More than 600 thousand Hispanic-owned businesses contribute in excess of $90 billion to the state’s economy, according to the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
On this episode of Florida Matters, we explore what that means for the greater Tampa Bay region and the impact of Florida's new immigration laws on the business community.
“In the state of Florida, there isn’t any type of product or service that doesn’t have the hands of a Hispanic involved," says Mercedes Young, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay.
Florida Matters caught up with Young, whose chamber includes about 500 members, at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce national conference in Orlando last month.
Elisha Gonzalez, Vice President of Community Relations and Government Affairs and a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando, says elected officials - and those running for office - need to pay attention to the Latino business community.
“We want them to realize that Latinos are contributing to the economy in high numbers," says Gonzalez.
"And that we’re invested in America, that we are part of the fabric that makes the United States really thrive.”
Ramiro Cavazos, president and CEO of the USHCC, says Florida is a good place to do business because of its low taxes and connections with South and Central America.
"The economy is growing. It's strong, multiple cultures, multiple languages, great academic institutions that Florida also has. Human capital is being developed at a very fast rate here, and trained, and that's a big need for companies to continue to grow and to locate."
But he says there are challenges too, including the risks posed by climate change and political division.
"We're not going to keep growing at the rate we're growing and filling jobs at the rate we're filling [them] if we don't solve our immigration challenges, if we don't solve our, you know, green energy challenges, and if we continue to allow politicians to try to divide us against one another."
To get a sense of the opportunities and challenges facing those businesses, we paid a visit to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Pinellas County in downtown St. Petersburg.
The chamber's president Eli Gonzalez, who runs a ghost publishing company, says he started the chamber two years ago, and has seen it grow to nearly 100 members.
"What we're finding is employers are coming to us looking for quality bilingual employees. And we're starting to get ... Hispanic employers looking for the right fit for them. So I didn't expect that we would be playing matchmaker when I started the chamber," says Gonzalez.
He says one of the biggest changes since he started the chamber has been the rollout of new immigration laws in Florida.
"In Pinellas County here, particularly in Clearwater, there are a lot of undocumented people that were doing great work. But now those people aren't able to work. So that's really kind of affected the landscape here, because Latino consumers sponsor Latino businesses. So when you get some families that can no longer bring in any income, you know, there's a ripple effect to it."
Chamber secretary Paula Lacey moved from Virginia to St. Petersburg eight months ago. Lacey says she was drawn to St. Petersburg by the vibrant arts and cultural scene. But she says it was a challenge to shift her business, creative agency Real Soul Ventures, to a new state.
"I think as a Hispanic woman, there's a lot of barriers to entry into the community, when you first arrive into a new community, so being able to plug into a chamber that is already so full of resources was super helpful in connecting me with the right people," says Lacey.
"Even though there's a lot of support here in community, it was the hardest thing that I've had to do so far, in my life," she says.
"But I think that being part of the chamber has made it easier as far as knowing that there's somebody there that I can talk to, and just say like, Hey, this is really tough. How did you get through this and know that there's very experienced people that can give me a word of encouragement. And yeah, I know, we can get through it together."
