Let's Talk Business

St. Augustine named Best Small Town in the South by Southern Living

Arguably the crown jewel of Florida’s First Coast, St. Augustine, and superlatives are often mentioned in the same sentence. Already this year, the oldest city in America has been featured on a nationally televised travel show, and its beaches have been named among the best in the United States. And this week, St. Augustine earned a new accolade: The South’s Best Small Town 2023 by Southern Living as part of its annual The South's Best feature.

The Florida Times Union

Legislative Update - March 17, 2023

The Florida Legislature began its 60-day 2023 Legislative Session on March 7 with a State of the State address by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and speeches by Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo outlining their goals. Aside from their stated intention to move quickly forward with gun control, abortion, transgender and other issues, the Legislature is expected to move quickly on issues of importance to the business community. Click here for an update on the

Bob Porter

Legislature Sends Additional $700M in Hurricane Relief to Gov. DeSantis

Another $700 million is soon on the way for communities recovering from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. Last week, the Legislature sent a bill (SB 2B) to Gov. Ron DeSantis that would establish an emergency bridge loan fund and replenish the state’s catastrophe fund.

Bob Porter

FPL's Innovation Hub Taking Applications, Helps Entrepreneurs

Florida Power and Light’s Innovation Hub, 35 Mules, is now taking applications for its next class of recruits.

Scott Maynard

Flagler Health+ and UF Health Partner to Transform Healthcare in St. Johns County

Flagler Health+ and UF Health, the University of Florida’s academic health center, announced today that they have entered into an exclusive, non-binding letter of intent to develop plans to transform health care delivery in the region, with a bold vision for the future.

Leadership St. Johns Class of 2023 Starts the New Year

The 24 members of the Class of 2023 embarked on their eight-month journey on the road to servant leadership this weekend. Class members attended a 2-day offsite retreat at the Guy Harvey Resort in St. Augustine Beach.

Bob Porter

Bringing St. Johns County Workers Home

Last summer, the Northeast Florida Builders Association approached the Chamber with a proposal to address parts of this impending housing “crisis” facing SJC. Since then, the Chamber’s Essential Worker Housing Coalition has worked to refine the builder’s proposal to provide housing for our targeted employees.

Bob Porter

Chamber Membership Means Better Business

Sam Ruiz

Public Policy Outlook 2023

Expect to see a full schedule of business-related legislation this spring as the State Legislature prepares for the 2023 Session which runs from March 7 – May 5 in Tallahassee. Big ticket issues such as a continuation of the property insurance legislative review, Visit Florida funding, affordable workforce housing, and funding for numerous NE Florida hurricane relief and emergency resilience will be at the forefront. Why are these issues important to Chamber members?

Bob Porter

Chamber's Workforce Housing Task Force Works on Affordability for Essential Workers

Bob Porter