- The Florida Chamber of Commerce has announced its legislative agenda to establish Florida as the tenth-largest economy in the world by the end of the decade.
- The organization’s top priorities include addressing Florida’s lawsuit abuse problem, providing attainable workforce housing, preparing Florida’s future workforce, and making long-term infrastructure investments.
- The Florida Chamber of Commerce pledged support for pieces of legislation that will eliminate Florida’s reputation as a haven for “bad faith” insurance lawsuits, expand school choice options, and allow students to complete technical certificates or other credentialing programs.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce outlined its legislative priorities for the upcoming session as part of its annual Legislative Fly-In event, with a focus on tort reform, affordable workforce housing, and long-term infrastructure investments.
The group’s agenda is based on its Florida 2030 Blueprint and its Six Pillars Framework, which ambitiously holds a goal to establish Florida as the tenth-largest economy in the world by the end of the decade. The state currently ranks 16th globally, a one-spot increase from last year’s ranking.
Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson noted that the organization’s top priorities for the upcoming Legislative Session include “addressing Florida’s lawsuit abuse problem, providing attainable workforce housing, preparing Florida’s future workforce, and making long-term infrastructure investments.”
“We have this moment in time where if we can all stay united for another sixty or ninety days, I think this can be literally one of the most productive Legislative Sessions we’ve seen,” said Wilson. “The people who are in leadership believe in growing the private sector and free enterprise.”
According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the state has the highest tort costs in the country, costing Florida families an additional $5,065 annually in increased costs. As a result, Wilson stated the Chamber will be working to rein in what he referred to as unnecessary litigation, reduce costs for Florida families and local businesses, and prevent additional avenues to sue in Florida law.
Additionally, the organization pledged support for pieces of legislation that will attempt to eliminate Florida’s reputation as a haven for “bad faith” insurance lawsuits. State leaders including Gov. Ron DeSantis, House Speaker Paul Renner, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo announced last week that they will work in their respective chambers to pass and implement litigation and tort reform measures.
Wilson also recognized rising housing costs, stating that it hurts Florida’s competitiveness, affordability, and quality of life. To address this, the group supports an “all-of-the-above” strategy for increasing the accessibility and supply of housing. The strategy includes greater connectivity to expand the radius of housing development, new builds at all levels and price points to increase housing options, dedicated funding to supplement homeownership and rental opportunities, and addressing local zoning restrictions and regulations that may constrain supply.
The Florida Chamber voiced further support for legislation seeking to expand school choice options. They also advocated for allowing students to complete technical certificates, industry certifications, or other credentialing programs.