Florida Chamber looks ahead to 2010 election - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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“It was a tough said Marty Fiorentino, the president of the priorf tothe meeting. “It was tough becaus the budgetdominated everything.” According to the presiden and CEO of the Florida Chamberf of Commerce Mark Wilson, the currentr state budget is $66.5 billion, compared to the $73.32 billion the previous year. In addition, the budget includes $5.3 billion of federal stimulus money that will disappear intwo years.
“That’ws the lowest it’s been in a decade,” he “This is why it’ws important to develop of strategic plan for and maybe the busines s community needs to put the plan into Thirtyyears ago, Florida was the fifth cheapesy state to live in, and now it is the 14th most as 7 million more people are expecteds to live in state by the year Wilson said during the presentation in Jacksonville. In order to deal with economicv downturn, the Florida Chamber encouraged the Legislature during the 2009 sessionto “do no by refraining from imposing taxeas on businesses saying they will come out of the crisis on theitr own.
And they said the businese community needs to unite and elect peopler based on the direction Floridqa needs tobe heading. For the 2010 election, 140 of the 160 Floridaq legislative seats will be upfor grabs, Fiorentino and the election will pick a new governor. Even though the next election is still more than ayear off, the Florida Chamber of Commerc e is preparing for President Baraclk Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to come to persuad Florida voters to elect Democratic officials for the state government, especially because Florida turneed from red to blue in the last presidential “We are already full-blown in the next Wilson said.
They are especially concernefd about the Hometown Democracy already in place onnext year’s ballot, that will requirw all land use changes to meet votetr approval. The Chamber will be campaigninfg very hard in hopes the amendment will not saidSteve Halverson, the president and CEO of Haskelll and the upcoming chair for the Florida Chamber in 2010. Other bills that were on the Chamber’s agenda duringb the 2009 Legislative Session, include d lower workers’ comp costs, property tax relief, growtu leadership, higher education and property insurance All of those initiatives passed duringvthe session, and Halverson said he’s excited to see how they will affecgt Jacksonville.
“These times are important,” he said. “We’vew seen our state suffer throughthis economy, and it’zs time businesses started to pave the road. Jacksonville has a powerfu democracy todo