Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that will make the property insurance market more competitive. This bill is designed to make policies more affordable for consumers as many homeowners are seeing significant premium increases, or suddenly being dropped by their insurance company. Florida Senate Bill 76 prohibits certain practices by contractors, cracks down on unlicensed contractors and requires property insurers to be more transparent about their claims data. The Governor hopes this will invite more companies from the private sector to participate in the property insurance market and ultimately give consumers more affordable policies. The law will go into effect on July 1, 2021. Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation offers a comparison tool on its website to help homeowners compare policies and rates.

The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is seeking submissions for the development of Ocean Avenue and Federal Highway. Approximately 500 people answered a public survey about what they would like to see developed in that area. Responses included restaurants, retail space, grocery store, open public space, and more public parking. Developers have until September to submit their project ideas to the board.

The Health Care District of Palm Beach County has opened an online form where businesses can request a mobile clinic team to set up at their location and provide free vaccines to staff and clients. The district offers the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Local businesses and organizations that are interested in hosting the free, walk-up mobile vaccination sites can visit the Health Care District of Palm Beach County website, click the purple “Mobile Clinic Vaccination & Community Event Request” button, and submit the completed form for review and approval. For mobile clinic schedules and locations, click here.

Novavax, a Maryland – based company announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective against the Coronavirus and protects against variants. Results from a large, late-stage study in the U.S. and Mexico found its vaccine to be approximately 90% effective. The company plans to seek emergency use authorization in the United States by the end of September. Novavax's vaccine is made by growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in a laboratory. The Novavax vaccine could have a significant impact abroad, where many countries have struggled to obtain a vaccine.

The Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council is reporting a new Bed Tax collection record for April 2021. With $6.2 million collected, this is the highest for any month of April ever recorded since reporting began. This is positive news for our state's critical tourism economy and a testament to the hotels for their ability to provide a safe and welcoming environment for their guests.

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 activity by visiting us at bocachamber.com.

We continue to provide you with valuable virtual and in-person 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.

6/15 – 5:30 p.m. In-Person PULSE (Professionals Under 40) After Hours Network

6/17 – 11:45 a.m. In-Person Successful Women In Business Luncheon

2000 N.W. 19^th Street

6/22 – 11:45 a.m. In-Person Smart Talk for Women

6/22 – 5:30 p.m. In-Person Live After Five Network Party

6/25 – 6:00 p.m. In-Person Boynton Beach Food, Wine and Brew Festival

Last week, the Chamber held an in-person Trustee reception at the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRIC) to thank our Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation. from State Senators' Lori Berman and Tina Polsky, to County Commissioners' Vice Mayor Robert Weinroth and Mack Bernard, to Constitutional Officers Anne Gannon (Tax Collector), Wendy Sartory-Link (Supervisor of Elections) and Dorothy Jacks (Property Appraiser) it was a great opportunity for our members to interact and have personal conversations with our local leaders. Additional local elected officials included members from the Boca Raton City Council, Boynton Beach City Commission and Boca Raton Beach and Parks District. Thank you to those who attended.

This Friday, June 18^th, Just Salad and our Golden Bell Education Foundation have partnered! When you visit one of their two locations at either 9674 Glades Road (just east of 441 in UpTown Boca) or 5050 Town Centre Circle (Boca Center), they will donate 25% of your total order to our Foundation. Just make sure to mention Golden Bell when ordering. Eating well for a good cause is always a win-win! 

In last week's CEO Message, I announced the date of the Chamber’s first in-person after-hours network since February 2020. Since that announcement, I am excited to share that in addition to networking face to face and shaking hands with fellow members and business leaders, local band favorite Wolfhawk will be providing live entertainment on the big stage at Crazy Uncle Mike’s! Do not miss this opportunity to party like it is 2019! Bring friends, colleagues and neighbors. Click here to register.