Early voting for the 2020 election starts Monday, October 19 in Florida. That means, you can visit any Osceola County early voting location (if you are an Osceola County resident) and cast your ballot between now and Sunday, November 1. If you miss that window, you may vote within your local precinct on Tuesday, November 3. See below for some helpful links and info so you can educate yourself before you go and vote.
Osceola County Supervisor of Elections
For all things local elections, including how to locate your nearest polling location, be sure to visit VoteOsceola.com, the website of the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections. You can also check your voter status to make sure you are registered and eligible to vote in this election. If you did not register to vote in time, find out what you need to do to be eligible for the next election cycle. Perhaps you already voted by mail? The Osceola County Supervisor of Elections site also makes it possible to check the status of your Vote by Mail ballot.
The US Chamber of Commerce
The US Chamber of Commerce put together a comprehensive site to keep you up-to-date on elections around the country called VoteForJobs.com. Find out important election-related dates not just for Florida, but for all 50 states. You can sign up for election-related alerts via text message or email and access the US Chamber's Voter Action Toolkit. The US Chamber also issues a score for each sitting Congressman. You can find their scores on this site and even search by state, party, or chamber of Congress.
Meet Your Local Candidates!
During the August Primary, the Osceola County Chamber hosted a virtual straw poll. On our Virtual Straw Poll Site, you can learn about the local and state candidates via their own words. View candidate statement videos from candidates that remain in the races for St. Cloud City Council, Kissimmee City Commission, Osceola County Commission, Osceola County School Board, State Representative, State Senator, State Attorney, and more!
Constitutional Amendments
So, you may have seen the candidates out and about or on TV, or participated in our Virtual Straw Poll, and feel like you have a good grasp on who you want to vote for. But, did you know there are also six constitutional amendments on this fall's ballot? What are they about and how might their passage, or failure to pass, affect you and your business? Florida Tax Watch put together a comprehensive Voter Guide that carefully outlines these six amendments, including what your vote of "Yes" or "No" will mean, the arguments for and against, a fiscal impact statement of each proposed amendment, and Florida Tax Watch's personal assessment and recommendation.
As an added bonus, Florida Tax Watch President/CEO Dominic Calabro recently sat down for a conversation with Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber President/CEO John Newstreet for the Chamber's 15 Minutes Series on Facebook Live to further discuss these amendments. You can view that concise 20-minute video below.
We at the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber hope this list of links and tools will be helpful to you and your business as you make important decisions and vote this election year.
The Poinciana Area Council Board of Directors hosted a Zoom Into Your Business Virtual Expo. All PAC members were invited to join in on a Zoom call and share a brief presentation on their business. PAC will be sharing these video presentations throughout the month of September on their Facebook page, and you can find them all archived right here as well.
With the sudden onset of COVID-19, the the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber did what many of our member businesses and peer organizations did and moved much of our communications, meetings, events, and general connection with our members to an online platform. Beginning April 1, we launched a weekly “Wednesday Livestream” on our Facebook page to connect our members and Facebook followers with community leaders and experts as we navigated the uncharted territory of Coronavirus. If you missed this series, or would like to review a particular presentation or conversation, you can find all of our COVID-related Wednesday Livestreams archived on our blog.
On July 1, we launched our new “15 Minutes Series,” which will continue in our Wednesday morning timeslot with 15 minute presentations or conversations featuring community leaders and elected officials, practical applications for businesses, topcis to inspire business professionals and entrepreneurs, timely topics for our members and community, and occasional bits of fun. To view our new “15 Minutes Series,” join us live on the Kissimmee/Osceola County Facebook page every Wednesday at 9:30 am. Some topics will be live, and we will welcome questions from viewers in real time.
All programs in the series for the months of September & October will be archived below with later programs to follow in additional posts.
October 28: 15 Minutes on Timely Topics: Keeping Our Children Safe & Healthy
With more children returning to school, flu season approaching, and COVID-19 still not mitigated, we spoke with Dr. Federico Laham of Orlando Health about flu season, keeping our kids safe, and what families and businesses still need to keep in mind about COVID.
October 21: 15 Minutes on Timely Topics Featuring Breast Cancer Awareness Month
2020 Chamber Board Chair Adrianna Sekula spent 15 Minutes with Amber Orman, MD from AdventHealth on the benefit of healthy habits, including nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness to reduce the risk of breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence. In October we go pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so there is no better time to delve into this always relevant topic.
October 16 Special Edition: 15 Minutes on Timely Topics Featuring a Dive into the Constitutional Amendments on November's Ballot
You may have met the candidates, but are you up-to-date on the six constitutional amendments that will appear on this fall's ballot? We were joined by Dominic Calabro of Florida Tax Watch to talk us through the amendments and what they mean.
October 14: 15 Minutes on Practical Applications for Business Featuring the Chamber Business Academy
Meet our 2020 Chamber Business Academy Chairs from the Small Business Council and learn all about this program now in its 6th year. What has changed due to COVID-19? Plus, get all the details on upcoming topics and speakers.
October 7: 15 Minutes with Our Community Leaders Featuring UCF President Dr. Alexander Cartwright
John spoke with new University of Central Florida President Dr. Alexander N. Cartwright. Dr. Cartwright joined UCF this past March. Learn how he is adapting to his new role amid the pandemic, how he found his way to us here in Central Florida, and what he envisions for UCF's future.
September 30: 15 Minutes on Timely Topics Featuring Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, and we wanted you to hear from members of Osceola County's thriving Hispanic community. Three of them joined us for a look at their diverse experiences as members of our Hispanic community and their perspectives on the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month.
September 23: 15 Minutes on Timely Topics Featuring Suicide Awareness Month
September is Suicide Awareness Month and we discussed risk factors regarding suicide, warning signs, and how to help individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts. Join us now to ask questions of our speaker, Claudia Swonger, Director of Behavioral Health Community Outreach at Osceola Regional Medical Center.
September 16: 15 Minutes on Timely Topics Featuring an Update on Property Values
We spent 15 Minutes with Osceola County Property Appraiser Katrina S. Scarborough on the impact of COVID-19 on commercial and residential property values, when you will notice it, and other important topics surrounding your property appraisal.
September 9: 15 Minutes on Inspiring Better Business: Longevity with Linda Goodwin Nichols
On September 9, 2020 John spoke with Linda Goodwin-Nichols of Goodwin Realty & Associates about her four-decade career here in Osceola County, the storms she has weathered in the past, maintaining customer loyalty, changing with the times, and how other business owners and operators can learn from her experience.
September 2: 15 Minutes with Our Community Leaders Featuring Rep. Mike LaRosa
John had a chat with Representative Mike LaRosa. Mike discussed his time in the Florida State House of Representatives and what his new appointment to the Public Service Commission means for his future and for business here in Central Florida.
