Posts by Jacob Ogles
New member appointed to Lee County Tourist Development Council
The Lee Board of County Commissioners appointed Town of Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Rexann Hosafros to the Lee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) at its April 21 meeting. Hosafros replaces Anita Cereceda, former mayor of Fort Myers Beach, on the TDC and will serve the remainder of the two-year term. Hosafros has served on…
Read MoreSpecial Edition: Paradise CoastLines
By Jack Wert, Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB Executive Director Thank you all for what you are doing to support the start of the recovery plan for Collier County residents and businesses. We need to be prepared for some starts and stops in Phase 1 including temporary beach closings, new ways to add seating capacity…
Read MoreDemocrats call for better funding of bridge loans in Florida
By Jacob Ogles, Editor Democrats in the Florida Legislature called for more funding to be put in the state’s Small Business Emergency Loan Program and for the federal government to better fund the Paycheck Protection Program created by the CARES Act. “I don’t think there was parity in how those bridge loans were distributed, and…
Read MoreFlorida task force executive committee opens
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the 22 members who will serve as the Executive Committee of the newly-created “Re-Open Florida Task Force.” The Governor gave introductory remarks at the first official teleconference meeting of the executive committee. The meeting’s agenda also included an overview of Florida’s economy given by Florida Chamber President & CEO Mark Wilson and Chamber Foundation Chief…
Read MoreSave Small Business Fund now available
The Coronavirus crisis has created a financial burden to small businesses everywhere, causing a ripple effect that impacts not just our economy, but our citizens. To help offset this financial strain for small businesses, a group of corporate and philanthropic partners have come together to create the “Save Small Business Fund”. The goal of this…
Read MoreInterop Technologies Wins Juniper Research Future Digital Award for Best RCS Provider
Interop Technologies, the most technically advanced Rich Communications Services (RCS) solution provider globally, announced today that it has won the 2020 Juniper Research Future Digital Award for Telco Innovation in the category of Best RCS Provider. Interop Technologies was selected for this award from among vendor entries throughout the global telecom industry for its best-of-breed…
Read MoreImmediate relief available if you know where to look
By Mary L. Cranden Guest Column In light of the current crisis, I am making it a priority to reach out to all Preferred Commercial Alliance of Southwest Florida members. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation circulating about financial relief for businesses. Although Federal relief seems to be on its way, it’s going…
Read MoreCareerSource Southwest Florida authorized to help unemployment applicants, reset pins
CareerSource Southwest Florida will expand its services to aid individuals applying for unemployment. That includes helping reset pin numbers with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity website, An executive order issued Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis authorizes local workforce boards with CareerSource Florida to reset pins and help individuals file for benefits. That comes after…
Read MoreGovernor Ron DeSantis activates Emergency Bridge Loan Program for Small Businesses impacted by COVID-19
Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to support small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The bridge loan program, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), will provide short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury from COVID-19. The application period opens tomorrow, March 17, 2020 and…
Read MoreCareerSource Southwest Florida goes virtual in response to COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 virus CareerSource Southwest Florida will stop public access to its network of career centers throughout Southwest Florida. “We need to balance the priority of our services against public and employee safety”, said Joe Paterno, Executive Director. “We understand people need to pay bills, buy groceries and a large percent of…
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