From the President's Desk E-Connection

Volume 147 | October 2023

Weekly eConnection

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602 Largo, FL 33770

Tel: 727-584-2321 Fax: 727-586-3112

President's Edition

Ambassador of the Month, Stacy

For her continued support and participation in Chamber events and committees, Stacy Gillis of Advanced Video Systems, was recognized as Ambassador of the Month by the Ambassadors Team at last week's meeting. Stacy also supports us as the Chamber's photographer. Thank you!

If you would like to volunteer with us as a member of the Ambassadors Team, email Emmy at membership@centralchamber.biz. The group meets monthly on the first Wednesday at 8:15 a.m.

Free for members. $25 for guests.

Ribbon-Cutting Celebration at

Holiday Inn Express

The team at Holiday Inn Express Clearwater - Icot Center celebrated the renovations of the hotel with an evening celebration last week. They are located at 13625 Icot Blvd, Clearwater.

Above, Christopher Williams, Area General Manager, cuts a Chamber ribbon to commemorate the occasion. On the left, Chamber members Peter Zirolli of Transform Solar, Morelia Dothe of Fifth Third Bank, and Joan Marchand of JOMAR Media enjoyed the evening's activities which included a magician. Thank you to Advanced Video Systems for the event photos!

Reports of glitchy encounters with state’s unemployment system still linger after pandemic

Only about a dozen states have unemployment as low as Florida, but that hasn't cured complaints about the state's online unemployment claims system entirely.

New disturbance emerges in Gulf; tropical depression to form in Atlantic by midweek

Activity is heating back up in the tropics, with National Hurricane Center forecasters watching for potential development of a low-pressure system in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and another off Africa.

Would Great Wolf Lodge have come to Southwest Florida without $15 million in incentives?

Incentives were offered to attract Great Wolf Lodge, which with projections of 500,000 annual visitors would put it on track to become Southwest Florida's largest manmade tourist attraction ahead of destinations such as Fort Myers Edison and Ford Winter Estates that draws half this.

Halloween sales bring vacant Oviedo Mall space back from the dead

Spooky shoppers across the country are spending big this year, benefiting retail centers such as Oviedo Mall where Spirit Halloween has brought back from the dead a part of the vacant Sears store.

150-year-old Florida Keys lighthouse illuminated for first time in a decade

A 150-year-old beacon that helped guide ships through the treacherous Florida Keys coral reefs before GPS, sonar and other technology made it obsolete is shining again.