For many, this is the Florida they live in – one that is prosperous, creates jobs, and propels economic opportunity. Yet, many Floridians live in a very different reality. Over 20% of children in our state, more than 800,000, live in poverty. Florida has led the way in economic growth and opportunity. We can and must do more to break the cycle of generational poverty by focusing on creating opportunities for all Floridians, especially those born into poverty. That is why the Florida Chamber of Commerce supports SB 414 and HB 1349, sponsored by Senator Keith Perry and Representative Vance Aloupis, both of which advanced through committees in each chamber this week. These bills, which require new analysis of several governmental support programs, will help root out fiscal cliffs that can be detrimental to working families. Building a pathway to prosperity for every Floridian that is willing to work for it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but instead, requires an understanding of the root causes of those fiscal cliffs and how they interact. The business impacts of poverty, the ten root causes of generational poverty, and ways businesses can get involved in creating a pathway to prosperity for all Floridians down to the zip code level will be topics of discuss at the Florida Chamber Foundation’s recently announced Prosperity & Economic Opportunity Solutions Summit on May 26^th in Sarasota.

Amongst the most watched legislation this session is the data privacy bills, SB 1734 and HB 969. Both bills had hearings this week and passed with near unanimous support from legislative members. These bills contain a private right of action and impact companies that have more than $25 million in gross revenue or buy, receive or share the personal information of 50,000 or more customers, households or devices. The bills create several rights for consumers, including the right to view your own personal data, request the data be corrected or deleted, and request that your information not be sold or shared. The Florida Chamber has been actively engaged behind the scenes on this Speaker and Governor priority. Chamber staff and leadership have met with both offices and had beneficial discussions with legislative leaders on the importance of the protection of consumer data, but also how the bills can be narrowed, how the private right of action is problematic, and that businesses will need more time than is currently given in the bill to comply with this new law. If you would like more information or to share how these bills will impact you, please contact Carolyn Johnson at cjohnson@flchamber.com.