Florida Chamber of Commerce

[Photo: Ray Stanyard]

Founded: 1916
» Employees: 43
» Lobbyists: 24
» Quick History: Founded in 1916 as the Florida Cattle Tick Eradication Committee, the organization became the Florida State Chamber of Commerce in 1925 and moved from Jacksonville to Tallahassee in 1975. St. Petersburg native Frank Ryll Jr. took the reins of the organization in 1982 and ran it for approximately 25 years. Under Ryll's leadership, the Florida Chamber operated in traditional Chamber fashion, conducting research on issues impacting Florida employers, polling its members, pushing a pro-business legislative agenda and providing networking opportunities. Under the Chamber's auspices, Ryll also created and founded the state's Leadership Florida program, which has graduated more than 1,000 people, and led efforts to reform the state's constitutional amendment process. Ryll passed the torch to Mark Wilson in 2003 but still runs the group's international trade division.

» Finances: The Florida Chamber, a 501(c)(6) "business league" non-profit, reported $6.2 million in assets, with nearly $5 million in revenue and expenses between November 2008 and October 2009.

Tags: Politics & Law, Business Services, Government/Politics & Law