Weekly E-Connection

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602

Largo, Florida 33770

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

Coming next week...

Chamber Director of the Year Recognized

Holiday Lights Reign Supreme in Central Pinellas

Your Input Please: Chamber Annual Business Survey

Congratulations to this quarter's Chamber Champion!

Patricia Marquez, Imagine Orthodontic Studio

Joe Pilliod of GarrisonPro is joined by Chamber Directors as he draws

the Chamber Champion winner at the recent Board meeting.

Patricia Marquez heads Business, Community & Employment Engagement at Imagine Orthodontic Studio, a position she's held since early 2023. She is a Bakersfield, CA native with an extensive background in communications and marketing.

With its focus on great care and affordability, Imagine Orthodontic Studio has quickly become the leader in braces and clear aligner treatment in Pinellas County. Walk into the clinic and you will be greeted by stylish décor, upbeat music, purple velvet couches, and a 20ft graffiti mural! This locally-owned orthodontic clinic has spared no expense to create an unintimidating environment with a stellar clinical team.

Imagine offers free consultation and x-rays, with no commitment required. Once that’s finished, you’ll chat with one of their board-certified orthodontists and work together to come up with your custom treatment plan. Exclusive offers include:

·        $1000 off treatment when you start the same day as your consultation

·        No interest monthly payment plans with no credit check

·        Colored-brackets in black, blue, galaxy/rainbow, and champagne

·        Seasonal promo drawings, including prizes like designer shoes, a Playstation 5, and Labubus™ So, what are you waiting for? Your perfect smile is just an appointment away!

Visit Imagine Orthodontic Studio in Largo at 1581 Missouri Ave or in Pinellas Park at

7348 US-19. Call 833- IOS-APPT or visit www.ImagineOrthoStudio.com to schedule a free consultation.

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

Centratel Business Telephones, 43-Year Legacy Member

Maggie’s Maids, First Renewal

Office Services 101, LLC, 11-Year Member

Platinum Information Services, Inc., 15-Year Legacy Member

Professional Systems Printing & Promotions, 7-Year Member

PSTA, 17-Year Legacy Member

The Silver Queen, Inc., 10-Year Member

Ultimate Medical Academy - 7-Year Member

Legacy Member = 15 years or more

Chamber Pay it Forward:

Grow Our Membership, Earn Rewards!

Help Us Grow—And Reap the Benefits!

We’re excited to introduce “Chamber Pay it Forward,” our new referral rewards program designed just for our valued member businesses. Here’s how it works:

·  Earn $100 Credit: For every new business you recruit as a full-paying member, you’ll receive a $100 credit applied to your next membership renewal.

· Recruit Three, Renew Free: Bring in three new members and we’ll bump your credit up to $430—that’s the cost of a Small Business membership!

·  Simple Rules: New recruits must pay in full (monthly memberships do not qualify).

Share the benefits of Chamber membership with your network and get rewarded for helping our business community grow! For more information, email Tom@CentralChamber.biz or call 727-584-2321.

A real deal! More than 1,000 business subscribers!

$50 One Friday - $100 Four Fridays - email Tom@CentralChamber.biz

Website Link: www.BigTPrinting.com

Website Link: www.cppaf.org

Website Link: www.prosys1.com

Holiday 50/50 Drawing - Get Your Tickets Today!

Sponsorships and reservations now open

Get them here: HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

Donation’s Needed for Silent Auction

Gift Cards, Certificates, Lottery Tickets, Bottles of Wine/Liquor.

Drop off at the Chamber or call us to pick-up: 727-584-2321

Email us here: Admin@CentralChamber.biz

Government shutdown delayed capital for over 100 small businesses in Florida -The recent federal government shutdown delayed access to federally guaranteed loans for small businesses in Florida, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. During the shutdown, Florida small businesses lost $461 million in federal loans, while nationwide, the SBA reported that $5.3 billion in lending was blocked. These loans are typically used to hire employees, fund expansions, or cover operating costs.

After ‘alarming’ Guana land swap idea, Florida lawmaker files bill for more transparency - When Florida’s government unveiled a proposal this summer to trade 600 acres of a beloved St. Johns County wilderness preserve, Floridians of all political backgrounds felt blindsided. Though the plan was scrapped after widespread protest, including from President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, questions remained about how an idea to give up land as precious as the Guana River Wildlife Management Area could be hatched outside the public eye. Now, a Republican lawmaker is taking a first step to thwart the growing trend in state government that has shrouded recent land proposals in secrecy, including the Guana River ordeal.

After lawsuit pressure, Florida advances marijuana amendment toward 2026 ballot - Weeks after a pro-marijuana group sued the DeSantis administration in the Florida Supreme Court for allegedly slow-walking the process to put an amendment on the ballot, Florida election officials announced that they have taken that step. Attorney General James Uthmeier asked the court in a brief Tuesday to dismiss the case because, a day earlier, Division of Elections Director Maria Matthews completed the step that Smart & Safe Florida sued the state over in late October.

Beachfront owners should be compensated for COVID-19 shutdown of property, court says - A federal appeals court Monday backed beachfront property owners who argued they should receive compensation because Walton County prevented them from using privately owned portions of the beach early in the COVID-19 pandemic. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who rejected arguments that a move by the Walton County Commission to close beaches in spring 2020 resulted in an unconstitutional “taking” of property. The lawsuit focused on people being unable to use areas of the beach that they own, rather than on beaches being closed to the general public.

Why it matters that longest-serving Florida Supreme Court Justice is stepping down -The longest-serving current member of the Florida Supreme Court, Justice Charles Canady, is leaving the bench to join the University of Florida as director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. Canady — whose wife, state Rep. Jennifer Canady, is in line to become state House speaker in 2028 — announced his departure Monday, calling it a “great privilege to serve the people of Florida as a justice” for the past 17 years.

Bay Care/Morton Plant Hospital

Business & Family Insurors

Cloud Law Firm PA

Duke Energy

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital

HCA Florida Largo Hospital

Home Instead/Be a Santa

Jackson & Associates CPA

Melody Hunter Homes

National Aviation Academy

Pinellas County Housing Authority

Piper Fire Protection

Platinum Information Services

Regions Bank

State Farm - Team Cocco

The Palms of Largo

Tommy's Express Car Wash

Valley National Bank

Village Inn

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater