E-Connection - Tom 's Update & More Edition -- Oct 7, 2025

Volume 249 | October 2025

Weekly E-Connection

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602

Largo, Florida 33770

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

Tom's Update & More Edition

October 7, 2025

Making morning connections!

Coffee An'Networking at Largo Golf Course

Meet The Ambassadors!

The Chamber Ambassadors grew in number last week during a special coffee "Be Part of the Team" gathering. Ambassadors are the public relations arm of the Chamber working to connect businessess, strengthen membership and enhance our image. Seated, from left, 2024 Ambassador of the Year Stacy Gillis of Advanced Video Systems and our 2025 Ambassador of the Year Wendy Swertfeger of LegalShield/IDShield.

If you'd like to build connections while supporting your Chamber, this program is for you! They meet monthly on the first Wednesday. If you're interested email Tom and he'll get back to you. Tom@CentralChamber.biz

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

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

Florida farmers struggle as legal foreign workers worry about immigration crackdown - Even agriculture workers who enter the U.S. legally, doing jobs Americans find undesirable, are fearful of being targeted by federal enforcement efforts and have chosen not to come.

Feds reimburse Florida $608 million for Alligator Alcatraz - The federal government reimbursed the state of Florida over a half-billion dollars for its state-run immigration facilities the day before the nationwide government shutdown.

Florida ethics bill aims to stop career reprisals - The measure aims to protect people from costly financial reprisals, and risks to their careers after they file a written complaint or provide information for an investigation about breaches of the public trust.

Nearly 1 million renters across Florida are just one ‘curveball’ away from losing their housing, study finds - Homelessness among Florida families has surged in the last three years as soaring rents and a shortage of affordable housing push more residents into shelters, motels and the streets, a new University of Florida report says.