Message from the CEO: Moving Business Forward

The U.S. Labor Department announced its strongest job growth in March – the fastest since last summer. Payrolls increased by 916,000 for the month, while the unemployment rate fell to 6% – the highest decrease since August 2020. As the labor force continues to grow, 347,000 workers returned to work bringing the labor force participation rate to 61.5%. This rate nearly matches the pre-pandemic rate of 63.3% in February of 2020.

The Speaker and President of the Florida House and Senate announced a plan to reduce the business rent tax from 5.5% to 2%. Florida is the only state to levy a business rent tax and one of only two states that have not passed legislation to level the playing field between brick-and-mortar local businesses, and their out-of-state online competitors through an internet sales tax. Florida House Bill 15 will avoid an inadvertent $713 million tax increase this year due to the pandemic.

In addition, the bill will save businesses over $1 billion annually by allowing for a substantial reduction in business rent tax over the next four years. The Boca Chamber has been strongly advocating for a reduction, and ultimately elimination, of this burdensome tax for years. We commend Speaker Sprowls and President Simpson for their leadership in bringing this legislation forward.

Boca Chamber Festival Days is the Chamber’s commitment to supporting the non-profit community. Non-profit Chamber Members join forces with for-profit Chamber Members to hold fundraising events during the month of August! The goal is to raise awareness and much-needed funds for the non-profit members to advance their important missions. The non-profit members receive tremendous exposure and marketing, including insertion in the Chamber’s Events Calendar, Community calendar, multiple social media outlets and a printed calendar distributed throughout the community. For more information about getting your business involved in Boca Chamber Festival Days, contact Alison Miuccio, Membership Development Manager. The deadline is June 11, 2021.

The City of Boynton Beach is the new owner of the historic Boynton Woman’s Club. The building was designed by architect Addison Mizner and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Construction on the building was completed in 1926 and dedicated to Major Nathan S. Boynton, the city’s founder, in 1932. The structure is an example of the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture made popular in Palm Beach County by Mizner, arguably the best-known American architect of the 1920s. He provided the design to Boynton Beach for free, and the facility is the only Mizner-designed project in South Florida that is open to the public. The club has housed events from World War II-era Red Cross dances to annual scholarship programs and served as the City library until 1961. It was also used as a hurricane shelter in its early days. Located at 1010 South Federal Highway in Boynton Beach, the building is available to be rented for weddings, birthdays and business events.

Looking for a quick 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 virtual and in-person experiences. Most virtual programs are 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:

4/6– 12:00 p.m. Virtual International Business Alliance

Topic:South Florida: Prime Location for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Speaker:Carlos Guerra, Manager International Investment & Logistics, International Trade & Development Division of Enterprise Florida

Click here to register

4/8– 7:45 a.m. In-Person Membership Breakfast