The United States Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a vaccine mandate for large businesses with more than 100 employees. By stopping this mandate from taking effect, the Supreme Court has, for the time being, returned control back into the hands of the businesses that can make decisions for the best interest of their companies. The court has allowed a more limited mandate requiring only health care workers at facilities receiving Federal money to be vaccinated.

Free rapid COVID-19 tests are now available from the Federal government. A total of one billion tests will be ultimately distributed. Visit COVIDTests.gov for distribution details and to place your order in the queue. The website is currently active and accepting orders. Each residential address is limited to four free tests. Orders will be prioritized by a number of variables relating to impact of COVID-19 in communities.

Florida’s regular Legislative Session began last Tuesday and will continue until March 11. The Boca Chamber delegation of business leaders spent three days walking the halls of the Capitol and returned from Tallahassee optimistic that our collective, pro-business voices were heard loud and clear advocating a business agenda that will allow our member businesses the opportunity to be successful. We were able to share our business priorities with numerous members of the Palm Beach County Delegation in the Florida Senate and House of Representatives. We will follow our priority issues, along with many other legislative issues, throughout the entire session. As we do each year, a Weekly Legislative Session Update will be emailed every Tuesday morning providing the most up-to-date activity on bills in motion and critical votes to be taken. I hope you read yours this morning!

As the Legislators work through the next seven weeks - they do so knowing that Florida is in a very strong financial position. In fact, the Governor is recommending that $15 billion be placed into reserves - a record amount for the State of Florida and an amount that exceeds some state’s overall budgets. If you would like information, insight or feedback on any legislative activity during session, please contact the Chamber’s Executive Vice President, Sarah Pearson.

The City of Boynton Beach’s Municipal elections are quickly approaching and will be held on Tuesday, March 8. The Chamber’s Business Leaders United Political Action Committee’s (BLU-PAC) priority is to elect pro-business candidates who understand what it takes to operate a business and support policy that allows businesses to be successful. After in-person interviews and additional screening, BLU-PAC has endorsed the following candidates:

These endorsed candidates are the RIGHT LEADERS for Boynton Beach. They are prepared to work hard to ensure that the City of Boynton Beach continues to move forward for significant job growth and economic prosperity.

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:

      

1/19 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual South Healthcare Advocacy Network (S.H.A.N.)

For more information and to register click here

For more information and to register click here

1/20 – 8:00 a.m. In-Person Boynton Beach: Coffee Plus Network

For more information and to register click here

1/20 – 11:45 a.m. In-Person Successful Women In Business (SWIB) Luncheon  

For more information and to register click here

1/26 – 5:30 p.m. In-Person Live After Five  

For more information and to register click here

1/27 – 8:30 a.m. In-Person Boynton Beach Government Affairs Committee  

For more information and to register click here

1/28 – 8:30 a.m. In-Person Boynton Beach Women’s Business Exchange  

For more information and to register click here

2/1 – 12:00 p.m. In-Person International Business Alliance Roundtable  

For more information and to register click here

For 16 years, the Boca Chamber has selected a deserving recipient to receive the prestigious DIAMOND award. This female business leader is someone who has achieved success in her professional career and who continually makes a difference in our community. A DIAMOND is a Dedicated, Inspiring, Accomplished, Motivated, Outstanding, Noble and Driven businesswoman. We are excited to honor the 2022 DIAMOND Award recipient, Donna Biase, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Best Foot Forward. Click here to learn more about Donna. 

In addition to the DIAMOND award, the Chamber created a second award in 2016 called the PEARL Award. This award recognizes an up-and-coming female leader and is given to a graduate of the Boca Chamber's Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), a program of the Golden Bell Education Foundation. This young woman is achieving success and shines bright as a rising star in the community. We are proud to recognize the 2022 PEARL recipient, Leah Gonzalez, Owner & Founder, Blue Baked Bakery. Click here to learn more about Leah. 

Make sure you save the date for this amazing event on Thursday, February 17 at Woodfield Boca Raton. To purchase your tickets for this special luncheon or support either of the recipients, click here.

The Boca Raton police department is warning the public of a text message scam using their name. People are receiving this text message: "Dear ___, BOCA RATON POLICE DEPARTMENT shirt $10 OFF ready to order now". The department does not sell merchandise or shirts to the public. Do not click the link and do not provide any personal information to the website.

The 110th South Florida Fair opened over the weekend and will run until January 30^th. This year’s theme, Rockin’ Robots, features larger-than-life size robots, interactive robotic activities and showcases robotics used in agriculture, manufacturing, education and science. Located at the Palm Beach County Fairgrounds, the fair includes rides, shows, games, Yesteryear Village, trade show and much more. Don't miss this once a year special experience! For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

 

City of Boynton Beach

Executive Orders from Governor Ron DeSantis