Volume 80 l July 2022
 
Weekly eConnection
801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602 Largo, FL 33770
Tel: 727-584-2321 Fax: 727-586-3112
President's Edition & Members' Promotions
From the President's Desk...
****The dog days of summer continue! I hope you are all making the best of it keeping cool, staying hydrated and getting some quality “me time.”
****Here at your Chamber, we’re closing in on the end of another program year. During the next couple of months, the Board of Directors and committee leadership will be developing our 2022-2023 action plan which takes effect October 1. Chairman-Elect Jake Prokop of Pinellas Technical College, Clearwater will be looking to the membership for support in helping him achieve his goals.
****To learn about our many successes this program year, please mark your calendars for our 69th Annual Meeting & Awards Breakfast. It takes place on Tuesday, September 27 from 7:30 to 9:30 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort. There are some great sponsorship packages to showcase your business to this audience of business and regional leaders including some time on stage. Give us a call if you’re interested.
****Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous month,
****Tom Morrissette
Chamber Board Endorses Largo Land Sale for Sports Complex
******Les Porter, owner of Porter Development, discusses his plan to transform the site of an old Largo landfill into a state-of-the-art recreation complex at a meeting of the Chamber Board of Directors last week.
******Citing the economic benefits associated with, and the reclamation of the landfill, the Board voted in support of a Largo referendum that would allow the city to sell the property to Porter. Largo City Commissioners gave preliminary approval for the referendum to appear on the November ballot in June. A vote for final approval is set for later this month.
******To learn more about the proposed project, visit www.largoreferendum.com
Nominations Open for Chamber Annual Awards
******It’s your chance to nominate someone for the Chamber’s highest honors!
******Throughout our community and within the organization are many individuals worthy of acclaim. To spotlight their contributions in helping to make our community a better place to live and work, the Chamber each year presents its “Citizen of the Year” and “Mac Norcross Small Businessperson of the Year” awards.
******These distinguished honors will be presented at our 69th Annual Meeting & Awards Breakfast on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort. It’s with much pomp and circumstance that we add these two individuals to the celebrated company of past recipients.
******Use this link for an Awards Criteria, Nomination Form and list of past recipients: https://www.centralchamber.biz/annual-chamber-awards
Please take the time to consider if there is someone you know who embodies the characteristics of these honors, and submit your nomination by Friday, August 19. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give me a call at 584-2321 or email tom@CentralChamber.biz.
Inspire Awards 2022: Download the nomination form here.
Email all forms, resumes, letters of support, etc. to membership@centralchamber.biz
Or mail the forms to the Chamber office: 801 W Bay Center, Ste 602, Largo, FL 33770 
Deadline: July 27th
Register as an Inspire Sponsor here.
Coffee An' Networking at National Aviation Academy
What a great turnout! A huge thank you National Aviation Academy for having us. Thank you Pam Van Sant, Liza Robuck and the whole NAA team for the warm welcome and for getting the coffee and pastries. Thank you to our Sponsors, Piper Fire Protection, Cloud Law Firm and Air Mavericks for making this event possible!
The Students of the Month from Pinellas Technical College, and Chamber Education Fund Scholarship recipients were in attendance. They were presented with their Certificates of Achievement by the Chamber President Tom. Check out the video here.
Shout out to Advanced Video Systems for the photos!
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Celebrating the grand opening of Reliable Claims Adjusting's Largo location! The Chamber's Ambassadors helped Andrew Gordon and his team cut the ribbon, and presented them with their Member Plaque. Check them out at their office located on 10225 Ulmerton Road 9A, Largo, 33771. Thanks to Advanced Video Systems for the video!
Lawmakers continue to hope they can resurrect projects Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed last month from the state budget. Tucked into the budget is a new $80 million pool of money that lawmakers can try to tap for local projects.
The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on three tropical waves in the Atlantic basin, including one in the Caribbean.
A British sales and marketing company with clients including Oracle, Adobe and Xerox has picked Tampa to house its new U.S. headquarters.
The top 10 home-buying investors of 2021 in metro Orlando were tied to firms in the single-family rental house business, leading at least one expert to worry about the pressure such deals are putting on the real estate market.
The hurricane-damaged Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier officially reopened Wednesday morning to visitors for the first time since 2019.
Thank you to our Trustees and Newsletter Sponsors
Bay Care/Morton Plant Hospital
Business & Family Insurors
Check Before Hire
Cloud Law Firm PA
Duke Energy
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital
Home Instead/Be a Santa
Jackson & Associates CPA
Melody Hunter, Charles Rutenberg Realty
National Aviation Academy
Nova Southeastern University - Tampa Bay
Piper Fire Protection
Platinum Information Services
Regions Bank
Spectrum Reach
The Palms of Largo
Valley National Bank
Village Inn
Wealth Builders
The Weekly E-Connection is made possible by the following generous sponsors:
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