The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches today announced the formation of the South Florida Business Council (SFBC). The mission of the SFBC is to address South Florida's critical regional issues and use its resources to identify and implement solutions.

“Many of the critical issues we face such as transportation are truly regional and addressing them together adds impact and reduces overlap,” said Dan Lindblade, CEO, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.

Dennis Grady, CEO, Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches added, “Our members believe a coordinated approach will be instrumental in ensuring our region is understood and gets its fair share at both the state and federal levels.”

“Regional partnerships are becoming more and more common across the nation and the power of acting as a region is clear, whether it’s to court a large corporation, win funding or address community needs,” said Alfred Sanchez, CEO, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

As its first order of business, the SFBC created a mutual aid agreement to ensure continuity of service to members in the event of any natural or man-made emergency or disaster. The agreement was unanimously adopted by each chamber’s board of directors.

The Council will be funded by the chambers, each of which has committed up to $10,000 annually for operations. The Council is controlled by a board of directors comprised of three representatives from each chamber. Leadership of the Council will alternate yearly with each chamber putting forth a representative on a rotating basis. The 2019 leadership slate is:

• Chairperson: Christine Barney, CEO, rbb Communications (Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce)
   
• Chairperson-elect: Jack Seiler, Principal, Seiler, Sautter, Zaden, Rimes & Wahlbrink (Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce)
   
• Chairperson-elect Designee: Joseph Chase, Shareholder, Gunster (Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches)
   
• The board of directors includes: Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches: Evelyn Hopkins, Florida Crystals Corporation, Rick Reikenis, Reikenis & Associates; Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce: Heiko Dobrikow, Riverside Hotel, Juliet Roulhac, Florida Power & Light Company; Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce: Humberto Alonso, Atkins, Dr. Mark Rosenberg, Florida International University.

The SFBC will consider expanding its ranks to allow participation by other business groups after its inaugural year.