Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,
I hope you had the opportunity to join us last week at our monthly membership breakfast on Veterans Day. Sponsored by FPL, we enjoyed hearing from Sophia Eccleston and Mike Sole - FPL team members and proud Veterans. Sophia served in the U.S. Army and Mike served in the U.S. Marine Corps. In addition, the breakfast’s invocation was provided by Van Williams with Palm Beach State College - another proud Veteran with the U.S. Army! After Sophia shared with the audience all the amazing energy initiatives FPL is leading, Mike followed with a passionate and persuasive case why companies should hire Veterans. We were also fortunate to feature a special vocal performance of our National Anthem by Anne Marie Connelly with the City of Boca Raton. It was a special morning. Thank you to Sophia and Mike, as well as the many Veteran members who joined us who have served our great country. Be sure to schedule all the Chamber Membership breakfasts on your calendar so you don’t miss out!
Yesterday marked the beginning of the Florida Special Legislative Session. The weeklong session will consider four bills that address vaccine mandates on large businesses and local governments. A summary of the four bills is as follows:
HB 1/SB 2-B: Prohibits Government and Private employers from imposing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Any mandate imposed on Private employers must include individual exemptions which include:
Medical (including pregnancy)
Religious
Immunity from a prior COVID-19 infection
Periodic testing
Employer-provided personal protective equipment (PPE)
HB 7-B/SB 8-B: Strikes language from an existing law that currently gives the State Health Officer authority to mandate vaccinations during a public health emergency.
SB 4-B/HB 3-B: Creates exemptions to Florida’s public records law making an employee’s medical and religious information confidential in investigative reports related to vaccine mandate complaints.
HB 5-B/SB 6-B: Appropriates $1 million dollars to the Executive Office of the Governor to develop a proposal for a state plan to assert state jurisdiction over occupational and safety issues for government and private employees.
As more information becomes available during this special session, the Chamber will deliver that news to you.
In addition to the activity at the state level, challenges to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) were filed last week by Attorneys General in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Utah, as well as several private companies. OSHA has suspended activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS pending future developments in the litigation. To ensure our members have the latest information related to this issue and its impact on affected businesses, the Chamber will be hosting a virtual workshop this morning at 11:00 am. The workshop will be presented by Meredith Plummer, an attorney in the Labor and Employment practice group with Gunster. To register for the workshop, click here.
Over the last two months, we have seen a significant increase in requests for Ribbon Cuttings coming from a cross-section of new member industries, including Restaurant’s, Spa’s, Recreational Tournaments and Gaming centers. This increase is all positive news that Florida and our local economy are well on their way to recovery and moving in a positive direction. In an effort to continue to keep moving in the right direction, the Chamber is holding a Virtual Career Fair on Wednesday, November 17, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Participating businesses will have their own virtual booth with the ability to showcase their brand and work culture by adding images, documents, videos, unlimited job postings and access to live reporting and post-event reports. In addition, each business will be able to view who has visited their booth, view all attendees' resumes and invite attendees to speak in a private chatroom or video to conduct on-the-spot interviews. For more information or to register, click here.
Looking for a quick way to find an event, register for an event, and receive pop-up notifications of important Chamber, County, City of Boca Raton, and City of Boynton Beach information? Download the Boca Chamber App – found on the App Store and Google Play Store. Keep your Chamber at the tip of your fingers! You can also stay up to date on all Chamber activities by visiting us at bocachamber.com.
We continue to provide you with valuable in-person and virtual experiences. Most virtual programs are recorded and available for you to access on the Boca Chamber’s YouTube Channel. Hit the subscribe button to find out when new content is posted on our channel.
Below is a list of our upcoming in-person and virtual experiences:
11/16 – 11:00 a.m. Understanding The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) Order – Virtual Event
Topic: Vaccine Mandate on Businesses with 100 Employees or More
Speaker: Meredith Plummer, Attorney, Gunster's Labor & Employment Practice Group
11/16 – 11:45 a.m. In-Person Smart Talk for Women
Topic: Creating a Lead Generation Process to Find the Right Customers
Speaker: Nancy Proffitt, President, Proffitt Management Solutions
Location: Maggiano’s Little Italy
21090 Saint Andrews Boulevard, Boca Raton
11/16 – 3:00 p.m. Economic Development Committee Meeting – Virtual Event
Topic: The Re-imagination of The Boca Raton
Speaker: Emily Snyder, Chief Sales Officer, The Boca Raton
11/17 – 8:30 a.m. South Health Care Advocacy Network (S.H.A.N) – Virtual Event
Sponsored By: Memorial Health
Topic: COVID Safety During the Holidays: How do we gather with family and friends safely?
Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Goldman, Chief of Primary Care, Memorial Health
11/17 – 11:45 a.m. In-Person Boynton Beach Lunch and Learn
Sponsored By: iThink Financial
Topic: Understanding the Current Real Estate Market: Commercial and Residential
Speakers: John McDonald, Commercial Realtor, Keyes Commercial & Mark McDonald, Residential Realtor, Century 21 Stein Posner Group
Location: ServPro of Boynton Beach
101 Commerce Road, Boynton Beach
11/18 – 8:00 a.m. In-Person Boynton Beach Coffee Plus
Topic: Grab a cup of coffee, meet new people and give your best 30-second elevator pitch – all before the workday begins!
Location: 500 Ocean Café
510 Ocean Drive, Boynton Beach
11/18 – 11:45 a.m. In-Person Successful Women in Business Luncheon
Topic: A Journey from the Military to Civilian Life – The Mission on How to Navigate the Corporate World
Speaker: Sophia Eccleston, Senior External Affairs Manager, Florida Power and Light
Location: The Seagate Hotel and Spa
1000 East Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach
11/19 – 8:30 a.m. In-Person Boynton Beach Women’s Business Council Meeting
Topic: A Conversation with the Boynton Beach City Manager
Speaker: Lori LaVerriere, City Manager, City of Boynton Beach
Location: Boynton Beach Arts and Cultural Center
125 East Ocean Avenue, Boynton Beach
As November kicks off a new fiscal year at the Chamber, you should have received your Chamber renewal request both by hard copy mail and electronic mail. As you consider your investment, we hope we can continue to be your valued partner, trusted source for important information and the organization you turn to in order to achieve your goals and create economic prosperity. During our monthly New Member Orientation, I often share an analogy on how Chamber membership is compared to a gym membership. The theory is the more you go to the gym, the better results you will achieve. Similarly, the more you engage your membership, the more benefits you will receive. However, a significant difference between the Chamber and the gym is that the Chamber continues to work for you regardless of how many times you attend an event. Our unwavering efforts to deliver on our mission to promote and sustain economic prosperity in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and South Palm Beach County are why the Chamber’s dedicated team of professionals come to work each day. Thank you for your support and for allowing us to be your trusted partner. We look forward to a successful year together in 2022!
Let us continue to remain focused on maintaining those healthy and safe habits that we developed a year and a half ago. Be mindful of physical distancing when appropriate and keep a mask and hand sanitizer ready - just in case. Together, we continue to Move Business Forward in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and South Palm Beach County, making our region the best place to Live, Work, Learn and Play.
Moving Business Forward,
