The information below is for informational purposes only.  The views & opinions expressed below may or may not represent those of the Leesburg Area Chamber.

Improving FloridaÂ’s business climate through meaningful reforms to the stateÂ’s personal injury protection (PIP) auto insurance system is a leading priority for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. FloridaÂ’s no-fault law and its accompanying mandatory PIP insurance system are a billion dollar problem affecting consumers and businesses.

In the latest edition of The Florida Chamber's Bottom Line, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater explains how the stateÂ’s auto insurance system has been infiltrated by a circling pool of vicious sharks looking to make their millions off the backs of consumers. In the brief video, CFO Atwater discusses the need for taking decisive action to drive down costs to protect Florida insurance consumers from being preyed upon.

“Florida’s no-fault auto insurance system holds the embarrassing No. 1 ranking for PIP fraud and abuse and is in need of meaningful reform,” said David Hart, Executive Vice President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “Businesses and Florida drivers are eager for solutions that lower rates through serious reforms that rid the system of bad actors and trial lawyers who target the PIP system and drive up the costs of auto insurance on everyone else.”

The Florida Chamber's Bottom Line is a weekly web-based program featuring key figures from Florida's corridors of power.  View this brief five-minute program by clicking on the image.

The information below is for informational purposes only.  The views & opinions expressed below may or may not represent those of the Leesburg Area Chamber.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce supports leveling the playing field for FloridaÂ’s small businesses and retailers by closing the internet sales tax loophole.  When internet-only retailers do not collect sales taxes, Florida businesses are put at an automatic 6.5% competitive disadvantage.

A Florida Chamber-backed e-fairness bill – SB 1514 by Sen. Nancy Detert – passed the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee late yesterday.  This legislation is specifically important to FloridaÂ’s small businesses because it:

• Requires equal application of the law between online-only and brick-and-mortar retailers to ensure sales and use taxes are collected in a simple and fair fashion;
• Protects consumers by ensuring that an online-only retailer properly collects and remits sales tax and does not leave the burden on customers; and
• Ensures small businesses investing in our communities are not punished by an unfair tax advantage for internet-only retailers.

"This is a major step forward," said Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.  "We applaud lawmakers for advancing revenue-neutral e-fairness legislation in the Senate.  It represents a lifeline to struggling small businesses and Senate leaders deserve a lot of credit for their timely efforts in support of Main Street."

The Florida Chamber has partnered with the Florida Alliance for Main Street Fairness, a coalition that is standing up for businesses, consumers, and taxpayers by working to close the internet sales tax loophole.

The information below is for informational purposes only.  The views & opinions expressed below may or may not represent those of the Leesburg Area Chamber.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce is actively involved in supporting efforts to create science-based water quality standards that will protect FloridaÂ’s natural resources and promote sustainable economic growth.  However, the Florida Chamber does not support federal government efforts to force an indefensible, multi-billion dollar water tax on businesses and water customers.

The Florida Chamber is fighting to eliminate all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates that apply restrictions and that pose a threat to FloridaÂ’s economic recovery, including unfair Numeric Nutrient Criteria standards (NNC) for Florida.

Today, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 7051.  This legislation is important to FloridaÂ’s businesses because it:

• Provides the required legislative approval of the Florida Department of Environmental ProtectionÂ’s Numeric Nutrient Rules;
• Directs the Department to submit its rules to the EPA for review under the Clean Water Act; and
• Protects FloridaÂ’s objective of a unitary, state-run nutrient program.

Early in the week, the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee passed SB 2060, a Florida Chamber-backed bill which sets limits on the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen allowed in FloridaÂ’s waters.  SB 2060 will be heard by the full Florida Senate again on Tuesday and is expected to pass out of the Senate on Wednesday.

The Florida Chamber strongly supports the stateÂ’s right to direct and establish a set of scientifically based nutrient criteria for FloridaÂ’s waters.  On December 8, 2011, the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission unanimously approved the DEPÂ’s numeric nutrient criteria rules.

Florida has a comprehensive excess nutrient program and along track-record of helping to ensure the health of our stateÂ’s waterways.  The approved DEP rules are more cost effective and scientifically defensible than the EPAÂ’s recently finalized nutrient rules.

On Monday, U.S. Representative Steve Southerland (R-2^nd) joined Florida Chamber President & CEO Mark Wilson in a NNC based water policy discussion on The Florida ChamberÂ’s Bottom Line – a weekly web-based program featuring key figures from FloridaÂ’s corridors of power.  Click here to watch the video.

Congressman Southerland announced his plans to file a federal bill in Congress that would encourage the EPA to adopt the state of FloridaÂ’s NNC standards.