February 5, 2024

Thank you Renewing Trustee Members!

Cox Communications

3405 McLemore Drive

Pensacola, FL 32514

(850) 478-0200

www.cox.com

Manager, Community Sales: Christine Six

Manager, Government And Public Affairs: Cam Johnson

Director Of Public Affairs: Kristin Longley

Marketing Manager: Donna Sue Marks

Media Consultant: Mike Coupe

WM of the Gulf Coast

108 Hill Avenue

Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547

(850) 301-2822

www.wm.com

Area Vice President: Brandon Shaw

Senior Manager Of Government Affairs: Michael Beedie, P.E.

Public Sector Solutions: Doug Rainer

District Manager: Tony Sidebotham

Territory Manager: Jean Anne Encardes

Project Manager: Brenda Walker

Thank you Renewing Members!

AVCON, INC. Engineers & Planners

Bay Life / Life Media

Bright Light Land Title Company, LLC

Emerald Coast Marine, Inc.

Niceville.Com

Okaloosa County Commissioner, District 5 – Mel Ponder

Rominger’s Renovations LLC

USO Florida NW

Business After Hours

Sponsored by: Fatboys *Juicy Beef & Tasty Bird

Thank you Fatboys *Juicy Beef Tasty Bird Niceville for sponsoring our first Business After Hours of the year! Fatboys *Juicy Beef Tasty Bird Niceville specializes in tasty burgers & juicy wings made to order.

Keep them in mind for the perfect place to watch the big game with all your friends on Sunday, February 11th. The game will be playing on all screens, with a special bar menu, and more!

Click Here for more Photos!

Sign-up now, let's celebrate together!

Sponsorships and Tickets Available - Click Here to secure yours!

Military Affairs Committee

The Military Affairs Committee (MAC) started the year with guest speaker

Lt Col Charles Keith Farmer, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC)

Senior Aerospace Science Instructor (SASI) at Niceville High School (NHS) Air Force.

Cadet Senior MSgt Daniel Neely, a Niceville High School Sophomore was recognied for his dedication and intiative for visiting the Chamber office to offer his assistance to take the American Flag down due to an impending winter storm.

Lt Col Charles Keith Farmer and Cadet MSgt Daniel Neely were each presented with a MAC coin from Committee Chair Lee Lewis, AVCON, INC. Engineers & Planners with our gratitude for thier service.

The Military Affairs Committee is focused on supporting our local military mission and those who serve our nation.

Okaloosa County 2023 Annual Report

Click here for the full report!

Economic Update

Did you know that Florida is the 4th Largest Economy in the country?

Click the video above to watch the latest Florida By The Numbers update

The latest edition of Florida By The Numbers is now available. A few of the important metrics covered in this update include:

From the Innovation & Economic Development Pillar -

Florida's annual job growth in December slowed by 0.3%, although Florida's job growth still outpaces the nation as a whole.
Although Florida's job market is beginning to stabilize, annual job growth was seen in every industry for the first time in months.
Florida's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown by 18.7% over the last 4 years. Figures show Florida is the 4th largest economy in the country, growing at a faster pace than any other state.

From the Talent Supply & Education Pillar -

Employment rose above 9.8 million in December, an increase of almost 16,000 jobs over the month and nearly 240,000 over the year.
Unemployed Floridians increased by 10,000 from November to December with unemployment up to 3.0%.
Workforce shortages vary by occupation, with registered nurses continuing to be the most in-demand occupation.

From the Infrastructure & Growth Leadership Pillar - The 12-month rolling average in single-family home sales has been declining since its peak in 2021, and prices are up nearly 4%. (Florida's median home price is $410,000)

From the Business Climate & Competitiveness Pillar - Florida's consumer sentiment improved to 69.5 in December, an increase from the previous month. However, the annual average consumer sentiment was 67.9, the third lowest in index history.