E-Connection - From Tom's Desk Edition -- November 11, 2025

Volume 254 | November 2025

Weekly E-Connection

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602

Largo, Florida 33770

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

From Tom's Desk Edition

November 11, 2025

Help us grow. Get cash back!

“It’s Great to Belong!”

As a member, you know the value of the Chamber, how it supports local businesses and works to attract new ones to the area. But not every business out there knows about us – or the value of joining.

Growth & development is a top priority of our new CHAMBER’28 Task Force. Along with this year’s Chamber Chairman Mia Cloud, I’m calling upon you for some help!

As an incentive, we’ve created “Chamber Pay it Forward.” The program rewards current member businesses with $100 credit to the next membership renewal for each new member recruited. Bring in three, and we’ll credit $430, the equivalent of a Small Business rate. New recruits must be paid in full. Sorry, monthly memberships do not apply.

And with the season of cheer now upon us, we are accepting reservations for our very popular Annual Holiday Luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at the Palms of Largo’s Royal Palms. It’s presented by the Women’s Leadership Committee and supports our Education Fund.

I hope you will consider a donation for our Silent Auction offerings. We’re looking for lottery scratchers, gift cards, bottles of wine/liquor, etc. to support the cause. You can drop off at the Chamber or we'll pick up at your place.

To register for this event and more, visit our website calendar here: CHAMBER CALENDAR.

Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous month. And thank you for your continued Chamber support and loyalty! - Tom Morrissette, President

Holiday 50/50 Drawing - Get Your Tickets Today!

Feeling lucky? Support the Chamber's 501c3 Education Fund and win big with our Holiday 50/50 Drawing!

Tickets are just $10 each—and the more you buy, the better your chances to win! The prize must be accepted. The lucky winner will be announced at the Chamber Holiday Luncheon on December 16. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE PRESENT TO WIN!

Where to get your tickets:

Chamber office: 801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602, Largo (727-584-2321)
All upcoming Chamber meetings and events

Don’t miss your chance to make a difference and take home a prize! Buy your tickets today and join us for the excitement at the Holiday Luncheon.

Welcome Coastal Ballet of Florida

Lauren Birnbaum, co-founder and executive director of Coastal Ballet of Florida, visited the Chamber office last week to pick up her Chamber membership plaque. She and the ballet's other co-founder and artistic director Heather Ossola, celebrated the ballet's new season and new home at Largo's Central Park Performing Arts Center with a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.

For the holidays, Coastal Ballet will be presenting The Nutcracker on Dec. 20 and 21. You can visit their website with more information here: Coastal Ballet of Florida.

It'll be here before you know it! Always a sell-out!
Sponsorships and reservations now open

Get sponsorships and reservations here:HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

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.

PLACE RESERVATIONS HERE: COFFEE AN' HOLIDAY

Welcome Primerica!

Chamber Ambassadors Tim Caldwell and Kris Beltz of Applied Innovation present our membership plaque to Dan Coates, center, of Primerica.

Primerica has been committed to helping families save and invest for their futures since 1977. With some 2.5 million client accounts, they offer solutions aimed to help families achieve their financial goals. To learn more visit: PRIMERICA

Be a Santa!

You can help make the upcoming holidays memorable for an aging adult in our community.

This year, our ChamberCARES! selected charity is "Be A Santa to A Senior." Taking part is easy!

Stop by our office during business hours and choose a gift request tag from our Giving Tree. Purchase the gift and return to us by December 9.

Be A Santa team members will then distribute the gifts helping these seniors in need have a bright holiday season.

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

$50 One Friday - $100 Four Fridays - Member Non-Profits 50% discount Email Tom@CentralChamber.biz or call 727-584-2321

More than 1,170 flights cancelled in Florida

As of Monday morning, 1,175 flights have been cancelled in Florida airports since Friday morning, and more than 5,800 flights have been delayed. Orlando International Airport has been the hardest hit in the state, with more than 263 canceled flights since Friday morning and more than 920 delays. Most of the disruptions have been at the larger airports, but smaller airports are also seeing cancellations and delays.

UNF economic survey: Continued caution among manufacturers amid slowdown - A monthly survey of Northeast Florida manufacturers by the University of North Florida’s Local Economic Indicators Project found activity continued to contract in October, and employment in the sector continued to decline. Because of the government shutdown, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Florida Department of Commerce have not updated labor market data since September, when they released their reports for August.

Tampa RV giant Lazydays to delist from Nasdaq - Tampa-based Lazydays Holdings Inc., one of Florida’s most recognized RV retailers, announced plans to voluntarily delist its stock from the Nasdaq Capital Market by November 28, 2025, following its previously approved asset sale to Campers Inn Holding Corporation. For nearly five decades, Lazydays has been a fixture in the recreational vehicle industry, not only as a dealership but as a symbol of the Florida RV lifestyle. This latest move signals the end of an era for the company.

After 45 years feeding downtown Miami’s workers, this lunch counter is closing - On a busy street in downtown Miami, as horns blare, cars weave past buses discharging passengers and delivery robots bump along the sidewalk, Las Palmas restaurant feeds Miami at an open-air counter. But now after 45 years, the Latin American spot at 209 SE First St. is closing, taking with it a disappearing part of Miami culinary culture: the low-key, inexpensive mom-and-pop restaurant that has become a gathering spot for a community.

Builder behind St. Petersburg’s tallest tower wants to redevelop the Trop - Another developer has thrown his hat in the ring to revamp St. Petersburg’s 86-acre Gas Plant District, the current home of Tropicana Field. This time it’s John Catsimatidis, the CEO of Red Apple Real Estate and New York billionaire behind the Residences at 400 Central, St. Petersburg’s tallest tower.

Thank you to our Board of Trustees and E-Connection Sponsors

To learn more about becoming a Trustee, contact Tom@CentralChamber.biz