Drew Wilson
The Florida Chamber of Commerce is bringing together local chambers and municipal governments to coordinate re-opening the economy as the coronavirus crisis eases.
The Chamber Restart and Recovery Task Force will facilitate collaboration between the 150-plus local chambers in the Sunshine State and cities, counties, mayors, economic developers and job creators.
“Restarting the 17th largest economy in the world requires uniting the business community like never before. We believe that local chambers and their partners can work together with Florida and America to reopen at the soonest, yet safest, possible time for their region,” Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said.
The Florida Chamber described the task force as a regional continuation of the national chamber’s coordination with state chambers.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Chamber are connected through a task force focused on linking the White House’s Opening Up America Again plan to the state’s.
Similarly, the Florida Chamber Restart and Recovery Task Force will link Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Re-Open Florida plan to local chambers and other economic development leaders.
In a news release, the Florida Chamber said balancing health and safety outcomes with re-opening plans is “vital,” and local leaders are key to uniting their communities around locally tailored solutions.
The task force hopes to ease the planning process for local leaders by keeping them apprised of how other communities are emerging from their stay-at-home slumbers. Sharing information between communities could introduce leaders to solutions that have worked elsewhere, making the process less of a burden, the Chamber asserts.
“While there is no one-size-fits-all plan, sharing best practices, being inclusive and not duplicating efforts is essential — and that’s the cornerstone of the Chamber Restart and Recover Task Force,” said Florida Association of Chamber Professionals President Tammy Bracewell.
A presentation on the Chamber’s local re-opening framework is available online.
