Gov. Charlie Crist called for bipartisanship to address Florida's problems. "Extreme views rarely solve problems and frequently create them. While there is great virtue in being true to your principles, conviction must be tempered with practicality and pragmatism. Taken to an extreme, conviction becomes inflexible - even destructive."

With a sluggish economy and efforts to boost economic development, he called for less "red tape" for business, toughter anticorruption laws and passage of a Seminole Indian gambling compact that lawmakers have rejected twice.

He stated that he had no regret for taking Florida's share of federal stimulus money from President Barack Obama's administration. "While not particularly pleasant for any of us, this step was the responsible thing to do for our people."

On gambling, Crist called for a "consensus" to generate more money for schools, while acknowledging that some legislative leaders oppose what they view as an expansion of gambling. "Florida desperately needs the money. Wouldn't it be appropriate to set aside personal biases and approve a compact that will help pay to educate Florida's schoolchildren?"

He cited his administration's accomplishments including a drop in violent crime to a barebones health insurance program i.e. Cover Florida and the advent of hand-held mobile devices to track foster children.

On February 15th the Chamber hosted approximately 2,000 people at its 90th Annual Meeting athe Ocean Center. Featured Speaker and former Governor Sarah Palin was our guest for the evening crowd. Governor Palin spoke for about 40 minutes followed by a question and answer session facilitated by Outgoing Chairman Ted Doran (Doran, Sims, Wolfe, Ansay, Kundid & Birch).

Also included in the evening were the introduction of 2010 Chairman of the Board Jeff Feasel (Halifax Health) and his Executive Committee for '10. Kevin Bowler and Daytona Beverages, LLC was honored with the Chamber's Enterprise Award, presented to a business or individual that have made substantial contributions to the Daytona Beach area over the years.

The Marvin Samuels Award was presented to Phil Maroney (Root Organization) by the Daytona Beach Leadership Council. The award is presented to the Leadership Council member who has not just participated in community service organizations, but made a distinct difference in the organizations in which they have served.

A new addition this year, the Chamber presented its first Small Business of the Year award to O'Quinn Insurance Agency. This award recognizes a member in good standing with strong community involvement; one who contributes to the economic vitality and quality of life in the community; demonstrates the highest level of ethical business practices; demonstrates the higest level of customer service and satisfaction.

Rounding out our award recipients was Betty Jane France who received the coveted Lou Fuchs Business Person of the Year Award presented by Mayor Glenn Ritchey for all her work with Speediatrics. This award is presented to an individual whose contributions to the Daytona Beach area personify integrity, dedication and hard work. One who has made consistent major contributions to the community, over a considerable period of time, while supporting the goals of the Chamber.

Halifax Health was the Presenting Sponsor of this year's event and our thanks go out to Jeff Feasel and all of the people at Halifax for their dedication to the community. Additionally, we would like to thank all of our attendees and recipients, especially our Annual Meeting sponsors including AT & T Florida; Best Western Aku Tiki Inn/Bahama House; Black Crow Boradcasting; Bright House Networks; Brown & Brown, Inc.; Butcher's Nursery; Cobb Cole; Coca-Cola Bottling Co; Compu Sys; Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co.; City of Daytona Beach; Daytona Beach News-Journal; Daytona International Speedway; Daytona State College; Digitial Press, Inc.; Doran, Sims, Wolfe, Ansay, Kundid & Birch; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center; Florida Power & Light; Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort; Lamar Outdoor Advertising; Markey's Rental & Staging; James Moore & Co., P.L., CPA's & Consultants; NASCAR; Ocean Waters Management; Ritchey Cadillac Buick Pontiac GMC; Root Company; TUI Business; University of Central Florida Daytona Beach; WDSC and Zgraph.

The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) has announced the publication of a new study detailing the credit scores and payment behavior of ten local chambers of commerce across the United States, comparing their member businesses with other regional, state and national business averages. The study was produced by Cortera™, a community-driven business credit bureau, on behalf of ACCE. According to the study, chamber of commerce members possess an average credit score of 629, compared to a 557 average score for businesses at large. Such scores - the payment behavior from which they are derived - play a significant role in attracting lines of credit and securing favorable terms from lenders and suppliers.

A complete copy of the study, which includes both the aggregate findings, as well as the individual commercial credit scores for each of the ten local chambers, is available on the ACCE website at www.acce.org.

"Chamber members have long been seen as responsible and reliable members of their community," said Mick Fleming, president and CEO of ACCE. "What this study indicates is that the perception is right. From a credit standpoint, chamber members on average are better businesses, and as a result they have significant advantages in obtaining the funds they need. In this economy and the tight credit environment we are experiencing, that's especially important."