Chambers for Innovation 6/27/22 Chambers for Innovation 6/27/22

The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce - Renewable Energy Working Group, Clean Energy Panel, Transportation Innovation

According to their mission statement, the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to fostering the growth and prosperity of the business community, while nurturing the quality of life for all those who live, visit and work on the sanctuary islands.

The Sanibel-Captiva Renewable Energy Working Group, a recently formed initiative, is a perfect demonstration of this mission. Chamber CEO John Lai, is one of several involved community leaders connecting local government, utilities, and the business community to develop actions needed to mitigate climate change by setting and pursuing clean energy goals.

Powering Our Green Future: A Community Conversation, a recent event hosted by the Chamber, in partnership with the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, was spurred by one of the initiatives of the working group- to engage and inform island residents, local government and the business community about the opportunities with clean and renewable energy. The panel included experts from local educational institutions, the business community, utilities, and government and drew more than 100 attendees.

As well as co-hosting, John Lai was one of the presenters. He discussed the economic opportunity associated with clean energy and shared information from CICE’s Florida Jobs and Economic Impact Report. A few clean energy highlights include:

Florida has 150K clean energy jobs (and growing)
Clean energy generates $39.7 million in annual property, state, and local taxes via renewable energy projects

Climate and clean energy polling was conducted with the attendees asking several questions to help identify community priorities. In terms of the problems associated with climate change, they cited sea level rise (25%), storms and storm surge (24%), and impacts on water quality and harmful algal blooms (22%). When asked about energy solutions, the community prioritized solar technologies, alternate forms of transportation including electric vehicles, and conservation of energy/reduction of energy demand.

Electrified autonomous vehicles and EV infrastructure are a priority for the chamber as well. The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce is currently exploring ways to use electrified autonomous vehicles to alleviate congestion and how to expand the number of EV charging stations on the islands.

If you would like to learn more about navigating clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Anne Feldhusen.

Chambers for Innovation 6/8/22 Chambers for Innovation 6/8/22

EV Industry in FL: The Electric Surge of EVs in the Sunshine State

One of the most high-profile aspects of clean energy is the growth of electric vehicles and in many cases, the membership of chambers of commerce are buying vehicles for their personal use, their fleets, and installing chargers at their business.

In April, nearly 200 people joined the Seminole County Chamber for an in-depth look at the state of the EV industry in Florida, including hearing from a panel of people in the industry moderated by the chamber’s CEO, State Senator Jason Brodeur.

Included on the panel were:

Brad Thoburn, Assistant Secretary of Strategic Development, Florida Department of Transportation
Shane Lillibridge, Customer Relations Manager, Headquarter Hyundai
Murat Babur, Global Director of Battery Management Systems, Microvast

Brodeur began the meeting by talking about the growth of the EV market in the United States, sharing that in 2011, there were 16,000 electric vehicles in the U.S. and, as of last year, there were more than two million. By 2030, it is expected that 50% of new cars sold in the US will be electric.

All of the panelists agreed the EV market will continue to surge, with Thoburn saying the state is looking at a 35% growth rate by the year 2030 being spurred, primarily by the technology within the vehicles.

To prepare, the state is focused on deploying the infrastructure needed for the electric market, by developing an EV master plan for the state. Florida must also submit its plan to the Federal government for the use of nearly $200 million in EV charging infrastructure by August 1.

“It’s changing our world, which is exciting, but it means we have to think differently and be more agile,” Thoburn said. “Our 20-year vision has to be very flexible and change on a dime.”

Deploying EV chargers and infrastructure is not only important to the state, residents, and Florida businesses but to manufactures, specifically, as well.

Lillibridge shared that Hyundai was reluctant to send its Ioniq 5 to Florida because of the lack of infrastructure, both public and private.

“In other states, California, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, you have to travel five to 10 miles to reach a high-speed charging station. In Florida, it’s over 70 miles,” he said. “We have to bring that number down.”

Lillibridge now gets about four cars to sell per month. “Honestly, when you drive a vehicle, you don’t know what color it is, so I can get you a vehicle, just don’t worry about what the color is,” he added.

Babur added the perception of people towards safety and technology is still not matching with the actual safety and technology level of the vehicles.

“Right now, we are really reaching great breakthroughs with the technology that is really bringing the cost down,” Babur says. “From the safety standpoint, there’s no carbon emissions and you don’t need to go to mechanic for regular maintenance.”

The one thing each panelist wanted the attendees to leave with:

Thoburn: “We need to continue to educate people on where this technology is headed,”
Babur: “Trust in the evolution of the battery technology, it’s safety and it’s range”
Lillibriget: “Let your anxiety go away, you’re not going to get stuck on the side of the road unless you are a bad driver.”

If you would like to learn more about navigating clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Alan Byrd.

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Chambers for Innovation 10/13/21 Chambers for Innovation 10/13/21

Sen. Brodeur: Republicans Recognize the Importance of Climate Issues in Florida

State Senator Jason Brodeur, President and CEO of the Seminole County Chamber, composed an Op-Ed to illustrate Republican involvement in climate action and resiliency efforts in Florida; a state with a unique vulnerability to the climate crisis. This editorial was published by the Orlando Sentinel on September 19, 2021.

Sen. Brodeur: Republicans lead on climate, resiliency efforts | Commentary

More so than perhaps any other state, Florida is vulnerable to the impacts of our changing climate and increasingly severe weather events. That’s why Republicans in Florida are leading on climate and resiliency issues.

With the right policies in place, we can preserve our state’s beautiful natural areas, protect the private property of individuals and businesses, and strengthen economic opportunities across the Sunshine State. Legislators in Washington, D.C., should take note.

Under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate President Wilton Simpson, and House Speaker Chris Sprowls, Florida passed the largest climate resiliency package in our state’s history — and one of the most far-reaching, ambitious packages in the country this year. Congress should take note as they debate resiliency funding in the infrastructure package: In the Florida Legislature, we worked across the aisle to get that job done. The governor’s $500 million resilient Florida plan — the heart of this initiative — earned broad bipartisan support in both chambers of the state Legislature on its way to his desk for signature into law.

The Florida Legislature also approved a number of other climate-friendly conservation measures, two of which I was proud to sponsor. The first will protect critical wildlife corridors and natural areas across the state. The second dedicates funding to capturing and cleaning nutrient-heavy water before it flows into Lake Okeechobee, reducing the nutrients that feed algae blooms in the lake and on either coast while also recharging the Florida aquifer.

It just makes economic sense to protect our natural resources and abundant recreational opportunities. That is, after all, our chief asset and one of the biggest draws of tourism to the state.

However, resiliency efforts go much further than that. They help protect the private property of Florida homeowners and businesses from the increased severity of storms, hurricanes, flooding, and other extreme weather emergencies. Ultimately, increasing Florida’s climate resiliency also helps lower the cost of doing business in the state by lessening the impact of these events and reducing their associated insurance costs.

Complementing these resiliency efforts, Florida Republicans are also offering bold, market-driven, and conservative solutions to accelerate the adoption and deployment of clean energy across the state. If we are going to lead on the issues of climate and resiliency, then that will require increased investments in expanding clean energy and making it more accessible for more Florida homes and businesses.

In particular, I was proud to sponsor legislation recently signed into law that reduces red tape for solar permitting throughout the state. That legislation, SB 896, will facilitate the adoption of solar power in Florida’s agricultural community. Prior to its passage, many Florida farmers who were interested in using parts of their land to generate solar energy found the permitting process to be too cumbersome to navigate.

Through SB 896, we streamlined the process to allow properties that are zoned for agriculture to be automatically permitted for solar generation. Much like recent efforts by Sen. Marco Rubio — who co-sponsored the Growing Climate Solutions Act in the Senate — passage of this renewable energy expansion legislation will allow farmers to be part of the climate solution in a pro-growth, economically advantageous way.

In the state Senate, we also passed legislation that would open up markets for biogas. Florida is already a leader in production of this emerging, innovative energy resource. Now, passage of this legislation into law will help make biogas much more competitive with other energy sources, giving Florida another natural, clean energy tool for our toolbox.

As we have been doing for years, Florida Republicans will continue to lead the way on climate resiliency and smart clean energy production in the 2022 legislative session and beyond. Washington should follow the example state lawmakers are setting and work with their colleagues on both sides to advance common sense clean energy and climate solutions that will help make our state more resilient and prepare us for the future, whatever it may hold.

State Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Republican, represents District 9 in the Florida Senate, where he chairs the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. He is also the President and CEO of the Seminole County Chamber.

Check out our previous webinar: Legislative Session Briefing, Focus Clean Energy and Resilience with Senator Jeff Brandes, Senator Jason Brodeur, and Nicholas Glover VP of Advocacy for the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce here.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Daren Cheatham.

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Chambers for Innovation 8/27/21 Chambers for Innovation 8/27/21

Tampa Bay Chamber VP of Advocacy Writes Op-Ed on Importance of Clean Energy in the Business Community

Nic Glover, vice president of advocacy for the Tampa Bay Chamber composed this Op-Ed to illustrate the importance of clean energy and resiliency, and the role it plays in a vibrant business community. This editorial was published by the Tampa Bay Times on July 19, 2021.

Increasing clean energy and resilience for all Tampanians benefits our business ecosystem

Tampa is among the fastest growing cities with community leaders and public officials who have a compelling and inclusive vision for the future, and even a Super Bowl title, back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, and an American League pennant.

Our community is looking ahead by prioritizing investments presented by the clean energy economy. By making resiliency a top priority, Florida’s business networks can ensure that the state’s business environment remains strong well into the future. As we make these investments, we must also uphold the highest standards of diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring that improvements, from weatherization and improving home insulation to EV charging stations and the redevelopment of brownfields, benefit everyone in our local communities, especially the historically underserved.

Clean energy and resilience have become integral measures of a region’s overall competitiveness. That’s a key reason for The Tampa Bay Chamber’s decision to include goals in its policy platform to advance them both and to engage the business community in supporting local action surrounding these priorities that are flexible, predictable, and durable.

The cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Orlando recently joined the Florida Race to Zero, a competition among Florida cities to reach carbon neutrality. The competition is helping to stimulate clean energy action while benefiting economies by creating more clean energy jobs and promoting economic competitiveness. Needless to say, the Chamber supports this initiative and the work of these cities’ governments.

We also recognize the important contribution of Water Street Tampa, a new urban community that promotes wellness and sustainability. The project serves as a living example of how clean energy efforts bring innovative solutions to the table – such as the community’s district cooling plant that significantly increases energy efficiency.

Clean energy and sustainable development attract major companies, which are more focused now than ever on meeting their emissions goals. When considering relocating to a new city – and bringing massive potential for local economic benefit – businesses consider whether they’ll have access to the renewable energy they seek.

For Florida cities to remain economic leaders, it’s necessary that they work together with their local communities and businesses to prioritize clean energy. It’s also necessary that we equitably include all communities in resilience initiatives, moving beyond historical practices that often fell short on environmental justice. The Tampa Bay Chamber is committed to keeping frontline communities top of mind and ensuring that no neighborhood is left behind.

Overall, Florida is doing well promoting legislation surrounding resiliency, but it is time for us all to be proactive instead of reactive. The business case supports a move towards clean energy, and I encourage other Florida chambers and businesses to implement programs that expand clean energy in their areas. Together, we can create a stronger, equitable, more innovative business environment that brings lasting benefits to cities across the state of Florida.

Nicholas Glover is the vice president of advocacy for the Tampa Bay Chamber.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Daren Cheatham.

Chambers for Innovation 7/28/21 Chambers for Innovation 7/28/21

Tampa Bay Chamber and Business Leaders Discuss Resilience, EVs and Clean Energy with State Senators

Soon after the Florida legislative session concluded, more than 50 Florida chambers of commerce executives and their member businesses participated in a dialogue recapping bills related to resilience, EV infrastructure, as well as discussing clean energy opportunities.

Co-hosted by the Tampa Bay Chamber, Conservatives for Clean Energy and Advanced Energy Economy; the webinar was kicked off by Nic Glover, VP of Advocacy at the Tampa Bay Chamber, and featured Senator Brodeur (R-Seminole), Senator Brandes (R-Pinellas), and Scott Thomasson, President of Sunbelt Strategies.

Both senators emphasized the need to strengthen resilience efforts in the face of climate change due to its impact on Florida’s economic competitiveness, especially regarding rising insurance rates for business owners. As Senator Brodeur pointed out "(Implementing) a uniform resiliency plan for the state in terms of sea level rise is so important. And why is that? The business community doesn’t like surprises. When we do this, we help stabilize insurance rates. We help promote tourism because we know what we are doing to mitigate risk. We have a more attractive business environment."

They also recounted key legislation that was addressed in the last session and is likely to reappear in the future. Senator Brandes, who has been a champion for electric vehicles, pointed out that if Floridians are in the process of evacuating for a coming hurricane, they need adequate EV infrastructure in place to recharge while on the road. This is something that the state has initiated through the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Master Plan. The Senator also remarked, “At some juncture you’re going to have to allow for Power Purchase Agreements in Florida. Today you can put solar on your property, you can use it yourself, but if you sell it to your next-door neighbor because you have excess, now you are considered a utility.” Senator Brandes went on to explain that one of his proposed bills allowed a business to sell excess energy to a nearby business.

In summing up the previous legislative session, Senator Brodeur discussed bills he sponsored to support the expansion of renewable energy, including biogas. Senate Bill 896 on renewable energy passed and you can learn more about it here. Both senators are confident that the clean energy issues that were not passed, such as renewable energy targets, EV charger grant program, EV fees, and Solar Power Purchase Agreements, will resurface next session. They also provided a view to the 2022 session and clean energy legislation that may alleviate flooding, beach erosion, and address climate change.

Nic Glover highlighted the tremendous economic opportunities for chambers to engage in clean energy and resilience issues. “Why is the Tampa Bay Chamber interested in clean energy and climate resilience? Quite simply, we view the ideas of sustainability and resiliency as issues related to our region’s overall competitiveness” Glover commented. “Our Chamber wants to ensure that our members and the business community at large are informed and prepared to take full advantage of the opportunity that the new green economy represents.”

You can watch the recording of the briefing here.
This Florida Politics article provides further information on the new resilience legislation. The resilience legislation better prepares Florida to deal with flooding, erosion, and disasters.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Daren Cheatham.

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Chambers for Innovation 5/16/21 Chambers for Innovation 5/16/21

The Lake Nona Regional Chamber of Commerce – working with the community to build an innovative business hub with rapidly expanding electrified transportation

Lake Nona, a community located within the City of Orlando, is referred to as “a community of and for the future” and it’s not hard to see why. The 10 Million square feet of commercial and residential space is being developed by the Florida-based Tavistock Group and designed with sustainability, health, and business innovation as top priorities. This appeal of the area, along with fiber infrastructure that provides super high-speed wired connectivity, has led to a population increase from 1,500 to 70,000 over the last ten years. 

The Lake Nona Regional Chamber of Commerce works with Tavistock and City of Orlando to promote the region for technology innovators to base and grow their businesses in Lake Nona. When prospective additions to the business community call, the Chamber responds with an in-depth prospectus of regional opportunities and guidance for contacts and plans. This includes clean energy innovators like Lilium, who is developing sustainable, high-speed air mobility through its electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Why Lake Nona? Lillium cites the community’s design as “a higher standard of smarter, sustainable living.” 

To further live up to being a smarter, more sustainable community, the Chamber supports their municipal utility‘s efforts to make Lake Nona a hub for more grounded electric vehicle innovation and has seen Orlando become a “ChargePoint America” community. That designation resulted in the installation of 200 electric vehicle charging stations, which facilitated the integration of six electric vehicles into the city fleet. 

The Chamber is also working with BEEP, a local company providing an electric, autonomous vehicle shuttle service. Tavistock and BEEP launched Move Nona, an autonomous vehicle program in 2019 with an inaugural route connecting residential neighborhoods to  shopping and dining district along with stops at key health services locations. The service has now expanded to four routes, running seven days a week to various parts of the community and is considered one of the largest autonomous fleets in the world within a single community. 

“The Chamber is laser-focused on bringing innovative companies in high growth sectors to the area,” said Don Long, CEO/President of the Lake Nona Regional Chamber of Commerce.  "What better way to do this than to offer electric shuttles and a highly developed network of charging stations?”

Lake Nona is a community truly at the forefront of transportation innovation and provides cities around the country a glimpse into what the near future may hold for the movement of people, goods, and services.

To learn more about EV and autonomous vehicle legislation passed this session, be sure to join our legislative briefing with Sen. Brandes (R - Pinellas), Sen. Brodeur (R - Seminole) and the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce next Wednesday (May 12) at 11am (ET). Please RSVP here

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Chambers for Innovation 4/16/21 Chambers for Innovation 4/16/21

Two Chambers Embrace Utility Scale Solar in the Sunshine State

Calhoun County and Indian River County are generally very different communities yet have something big in common, they are both adapting their local economies to a changing environment and taking full advantage of living in the sunshine state.

Calhoun County, a small, land locked, rural county in the Florida panhandle, is making a big change when it comes to their local farming stock. Situated north of Panama City, and just south of Alabama and Georgia, the community has historically been a timber growing community but in recent years has begun to diversify their harvest.

In years past, hurricanes traveling through the Gulf would lose their momentum as they touched ground just south of Calhoun County. Hurricane Michael in 2018 was different, however, when it maintained its hurricane strength winds and rain as it tore through Calhoun County, leaving that year’s timber crop decimated. A once very reliable crop, timber has become much riskier as climate change makes normally predictable hurricanes more extreme.

With unused or devalued (due to hurricane damage) land in the county, solar farms present a new opportunity for economic investment and job growth. As a result, the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce expressed its support for two new solar farms in the county, that will create about 500 temporary construction jobs and deliver approximately $600,000 in annual tax revenues to the county.

“Its an opportunity for clean energy development with low impact on county services and high yield on tax revenue, which is something we are desperate for in our area right now” said Kristy Terry, CEO of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce. “This development also puts us in a great position for future clean energy investment.”

In addition to supporting solar in their county, Kristy Terry and the chamber also started the North Florida Inland Long Term Recovery Group, a non-profit disaster recovery organization created to help individuals and families recover from Hurricane Michael and future storms.

Indian River, on the other hand, is a coastal county known for tourism and citrus groves. In recent years, the Florida citrus industry has been crippled by a rapidly spreading bacteria spread by an invasive insect resistant to insecticides. Climate change, according to a recent study, will actually facilitate this bacteria spreading to states north of Florida. Abandoned citrus groves in Indian River County are now being converted to solar farms making productive use of land that would likely otherwise go unused. Florida Power and Light, with support from the chamber, has already installed two solar plants in Indian River County, attracting over 400 temporary jobs, with a third to be completed by the summer of 2021.

The local college, Indian River State College, is now offering technical training certificates on solar, further supporting local job growth and paving the way for additional solar business growth in the county.

Helene Caseltine, Economic Development Director at the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, is excited about the recent developments saying, "having trained professionals in solar technology and a skilled workforce attracts businesses to our county.” Clean energy technology also supports Chamber CEO Dori Stone’s overall strategy of innovation that she introduced upon joining the Chamber in 2018.

News and Events Update:

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Chambers for Innovation 3/23/21 Chambers for Innovation 3/23/21

Citrus County Chamber of Commerce Partners with Utility to Ease Range Anxiety and Increase Foot Traffic

Citrus County, Florida, home of the Crystal River where you can swim with Manatees, is also home to a chamber embracing innovation. The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Duke Energy, has installed four electric vehicle (EV) chargers in their parking lot for public use. Duke Energy approached the chamber with an invitation to participate in their Park and Plug Program in order to help the utility “connect the dots” between Tampa and Tallahassee to make it easier for EV owners to travel between the two cities to ease range anxiety.

Range anxiety, the fear a vehicle has insufficient range to reach its destination, is one of the top barriers when a consumer considers an EV purchase and therefore becomes a significant factor in location siting when utilities, municipalities, or private companies look to deploy more EV charging infrastructure. The chamber installed four chargers (two DC fast chargers and two Level 2 chargers) and was more than happy to help advance electrification of the transportation sector but it also saw an opportunity for their local community.

“It really was a no brainer to get involved,” said Ardath Prendergast, Vice President of Operations and Business Retention & Expansion, Citrus County Chamber of Commerce. “The process was very easy and we were excited about the potential foot traffic that the chargers would bring to local businesses.”

In addition to an expected increase in foot traffic for the chamber and community, a few chamber members are now looking into chargers for their own locations.

To learn more about getting a charger at your chamber contact Daren Cheatham at Daren@chambersforinnovation.com

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Florida News and Policy Updates:

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CHAMBERS IN ACTION

FACP Panel Discussion: Are Clean Energy Companies Members of Your Chamber?

Tampa Bay Chamber and Business Leaders Discuss Resilience, EVs and Clean Energy with State Senators