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Advocacy

The Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP) is an organization of business, promoting business, and representing the needs of business. No organization is better suited to represent the needs and concerns of the business community better than CEP.

In fact, advocating to local, state and federal officials on behalf of local businesses is a natural and necessary role for the CEP. While we advocate for or against certain proposals or plans, it will NOT include the endorsement of candidates. However, it does include hosting candidate forums and publishing their views on key issues as identified by partners and investors.  

The driving focus of our Advocacy efforts is to partner with government to create a more dynamic business climate in which to work, live and play.

Quest - Ocala's Inter-City Visit 

QUEST 2024 will take us to Savannah, Georgia. 

CLICK HERE to register.

Discovery and collaboration are the focus of the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership's Quest Trips to peer communities. These intercity visits are an opportunity to bring CEP partners and staff, elected officials, business leaders, educational administrators, and young professionals together with their counterparts to share ideas, benchmark a comparable community against ours, and enjoy high-level networking with other attendees. Expected attendance is 50+.

Join business and community leaders on our Quest trip—Intercity Visit to gather best practices and generate ideas to make the Ocala Metro an even better place to live, work and play. This is an incredible opportunity to make key connections with the area's most influential civic and business leaders. CEP’s Quest trips also provide multiple opportunities for interaction among attendees to build relationships with each other, fostering opportunities and addressing local challenges. 

For the last decade Savanah, the Hostess City, has been growing at a record pace including infrastructure at their airport and ports. This growth is led by their manufacturing and distribution centers, downtown and waterfront development, as well as tourism.

As participants, you will be able to focus on best practices and experience true peer-to-peer learning. The networking and relationship building through shared experiences will help us move forward on building a common foundation of understanding and become a more cohesive team working to solve problems on behalf of our community.

A few of the topics that will be discussed during the trip include:

We hope that you will join us to share in this powerful learning experience that will facilitate future collaboration and build an even stronger economy for the Ocala Metro.

For a downloadable registration form, CLICK HERE.

Questions? Please contact Director of Business Advocacy, Kelli Holt: Kelli@OcalaCEP.com or 352.629.8051, ext. 115

Video report from the 2021 Quest Trip to Asheville:

The 2019 inaugural InterCity Visit was called LexQuest and involved a visit to Lexington, KY, on 9-11 April. The following video gives an overview of this inagural experience.

 

Forums 

The CEP regularly hosts roundtables, lunches, and industry tours for our state and federal delegation. These forums provide our partners and the business community an opportunity to discuss important issues and concerns directly with our elected officials.

A Closer Look - Where the CEP stands

The CEP shares information on important local issues through A Closer Look, a video series which outlines the business community position.

 

 

 

 

exCEPtional Mornings presented by 

Every morning is an exCEPtional Morning in the Ocala Metro! This monthly breakfast has become a can't miss opportunity for more than 300 partners to hear from a speaker of significance to the business community and to network with hundreds of local leaders. Held the 3rd Wednesday morning of each month, the breakfast is hosted at Church of Hope, 3233 SE Maricamp. These breakfasts sell-out fast, so reserve your spot today by calling 629.8051!

 

Marion County Delegation Hearings & Luncheon 

Annually, the Marion County state delegation hosts a public hearing for local governments, organizations, and businesses to share their legislative agendas for the new session. The CEP participates in this each year, sharing the legislative agenda for the business community. Additionally, the CEP hosts a luncheon for all of the delegation members, their staff, local officials, and Executive Tier partners before the hearings as a way to network and discuss issues.

2024 Legislative Priorities

The CEP annually creates a set of legislative priorities based on the needs of our partners, local governments, and education partners - the 2024 Legislative Priorities.

Local Candidate Forums

The CEP regularly provides forums for candidates for local office to address the business community and to share their platforms. 

Citzens Encouraging Progress, Inc.

The CEP has a separate political committee which exclusively supports issues. Past examples of issues for which CEPI was involved include the Local Option Sales Tax passage in 2016 and 2020 and the 1 Mil for Schools in 2018 and 2022. You can learn more about CEPI at its website - www.MovingOcalaForward.com