Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,
Yesterday, the Chamber held its first in-person Membership Breakfast since March. With physical distancing and safety protocols in place, nearly ninety attendees enjoyed a morning of networking, information and entertainment. The mood was festive and the feedback was positive. We thank Doug Mosley, Executive Director of the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl, for speaking about this year’s game, which takes place on December 22nd at the football stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University. Doug hinted that on Monday we should have an announcement of which ACCE team will be taking on the University of Central Florida in this year’s game. In addition, the guests were treated to a special performance with singers and musicians from the Boca Raton School of Rock House Band. They rocked the house - holiday style! To see a video of the event click here.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the State of Florida COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. The plan calls for the vaccination of “high-contact” front line health-care workers by the end of next week, with Seniors in nursing homes receiving vaccines by the end of December. Florida is set to receive 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in a shipment to arrive within a week. 97,500 of the initial doses will be sent to hospitals for high contact/high exposure health care personnel and 81,900 will go for use in long-term care facilities. Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel recommended approval of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. The FDA must still make their official recommendation.
According to the FDA, the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech is providing strong protection against Covid-19 within about 10 days of the first dose. Last month, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their two-dose vaccine had an efficacy rate of 95 % after two doses, administered three weeks apart. The new analyses show that the protection starts taking effect far earlier, regardless of age, weight or race.
The state’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Jimmy Patronis, hosted “Rally at the Restaurant” events in Gainesville, Orlando and West Palm Beach over the past week to advocate for COVID-19 liability protections for Florida businesses. CFO Patronis called on Floridians to patronize and support local businesses, and asked legislators to work together to pass liability protections to get Florida’s economy back on its feet. Currently, 21 other states have enacted some sort of liability shields for businesses. Additionally, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce and 45 other local Chambers across the State, along with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA), with its 10,000 members, and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has also supported liability protections for businesses and the recovery of Florida’s economy.
Looking for an easier way to find an event, register for an event, and receive popup 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 educational webinars and virtual experiences, with most being 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 virtual and in-person experiences:
The early bird gets the worm! Enjoy this FREE monthly networking opportunity. Grab a cup of coffee, meet new people, and give your best 30 second elevator pitch – all before the workday begins!
Boca Lago Golf & Country Club
8665 Juego Way
Boca Raton, FL 33433
Sponsor: iThink Financial
Topic: Connecting you to your audience with great story telling
Speaker: Jonathan Garber, Flying Chimp Media
Sponsor: Memorial Health
Topic: Staying Active For Life
Speaker: Amy Lang, The Exercise Coach
On Wednesday, Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach took holiday visits to new heights when they hoisted “Kris Kringle” several stories high by crane to greet patients in their rooms. The staff at Bethesda Hospital East has been finding fun and unique ways to encourage patients who are undergoing treatment and are limited by COVID-19 visitor restrictions. Well done Bethesda East for your creative and passionate way to bring joy to your patients during this holiday season.
Please continue to be Responsible, Safe and Respectful — and thank you for making Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and all of South Palm Beach County the best place to Live, Work, Learn and Play!
Moving Business Forward,
