E-Connection - All About Membership Edition

Volume 277 | April 2026

Weekly E-Connection

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602

Largo, Florida 33770

Tel: 727-584-2321 www.CentralChamber.biz

All About Membership Edition

April 21, 2026

The count down continues...

Ambassadors celebrate friendly competition

Stacy Gillis of Advanced Video Systems, seated, is recognized as our April "Ambassador of the Month." It's the second time she's earned top honor this program year reflecting her volunteer dedication to Chamber member outreach. Ambassadors compete with one another on a points-based system and earn recognition for their important work.

If you'd like to meet other businesses while helping to promote the Chamber, The Ambassadors is for you! The group meets the first Wednesday monthly at 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. Reach out to Tom for more info: Tom@CentralChamber.biz.

Saluting Chamber Loyalty!

Our sincere thanks to the following businesses who renewed their membership with us during the past five weeks. Their continued loyalty is inspiring! For more about them, please visit: www.CentralChamber.biz

Alexander Spine Center, 15-Year Legacy Member

BayStar Hotel Group, 22-Year Legacy Member

Big T Printing, First Renewal

Bill Campbell State Farm Insurance, 40-Year Legacy Member

Budget Blinds of Clearwater & Seminole, 5-Year Member

Central Park Performing Arts Foundation, 20-Year Legacy Member

Dan Flynn State Farm Insurance, 23-Year Legacy Member

Duke Energy, TRUSTEE & 55-Year Legacy Member

England Brothers Construction Company, 19-Year Legacy Member

Heartland Institute of Financial Education, 7-Year Member

Home2 Suites by Hilton–Largo, First Renewal

Home Instead Senior Care, TRUSTEE & 11-Year Member

Jersey College, 9-Year Member

R.D. LifeSciences, LLC, First Renewal

Sean W. Scott Law Firm, 8-Year Member

State Farm - Team Cocco, TRUSTEE & 16 Year Legacy Member

The Teehive Largo, 2-Year Member

Wealth Builders, 16-Year Legacy Member

(Legacy Member = 15+ Years)

A PTC Tradition - National Signing Day

A record number 150+ students took part last week in the National Signing Day ceremony that includes donning a Pinellas Technical College ballcap. It's all towards getting a spot on one of the school's highly competitive programs. The event is part of a nationwide initiative with the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) to celebrate the importance of career and technical education. We wish them the best!

EXPO EARLY BIRD SALE ENDS SOON!

Here's the link to become a Passport Partner or to reserve your Expo space today! SPRINGTIME EXPO

Come celebrate with us!

Beach House

Cottage Retreat

IQ FIBER RC

Do you have a grand opening or major anniversary to celebrate? We want to help share your success. The Chamber will provide you with the large scissors, ribbon, and Chamber members. Membership required plus $150. Reach out to tom@centralchamber.biz

The polls are officially open for the 2026 Best of St. Pete-Clearwater Awards.

Residents and visitors are invited to cast their virtual ballots and select their favorites from a record-breaking list of 337 nominees from a total of 38 different categories, including destination staples such as Best Beach, Best Festival, Best Water Adventure and more. Voting is live at VisitSPC.com/BestOf.

This year’s categories and nominees reflect the ever-evolving St. Pete-Clearwater destination, featuring four sections: Best Places to Stay & Play, Best Things To-Do, Best Bites, and Best Sips. New categories include Best Dog-Centric Hangout, Best Happy Hour, Best Late-Night Spot, Best Local Beer, Best Pizza, Best Sports Bar, and Best Tour. Voters are permitted to submit one ballot per day, per device. The digital polls will remain open through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 10.

Email me your Chamber story! Tom@CentralChamber.biz

Promote your business, special sale or event for cheap!

50 bucks an ad - 25 bucks non-profit rate.

Aspiring pot companies had big dreams for Florida. Reality has hit hard. - Florida is all about freewheeling fun in the sun — except when it comes to marijuana. And the state’s pot businesses are learning that the hard way. When the Florida agency responsible for approving medical marijuana licenses began accepting applications for 22 state licenses for selling and growing, applicants envisioned a market destined for adult recreational use, with heavy federal restrictions dialed back. But three years later, those dreams seem long gone. More from Politico.

UM students get a boost to expand their businesses - The third annual USTAAR Pitch Competition awarded $100,000 each to five promising student teams for their ingenious startup ideas and potential. Founded in 2024 with a generous donation from alumni Angel and Victor Alvarez, USTAAR has so far offered small-scale Ignite or Catalyst awards to nearly 70 student startups. These groups spend months working with USTAAR staff and local mentors to develop a prototype before the spring pitch competition. More from Refresh Miami.

Winn-Dixie expands grocery delivery across Florida with Amazon partnership - A major expansion between Amazon and Winn-Dixie is set to reshape how Floridians shop for groceries. Same-day delivery is now available to the majority of households across the state. The partnership, which launched in late 2025 in select markets, has rapidly scaled into nearly every major metro area in Florida, signaling strong demand for online grocery options tied to familiar local brands. More from the Florida Times-Union.

New hangar at Punta Gorda Airport promises 200 new jobs - Now in its final stage of construction, NAS MRO Services will soon open a large maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar at Punta Gorda Airport, bringing about 200 high-paying jobs to Charlotte County. Economic Development Director Kay Tracy told county commissioners during an April 14 update that starting salaries for those positions begin at $75,000. She credited the aviation program at Charlotte Technical College, located at the airport, as a key factor in attracting the Miami-based aircraft component repair firm. More from Gulfshore Business.

Tampa’s Gasworx just hit a milestone. What’s next for the neighborhood?

On the edge of Ybor City, a new neighborhood is rising from the ashes of former industrial land: Gasworx. The 50-acre project, headed up by local business mogul Darryl Shaw and Washington D.C.-based developer Kettler, has been under construction for nearly three years now. Two apartments have already opened. On Friday, a third called Olivette reached its full height, topping out at 10 stories. It is the tallest and largest building in Gasworx to date. The goal is to create a fully walkable neighborhood that seamlessly connects historic Ybor City to the more modern Channel District. More from the Tampa Bay Times.