Kerry Baker, executive director of the Key West Chamber of Commerce, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the trip to Florida Keys Day.
The Chamber was in Tallahassee to meet with legislators.
Baker said, “We thought it was important. We wanted to come up here and represent, not only the Key West Chamber of Commerce for our business community. We had some phenomenal one on meetings with Representative Mooney, Senator Rodriguez. We were fortunate to be able to sit in with the College of the Florida Keys on several of their meetings, the city of Key West. We had an opportunity to actually meet some of the state reps in some of our surrounding counties and it’s kind of interesting to hear, because some of we share some of the same issues and concerns. I mean, we’re all facing rising insurance costs. I think that’s a humongous issue for everyone. It’s certainly a big issue for not only the business community in Key West, but our residents as well. I mean, the insurance crisis in Florida right now is pretty extreme, and then just being able to network and advocate, it was a great partnership. A lot of people here, not only from the city, the county, you had the aqueduct, city of Marathon, I mean, just all the way up. So it really was nice to have us all in one location. We had a great little reception in the courtyard yesterday, and were able to share some of our treats from the Florida Keys that we’re known for. The College of the Florida Keys had an excellent opportunity to showcase their culinary program, which, this is really good, because it’s actually able to put a personal touch to our small community, because we’re all up here fighting for the same thing, to get our bills passed, funding for our communities. So it’s just a small little opportunity for you to be able to showcase what you’re offering and have you stand out with people that you may not normally have the opportunity to network and talk with.”
Were there any takeaways from the meetings?
Baker said, “We had a great talk with Representative Mooney. We were able to talk about various things, obviously, insurance, just that’s the biggest thing, is just really trying to protect the quality of life for our residents, workforce and property owners. That’s really one thing that the Chamber looks at, is we want to be able to maintain a community that we can, all afford to live in. Housing is a big issue. Workforce housing is a big issue. One of the things that makes it difficult, if you listen into any of the conversations with the Housing Authority, the city, any of the groups that are trying to build workforce housing, that component becomes really difficult when the income levels are lower than what our lowest wage salaries are in the Florida Keys. As we know, the cost of living is really high. That was one of the big things that we’re hitting, is, can something be done that those income limits can be raised higher for Monroe County, because what may work in other communities, it just doesn’t work. It’s a shame that there’s so many programs that are available, even the early learning coalition, they have money available. But unfortunately, even people in our lowest paying jobs are making too much money to get that assistance that’s available, which is really shameful. We’re hoping to be able to do something to bring a little bit more attention to that.”
Mote Marine was also in attendance.
Baker said, “They had a nice little presentation. They had their little blow up coral reef inflatable that you could go in and it was kind of interactive. That was really interesting, but I think it is extremely important. I can tell you, the tone that we heard at the capitol is not to be asking for money, be expecting more cuts. So we’re hoping that our Florida Keys projects, that they all make it through and get the funding that they need. That was really what we were all here for.”
The Searstown development is going to move forward.
Baker said, “That’s what we’re understanding. I think we’ve all been patiently waiting to see what was going to come in there. So hopefully it’ll be some stores that are going to come in that maybe can serve a need that we have in the community. I think we all know that we’re cut off from the mainland quite a bit. We have a lot of great small boutiques and things of that nature. But sometimes people are looking for the box stores and things that they may need from that as well. I always like to remind people, go downtown, go to the side streets. There’s so many boutique shops. There is actually quite a bit that you can get in our downtown area. Shop the Mallory Square, which I have to give a little plug, Key West cooking school has officially opened, so once people are looking for new things to do, I have not had the opportunity to go yet, but I understand that it is fantastic. I’ve seen the pictures, so I’m really looking forward to that. But there’s a lot of exciting things going on in Key West. There’s a lot of life. We are really enjoying our partnership with the City of Key West. I think it’s great to see the energy coming out of City Hall. They’re working well. They were all up here representing and I think we’re just really excited to see the direction that the city’s going.”
Membership in the Chamber can provide a lot of benefits.
Baker said, “Even if you’re not a member of the chamber, if you’re looking to find out a little bit more and kind of see what the chamber is doing in the community, a little bit more about our organization, reach out to the chamber. We’d be happy to have you come, make a reservation, and be our guest at that meeting and really see a little bit more hands on about the chamber, meet other members and the great networking opportunities that are available.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestchamber.org/