages Tourists to Come to Florida on Planes Gov. Ron DeSantis made the case that tourists could safely take commercial flights to visit Florida, as newly reported coronavirus cases grew by more than 3,800 people Friday, down from peak averages of nearly 12,000 cases daily in mid-July. Read more here. Governor DeSantis…
Don Gaetz Believes the Gulf Coast Can Triumph
"But it’s not enough for Triumph and its private and public sector partners to produce thousands of new jobs if there aren’t thousands of Northwest Floridians qualified to fill them. That’s why Triumph is working with school districts and higher education institutions to reshape what is taught and how it’s taught in our schools. Triumph already is funding projects in six of our eight counties that will prepare 9,000 students to earn national industry certifications for the very jobs most needed in our region over the next decade." -Don Gaetz
The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce was honored to support the University of West Florida in their appeal to Triumph to support their efforts to equip over 3,000 students to earn top-level certifications in cyber security and advanced manufacturing and supply chain logistics industry certifications. Through the Center for Cybersecurity, the Sea3D Additive Manufacturing Laboratory and the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering UWF proposes to produce a minimum of 3,220 industry certifications that would provide career pathways to high paying jobs across the region.
Read more here...
Department Of Labor Issues Final Ruling on Overtime
Conversations begin in the Florida House Regarding Teacher pay increases
Effective January 1, 2020, the minimum salary threshold established by the Department of Labor for overtime eligibility will be set at $684 per week / $35, 568 annually.
More information about the final rule is available here..
Florida House’s committee on preK-12 education budgeting has begun conversations around the Governor's proposed salary increase for teachers of $47,500 - a total price tag of $603 million, annually. The committee is moving forward with caution, as raising taxes does not seem to be a viable option, however, they are hopeful they can find the funds in existing budgets.
Read more here...
The Board of Education prioritized its Public Education Capital Outlay plan, unanimously approving seven projects that are now in line to receive a combined $86.4 million in construction funding over the next three years - Pensacola state college made that list.
The Board of Education prioritized its Public Education Capital Outlay plan on Friday, September 20th, unanimously approving seven projects which are in line to receive a combined $86.4 million in construction funding over the next three years.
Read more here...
NATIONAL ECONOMIC PROGRESS CONTINUES, HOWEVER, CONCERNS ARE IN THE AIR
Recent Progress in the Economy:
- There were 2.3 million more workers in 2018 than 2017!
- Workers are earning higher wages with increases by 3.4% from 2017 to 2018.
- Poverty has declined by 0.5 percentage points to 11.8% which is 1.4 million fewer people in poverty.
- Economic growth driven by tax reform and recent efforts of the current administration to reduce regulatory burdens are having a positive effect.
Positive outcomes from these results:
- Workers are better able to support their families.
- There are more available jobs; however, there are still more jobs than people, so workforce remains a major concern.
Gaps in The Economy That Must be Addressed
“The first is a skills gap – too many people lack the skills or credentials they need to compete for 21st century jobs. The second is a people gap – too many businesses can’t find the workers they need, when and where they need them. Businesses must be part of the solution. No single entity has a greater stake in the strength of our talent pool than the business community. We have the ideas, the innovations, and the incentive to drive change and create solutions.”, said U.S. Chamber CEO Donohue at the Talent Forward event earlier this year.
The Gaps
- Solutions for the Skills Gap
- Improving education and mandating increased school accountability, more choices for families, and improved collaboration among key stakeholders.
- Ensuring the annual $400 billion dollars of taxpayer money being invested in higher education will result into credentials and a return on investment back into the economy.
- The business community must ensure that local education institutions teach in-demand skills by implementing similar programs such as the Foundation Talent Pipeline Management Initiative https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/talent-pipeline-management
- Better access to quality childcare, as it is the foundation for basic skills and ability.
- Solutions for People Gap
- The opioid epidemic is a large contributor to the decline in working-age men in the workforce. We need to support public and private sectors working to address the issue in addition to supporting good public policy.
but fair process for the millions of undocumented people living in the U.S. to have the opportunity to earn a legal status.” This includes the “Dreamers” who came to the U.S. as children and Temporary Protected Status recipients.
- We must have good policy to produce good results!
Signs of Policy Uncertainty Is Negatively Affecting the Economy
“Amid all the talk of a possible recession, it’s important for everyone to remember this: Economic expansions do not die of natural causes. They often die because of missteps and policy mistakes. And the biggest mistake our leaders could make right now — putting our economy at greater risk of a downturn — is to stoke further uncertainty We’re calling on our leaders to eliminate the uncertainty, rebuild business confidence and keep this economy working for all Americans.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Donohue writes.
- “When leaders make decisions that foster certainty, businesses invest, hire, grow and better drive the economy in a positive direction.”
- Examples of the Effect of Fostering Certainty
- Unemployment rate has reached a generational low
- Employee compensation has risen 3.4% in the first half of 2019
- Inflammation remains near record lows
- Consumer spending is strong, and retail sales have beat the calculated expectations for the first half of the year.
- Examples of the Negative Effect from Not Fostering Certainty
- Increased trade tensions and softening of global economy
“The business community shares the administration’s concern over China’s trade and industrial practices, and the U.S. Chamber strongly supports efforts to secure a deal that addresses forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, data privacy and intellectual-property protection, and market access. The initial tariffs have brought China to the negotiating table, but the current path of constant escalation doesn’t increase the likelihood of a deal; it risks a recession here at home.” – U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Business investment has experienced its first decline in three years
- Manufacturing sector has been in a downturn for nine months
- Famers’ income has plummeted
- Investors have begun to panic over “inverted yield curves” in the bond market and wild swings in the stock market – typically key indicators a recession is coming. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/14/recession-watch-what-is-an-inverted-yield-curve-why-does-it-matter/
The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce Commitment
We know that neither growth nor a recession are guaranteed; however, both result from choices we make as a country. The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce will be calling on our leaders to eliminate as much uncertainty in the economy’s future as possible by encouraging the introducing and supporting of logical tax reform and an increase in educational and workforce development resources. Together we can close these gaps and increase the business community’s confidence in the future, both near and long.
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Sean Hackbarth, A Strong Economy Improves American’s Lives,” First Things First, (September 2019): https://page.uschamber.com/index.php/email/emailWebview