Message from the CEO: Moving Business Forward
Congress has reached a deal for a new COVID-19 economic relief package. This $900 billion package will deliver help to businesses and individuals. $284 is allocated to aid struggling small businesses for forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans, and $15 billion is dedicated to fund live venues, independent movie theatres and cultural institutions. $82 billion is earmarked for education providers, including aid to reopen classrooms safely, along with $10 billion for child care assistance. Eligible Americans will receive a direct stimulus of $600, and those who are unemployed will receive enhanced jobless benefits of $300 per week. $25 billion is allocated for rental assistance, along with an eviction moratorium extension. $20 billion is dedicated to acquiring COVID-19 vaccines and making them available at no charge to those who need it, along with $8 billion for vaccine distribution. To read the legislation in its entirety, click here for the 5,593 page bill. The rescue package is being combined with a $1.4 trillion government spending bill to fund federal agencies for the new fiscal year.
Palm Beach County’s Health Director, Dr. Alina Alonso, said that 18,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive at the County Health Department this week for disbursement. These doses will be given to frontline healthcare workers, public service professionals, including fire rescue, EMS and law enforcement professionals, along with County Health Department workers. The Florida Department of Health has also launched a vaccine dashboard to show how many people have received the vaccine in each county. The report shows nearly 900 Palm Beach County health care professionals affiliated with hospital systems have received the vaccine currently.
Palm Beach County students will return from winter break on January 4th. On that date, parents can enter the student portal and go to the Make Your Choice tab to decide if they want to switch the method of learning for the remainder of the school year. Parents of struggling distance-learning students, who have too many absences, or have received two or more failing grades, will receive a letter regarding the students’ inadequate progress. Ultimately, the parents will still decide the best option for their child – whether it be in-person or virtually. Governor DeSantis extended the option for parents to have their children attend school remotely for the remainder of the school year, issuing an executive order last month which included encouraging parents of students struggling in distance learning to return for in-person instruction.
The Delray Beach Open is moving to January. Originally scheduled for February, the 2021 Delray Beach Open will now take place January4-13th at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. The ATP Tour on Wednesday announced a revised schedule for the first seven weeks of the season because of the coronavirus pandemic. The change accommodates the rescheduling of the Australian Open, which was moved to February 8-21st.
Do not forget to support the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl being played tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Florida Atlantic University Stadium and televised on ESPN. The Cougars of Brigham Young University will take on the Knights of the University of Central Florida. BYU won nine consecutive games to begin the season, becoming the highest-ranked team to ever play in the bowl game. Both teams score a lot of points so it should be a fun game to watch! Tickets were limited this year due to the coronavirus, but enjoy the game on ESPN. Tomorrow night, you can cheer on our hometown Florida Atlantic University Football Owls as they take on the Memphis Tigers in the inaugural Montgomery Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN. The Montgomery Bowl replaced the Fenway Bowl after it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Good luck Owls!
Looking for an easier 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 activity by visiting us at bocachamber.com.
We continue to provide you with valuable educational webinars and virtual experiences, with most being 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 virtual and in-person experiences:
1/13 – 12:00 p.m. Virtual Boynton Beach Lunch and Learn Sponsor: iThink Financial Topic: Connecting you to your audience with great storytelling Speaker: Jonathan Garber, Flying Chimp Media Click here to register
1/14 – 7:30 a.m. In-Person January Membership Breakfast Sponsor: Saint Andrews School Speaker: Ethan Shapiro, Head of School, Saint Andrew’s School Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center5150 Town Center Circle Boca Raton, FL 33486 Click here to register
1/20 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual South Healthcare Advocacy Network Sponsor: Memorial Health Topic: Staying Active For Life Speaker: Amy Long, The Exercise Coach Click here to register
As I reflect on this year and prepare to celebrate the holidays and new year, one of my most prideful memories was to witness the resilience and dedication of our membership during these past unprecedented nine months. One statement that I make to our new Members during our New Member Orientation meeting each month is that the Chamber exists because of our Members. We work for and with the membership to promote and sustain economic prosperity. This statement could not have been more true this past year. Thank you to all our Members who stood with us as we Moved Business Forward Together in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and South Palm Beach County!
As always, thank you for making Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and all South Palm Beach County the best place to Live, Work, Learn and Play!
The Boca Chamber family wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy and Safe Holiday Season. Here’s to ringing in the New Year and saying goodbye to 2020!
Moving Business Forward,
Troy M. McLellan, CCE, FCCP
President & CEO
Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce
#movingbocaforward #movingboyntonforward #movingdelrayforward
