The Florida Chamber of Commerce predicts employees in the state will create 200,000 jobs in 2020, and that the state will see 320,000 new residents come during the year.

“If Florida was a stock, it would be a strong buy,” said Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber.

But there remain challenges like a skills gap that means 284,000 job openings remain unfilled, as 323,000 Floridians actively look for work.

Jerry Parrish, chief economist for the Florida Chamber Foundation, released the organization’s newest economic forecast, which identified bright spots and challenges facing the business community in the state. 

On that latter front, the Chamber predicts significant turmoil if Florida voters pass a $15-per-hour minimum wage requirement, which progressive leaders have pushed to get on the 2020 ballot, or if the Legislature eliminates Visit Florida, which state House Speaker Jose Oliva has publicly stated would be a prudent fiscal decision.

Regarding a wage boost, Parrish noted no other state has put so high a pay requirement up for a statewide referendum before, and states passed referenda with lower rates still failed the meet the 60-percent threshold required to change Florida’s constitution through a ballot initiative. But the prospect phasing in such rapid growth in the minimum wage—Florida’s minimum wage rose to $8.49 and hour at the state of the year, will likely put small businesses under, Parrish said.

As for Visit Florida, he said killing the state’s de facto tourism agency would be folly. “Successful businesses market themselves,” he said, “and Florida has had much success marketing itself to businesses around the world.”

But overall, Florida business leaders remain confident Florida is on the track—and so do consumers by a 2-to-1 margin. Wilson praised Gov. Ron DeSantis for pushing a pro-business, anti-regulation agenda in Tallahassee.

The Chamber noted Florida, if it were a country, would have the 17th largest economy in the world, just ahead of Saudi Arabia. And current projects show Florida by 2030 could grow to be in the top 10 ahead of Russia, Mexico and Spain.

“Florida is at a crossroads,” Wilson said. “We just have to make the right long-term decisions.” 

Chart courtesy Florida Chamber Foundation

The Manatee Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Amy Farrington will join its staff as Vice President, Public Policy & Small Business, beginning February 3.  Ms. Farrington’s focus will include the Manatee Chamber’s policy development and advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal level, as well as strategic resources for small businesses. 

Ms. Farrington joins the Chamber having served as the Director of Strategic and Administrative Initiatives at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee since 2016. Her prior experience includes public policy leadership positions with the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and Jacksonville (FL) Chamber of Commerce. She also served in positions with the Florida Department of State as well as in private practice as an attorney. Ms. Farrington earned her law degree from the University of Florida (UF) College of Law, her M.S.A. in Public Administration from the University of West Florida, and her B.A. from UF.  

“We are thrilled to have Amy joining our team at the Chamber,” said Jacki Dezelski, President & CEO of the Manatee Chamber. “She brings a wealth of knowledge of policy development, an understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the greater Manatee County area, and a commitment to priorities that ensure a strong economic environment supporting local businesses and their employees.”

Ms. Farrington’s current and past community involvement includes the Leadership Manatee program, Dive into Reading, Bridge a Life, ShelterBoxUSA, Bradenton Kiwanis, and the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County. She is a graduate of the University of South Florida Professional Development Leadership program and completed two years of the prestigious U. S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management program.  

The Bradentucky Bombers are excited to announce our Pre-Season Double Header on Saturday, January 25th. Game One is Bradentucky Fusion Bombs versus Team Florida Roller Derby, a team comprised of top skaters all over the state. Game Two is Team Florida Roller Derby versus the Magic City Misfits: River City Rejects of DeLand, Florida. We will be hosting both games consecutively on Saturday, January 25th at Ellenton Ice & Sports Complex (5309 29th St E., Ellenton, Florida 34222) at 5:00 pm doors open at 4:30pm. Tickets are available. After party begins after the games at Darwin Brewing Company and Taproom (803 17th Ave W., Bradenton, Florida 34205). The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body for the sport of women's flat track roller derby. Being an official league means that we will now be competing for a ranking against the top teams in the world. This is a big step for our league here in Bradenton and we look forward to being a leader in the world of women’s roller derby. 

Photo by Maddox Weber. Video by Patrick Laughrey.

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Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is pleased to announce that Partner Maria del Carmen Ramos has been invited to serve as a member of the distinguished faculty at the 2020 American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference on Immigration Law to be held June 17-20, 2020 where she will be speaking about employer compliance and enforcement issues that have grown dramatically under the current administration. With nearly two decades of experience navigating the immigration statutes, regulations, and policy guidance, Maria is able to help employers efficiently and cost-effectively move employees where they need them, when they need them. She takes time to understand her clients’ needs and objectives at the outset, enabling her to properly counsel her clients on the immigration options available to them, whether it be a business visa (E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, H-3, L, O, P, R, and TN), investment visa (E-2, EB-5, etc.), or permanent residence. By carefully building her clients’ immigration cases early on, Maria sees fewer requests for evidence, which ultimately mean faster and less expensive processing for her clients.

AILA is the national association of more than 15,000 lawyers and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. AILA member lawyers represent U.S. families seeking permanent residence for close family members, as well as U.S. businesses seeking talent from the global marketplace. Twice named Tampa’s top immigration lawyer, Maria understands that immigration law is a way for employers to move human capital, including workers’ knowledge, talent, skills, experience, and training, around the world.

Aside from helping employers move workers around the world, Maria also helps employers comply with their I-9 obligations. Among other things, Maria routinely conducts compliance audits for clients to determine if they are properly verifying their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States (I-9 compliance). By conducting these audits, Maria can help employers avoid thousands of dollars in fines and penalties. 

B & I Contractors, a Florida based subcontracting and building services firm, has been awarded the HVAC and plumbing contracts for the new Sarasota Memorial Hospital project located in Venice, Florida. The new hospital is approximately 360,000 square feet and will be a full service hospital. The hospital will feature an Emergency Department, Operating Rooms, Oncology Department, Labor and Delivery and 90 Patient Beds. The project also includes a new Central Energy Plant which houses three 1,200 ton centrifugal chillers, one 120 ton heat recovery chiller, four 4,000 MBH boilers and three 1,200 ton cooling towers. The project is a design-assist effort with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Gilbane Building Company and Affiliated Engineers.B&I Contractors is excited about this opportunity to employ our knowledge of construction, LEAN practices and our prefabrication capabilities to provide a successful project for Sarasota Memorial Hospital. “We are fortunate to have been awarded these contracts, as this affords us the opportunity to provide a much needed facility for the hospital and the surrounding communities.”, said Jason Grabowski, Executive Vice President. 

Kurtos Chimney Cake has found a new home in downtown Sarasota, opening tomororw. The urban casual Bakery/Eatery is conveniently located right at the corner of the recently renovated Pineapple Square at 1383 McAnsh Sq., Sarasota, Fl 34236. Kurtos Chimney Cake will continue to offer the European-style traditional, handcrafted & freshly baked chimney cakes with a variety of delicious sweet and savory toppings as well its award-wining chimney bread sandwich cones with homemade chicken, shrimp and veggie salads. The new menu will also feature great lunch items and unique desserts such as ‘chimney subs’ with chips and a drink to eat-in or to-go, boxed salads, and weekly sweet chimney cone ice-cream specials.  The family owned & operated small business – established in 2015 – will continue to bake fresh the traditional sweet & savory chimney cakes at the Sarasota Farmers Market (Saturdays 7am-1pm, year around rain or shine) and at The Market at Lakewood Ranch (Sundays 10am-2pm, November-April). 

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The law firm of Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen, and Ginsburg, P.A., is pleased to announce that Attorneys Lindsey A. Meshberger, Anthony J. Manganiello, and Stephen D. Rees, Jr., have been named shareholders of the firm. In addition, Attorneys Natalie G. Coldiron and Jordan J. Riccardi were named members. 

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Senior Advisors, John Milsaps and Kenny Anderson of SVN Coastal Commercial Advisors recently coordinated the purchase and sale of 27,841 SF office building, Northwoods Business Center I, in Tampa, FL. GLIC Real Estate Holding LLC, was the seller, represented by Darren Tappen of Kidder Matthews, and John Milsaps and Kenny Anderson of SVN Coastal Commercial Advisors. Rosner Family Properties was the buyer and was not represented in the transaction. Purchase price was $2,025,000. Northwoods Business Center I is New York based Rosner Family Property’s second acquisition in SW Florida. “True value add Tampa investments are few and far between. We got a solid 6 qualified offers on this property, due to that fact alone,” said Milsaps, concerning the sale.  SVN was retained to lease and renew several spaces in the building before the property was put up for sale.  “In a patient and calculated plan, we were able to stabilize this investment to a point where the seller could exceed expectations and the buyer could still see great opportunity,” said Anderson. The buyer plans to make several improvements to the property to stabilize the asset and hold long term. 

For millions of parents, the safety of their child(ren) is both a top priority and constant worry. Thanks to a grant of $50,000 from the Roberta Leventhal Sudakoff Foundation, Children First will be able to improve building security at four of its locations in Sarasota. 

Access control doors and upgraded security cameras will be placed in every classroom and public space at the Helen R. Payne Center located on 33rd Street, the Helen R. Payne Annex located on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, the ROSS Center (a partnership site with the Sarasota Housing Authority), and the Linnie E. Dalbeck Center located on Oak Street (a partnership site with First Presbyterian Church). The improved building security will be put into place to further enhance the safety of more than 150 children and their families each year, as well as hundreds of staff members, volunteers, and supporters.

“Through the generosity of the Roberta Leventhal Sudakoff Foundation, our children will have a safe space to develop the healthy skills they need to thrive, and our parents can better focus on work and their own education with the assurance of their child’s safety. We are deeply appreciative for this comprehensive support that ensures the security of every man, woman, and child who walks through our front doors,” says President & CEO Philip Tavill.