E-Connection - People. Purpose. Community Edition

Volume 294 | August 2026

Weekly E-Connection

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602

Largo, Florida 33770

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

People. Purpose. Community.

A Celebratory Edition

August 25, 2026

Honoring the Inspire Awards Class of ’26

Family, friends, colleagues and business leaders came together to celebrate an extraordinary group of community difference-makers during the Chamber’s 2026 Inspire Awards last week.

Ten outstanding individuals were honored for the positive impact they have made through business leadership, public service, dedication to young people and service to our community. Jeff Butera of Spectrum Bay News 9 served as emcee, bringing his trademark professionalism and warmth to a program filled with inspiring stories and well-deserved recognition.

Created by the Chamber’s Women’s Leadership Committee in 2009, the Inspire Awards have become a signature Chamber tradition — shining a spotlight on people whose leadership, compassion and commitment make Central Pinellas and the Tampa Bay region a better place to live, work and do business.

The success of this year’s event was made possible through the generous support of our Presenting Sponsors. Special thanks to McManus & McManus P.A., Home Instead, Duke Energy and Village Inn for their commitment to the Inspire Awards and our community.

We also greatly appreciate the support of our Marketing Sponsors: ARC, Graze Craze Largo, Home Instead, Serenity Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens, State Farm Team Cocco and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.

These partnerships help the Chamber continue its tradition of celebrating the people who make a meaningful difference in the lives of others throughout our community.

A group of very special people!

Congratulations to the following honorees. Each represents the very best of community involvement, professional leadership and service to others.

An Inspiring Youth

Enoch Brown, Lighthouse of Pinellas

Dedication to Youth

Jody Moore, The Canterbury School of Florida

April Minor, Central Park Performing Arts Center

Dedication to Community Service

Patty Brundrette, Central Park Performing Arts Center Foundation

Jessica Tomlinson, Lighthouse of Pinellas/Girls Rock St. Pete

Father Luis Diaz, St. Dunstan’s Anglican Church

Carolina Connor, Suncoast Tampa Associations of REALTORS

Exceptional Business Leadership

Margaret Faulkner, Serenity Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens

Dedication to Public Service

Chief Ken Grimes, Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue

Neil Brickfield, Pinellas County Housing Authority

Missed Inspire?

Don't let this marketing opportunity pass!

Use this link to reserve your sponsorship online or call 727-584-2321

Annual Breakfast Sponsorships

PROUD MEMBER

Celebrating our own!

2026 Annual Meeting Awards

Throughout our area and within the Chamber are many people worthy of acclaim.

To spotlight their contributions in helping to make our community a better place to live and work, we present our annual “Citizen of the Year” and “Mac Norcross Small Business Leader of the Year” awards.

These honors and others will be presented at our 73rd Annual Meeting & Awards Breakfast on Friday, Oct. 2 at the Holiday Inn Harbourside, Indian Rocks Beach. It’s with much pomp and circumstance that we add these two individuals to the celebrated company of past recipients.

If there's a person you know who embodies the spirit of these honors, please nominate them. Deadline is Friday, Sept. 4. Here's the link: 2026 Chamber Awards

Grab an extra Go-to Guide

Your Chamber's 2026-2027 Go-to Guide has been distributed to every member and then some. If you'd like an extra copy or two, visit our office during regular business hours.

Central Pinellas Chamber

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602

Largo 33770

A special thanks to all our guide advertisers!

Florida Tax Watch lambasts Amendment 3's property tax reform as a rush job - Florida Tax Watch, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization, said it would be better if voters defeated Amendment 3, a major property tax cut for homeowners, asserting it fails to keep municipal spending in check and hurts vulnerable Floridians. The Legislature will have a greater opportunity next year when the 25-member Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission convenes to review, among other things, the state overall tax structure, Florida Tax Watch President Jeff Kottkamp told USA Today Network-Florida. [Source: Gainesville Sun] See also: Florida Tax Watch launches online tool to help voters research Amendment 3 property tax measure

Hurricane center ups odds for 2 Atlantic systems to develop - The National Hurricane Center on Sunday increased the odds that both a tropical wave headed for the Atlantic and a system near Bermuda could develop into the season’s next tropical depression or storm. As of the NHC’s 8 p.m. advisory, the system of more concern to Florida is a tropical wave expected to move into the eastern Atlantic from off the west African coast on Monday. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida's neighborhood restaurants are disappearing. Some owners are fighting back - Nationally, restaurant operating costs have increased about 36% since before the pandemic — a figure Florida restaurant owners say reflects what businesses across Florida are experiencing firsthand. Samantha Padgett, vice president of government relations and general counsel for the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said rising lease costs and longer lease commitments are pushing many longtime operators toward the exit. [Source: WFLX]

The peptide craze has hit Florida hard. What you need to know. - Florida’s peptide craze is in full swing. Thousands of Floridians are injecting the compounds even without FDA approval or robust safety data. Florida’s social media influencers claim therapeutic peptides help with everything from easing joint pain to losing weight, sleeping better, increasing libido, deepening a tan, and even slowing the aging process. Beyond social media influencers, operators of Florida medical spas, fitness studios, and longevity clinics promote injectable peptides to customers seeking an anti-aging edge. [Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel]

Florida home bakers grow businesses under cottage food law - More Floridians are turning home kitchens into small businesses under Florida’s cottage food law, which allows people to make and sell certain lower-risk foods without operating a licensed commercial kitchen. Renee Fulwood, owner and baker of Rae of Sunshine Bakery, is among those using the law to sell baked goods from home. Fulwood makes sourdough bread, cookies and other baked goods through her home-based business. “I’ve always loved cooking, I’ve always loved baking and I feel like I’ve always been good at it,” Fulwood said. [Source: Spectrum News]

Tampa killed developers’ plan to pave over wetlands. A year later, they’re back [Tampa Bay Times] - Tampa developers who want to put a 40-unit townhome complex on ecologically sensitive, forested land along the Hillsborough River returned before the city council Thursday to pitch a revised plan. In a unanimous vote, city leaders killed the project for a second time. Last year, council members had denied the owners’ rezoning request following lengthy public comment from more than a dozen neighbors concerned with what the loss of trees and wetlands could mean for their corner of the urban river.

Distrust of Flock cameras grows in Tampa Bay [Tampa Bay Times] -Every seat in the library’s largest room was taken 10 minutes before the meeting began. A cluster of people waited in the lobby for an unlikely spot. Drivers circled a packed parking lot. When planning their first event about the Flock cameras that watch every passing vehicle on Tampa Bay roadways, activists in St. Petersburg hadn’t expected such a voracious crowd. But a protest movement against the hundreds of cameras in the region is rapidly expanding.

Duke Energy tries to disqualify consumer group from Florida data center hearings [Tampa Bay Times] - Duke Energy Florida is trying to exclude a consumer group from weighing in on how the company will distribute the costs of increased electricity demand from data centers. In filings to state utility regulators Thursday, Duke argued that Florida Rising, a group that fights for lower electric bills for residents, shouldn’t be allowed to participate in the data center hearings.

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

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