The Florida Chamber of Commerce is an organization devoted to the advocacy of private businesses in the state of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
.
This Chamber originated in 1912, and included its first continuing group in 1916, the ''Florida Tick Eradication Committee''.
[http://www.flchamber.com/mx/hm.asp?id=about_history Florida Chamber of Commerce history, accessed on 16 February 2009] As the group expanded and accepted new responsibilities, it became the ''Florida Development Board'', then the ''Florida State Chamber of Commerce'', before assuming its current name in 1975.
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According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, they have ''played a major role in the areas of ]taxation
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal person, legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to Pigouvian tax, regulate and reduce nega ...
, transportation
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
, right-to-work law
In the context of labor law in the United States, the term right-to-work laws refers to state laws that prohibit union security agreements between employers and labor unions. Such agreements can be incorporated into union contracts to requir ...
s, tort reform
Tort reform consists of changes in the civil justice system in common law countries that aim to reduce the ability of plaintiffs to bring tort litigation (particularly actions for negligence) or to reduce damages they can receive. Such changes ...
, growth management
Growth management, in the United States, is a set of techniques used by the government to ensure that as the population grows that there are services available to meet their demands. Growth management goes beyond traditional land use planning
...
, economic development
In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...
, and international trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.)
In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...
.''
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board criticized the chamber as being nakedly politically biased.
In May 2020, The Chamber urged the governor to re-open the state from coronavirus lockdowns, advice which was incongruent with CDC Guidelines in safely reopening businesses that had been forced to close to protect Floridians' lives. Ron DeSantis
Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...
declared, ‘I’m not singing their tune’ at a press conference on May 14. Then, the very next day, Governor DeSantis changed his tune at another press briefing. On May 15, he ordered a "full phase 1" reopening, and then the state moved to "Phase 2" on June 3, despite rising cases and deaths from the virus. "I mean ... go enjoy. Have a drink. It’s fine," DeSantis said."
This all happened at the same time Data Scientist, and Whistleblower Rebekah Jones was fired from her job for an email she sent on May 15th. She was tasked with managing the state's "Covid dashboard" which was recognized for being an excellent platform by national media. She was fired for refusing to manipulate data.
References
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External links
LinkedIn profile of Florida Chamber of Commerce
Organizations based in Florida