Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,
Today is Palm Beach County Runoff Election Day. Please be advised there is a new polling location for the Boynton Beach City Commission District III election for voters in precinct 4026. The location has been moved from Sterling Village auditorium to the Boynton Beach Senior Center on 1021 South Federal Highway, Boynton Beach.
Polling locations have been open since 7:00 am - be sure to get out and vote! You are encouraged to vote for the Business Leaders United – PAC endorsed and pro-business candidate Marit Hedeen for Boynton Beach City Commission District III. Polling locations will close this evening at 7:00 pm and all vote-by-mail ballots must be received by today at 7:00 pm to be counted. To check your registration status, and polling location, please click here.
Lori Berman, State Senator District 31, addressed the combined Government Affairs & Economic Development Committees of the Chamber last week and shared her key takeaways from this recent State Legislative Session:
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Hometown Heroes: $100 million included in Florida’s 2022-23-year budget to provide down payment and closing cost assistance for first responders.
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Creation of Office of Resiliency: Requires the development of a resilience action plan for the state highway system. In addition, the office would create a prioritized list of resilience projects that would include medical centers, utilities, emergency operations centers and airports that would be affected by rising sea levels. Additionally, the office would establish a resilient grant program.
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Sales Tax Holidays: $196.3 million for several new tax holidays which include: Back to School (July 29th – August 5th), Hurricane (May 28th – June 6th) Freedom Week (July 29th – August 5th), Tools (September 3rd -9th) and Diapers (July 1st – July 1, 2023).
Governor DeSantis announced he has approved $800 million from the State’s new budget to increase teachers’ minimum salaries to at least $47,500. This funding will also help raise the pay of veteran teachers. Earlier this month, the Florida House and Senate approved a record $112 billion budget, which includes $24.3 billion for K-12 public education in the State. The Governor still has not approved the entire budget, including vetoing any items. Additionally, the Governor announced that the Florida Standards Assessments are officially being eliminated after this school year and replaced with a Progress Monitoring System starting in the 2022/23 academic year.
This Wednesday, the Palm Beach County School Board will review a contract with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s organization. In this agreement, two dozen sheriff’s deputies would be available to assist in safeguarding Palm Beach County schools. This agreement would help the district while they continue to recruit and fill vacancies within its own police force. The pending agreement with the sheriff’s office would provide 20 deputies and two sergeants to ensure compliance with Florida Statute 1006.12 and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which calls for an officer at every school in the district.
Palm Beach County has seen an increasing wave in tourism. Hotel rates are up 30 – 50% due to increasing levels of demand. Palm Beach County’s tourism numbers for the last five months are 100% ahead of the same time a year ago, with no sign of slowing down. The County’s Tourist Development Council has suggested that Palm Beach County no longer experiences a “season” but rather year-round demand. Compared to last year, tourism tax dollars are up 83% in the county, netting nearly $8 million in January.
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.
Below is a list of our upcoming in-person and virtual experiences:
3/22 – 5:30 p.m. In-Person Live After Five
3/24 – 8:30 a.m. Boynton Beach: Government Affairs Committee – Virtual
3/25 – 8:30 a.m. In-Person Boynton Beach: Women’s Business Exchange
4/1 – 8:30 a.m. In-Person PRIME Professionals Roundtable
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has created a new student veteran program to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The “FAU Veteran Canine Rescue Mission” matches FAU Student veterans and alumni veterans with dogs from the Humane Society of Broward County. Dogs will be trained for either service, emotional support, or companionship. The program, which includes a research component on the human-canine bond, will serve as a resource for more than 1,300 military and veteran students currently at FAU. The FAU Veteran Canine Rescue Mission also is collaborating with FAU’s Military and Veterans Student Success Center to ensure students have the tools required for a smooth transition to civilian and academic life. For more information about C-P.A.W.W. Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors, click here
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,
