Today marks the beginning of Fall.  I don’t know about you, but I can feel just a slight twinge of cooler weather in the air.  As we continue to deal with the pandemic, we must also remember to focus our attention on the upcoming General Election.  During this election cycle, you will find six (6) state constitutional amendment questions and three (3) county charter amendments on your ballot. 

The West Orange Chamber has reviewed all of the amendments and their impacts to businesses; however, we would like to focus on Amendment 2 – Raising the Minimum Wage. 

The chamber is a leading business advocate, who values all individuals being gainfully employed at a fair starting wage.  Amendment 2 would become a part of our state constitution and not be driven by the free market, furthermore, this amendment would increase the starting rate of $15/hour annually with no recourse to adjust for economic conditions on a real time basis due to being mandatorily tied to inflation.  To learn more about the negative impacts of Amendment 2, please click here.

To review the other amendments and what a Yes or No vote would mean, click here.

This Thursday, the West Orange Chamber is hosting a virtual event featuring Dr. Jerry Parrish, Chief Economist for the Florida Chamber, and Mr. Mark Wilson, President/CEO of the Florida Chamber. Together, Dr. Parrish and Mr. Wilson will highlight the current State and Local Economic Outlook and the potential impacts to our economy if Amendment 2 – Raising the Minimum Wage is passed in November.  Click here to register.  In lieu of a registration fee, the West Orange Chamber is requesting that participants of this event make a donation to the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive facilitated by the West Orange Foundation. 

About the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive:

For many years, WOCC volunteers and most recently the West Orange Foundation, in conjunction with three local Community Centers, Maxey, Jennings & Lila E. Mitchell, have been able to serve 100+ local families a Thanksgiving meal during the holiday.  This year, with the pandemic, there will be even more families who will not have the ability of affording a Thanksgiving meal.  The West Orange Foundation is determined to assist these families.  Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we will only be accepting monetary donations.  We will work with our community partners, Publix and Wal-Mart, to provide gift cards to those in need via our local Community Centers.  We know the need will be greater this year.  Please take a moment to help a family by clicking here to make your donation. 

I wish you all a productive rest of the month.  Take care, stay safe and wear your masks.

Sincerely, 

Deborah Rios-Barnes