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The Florida Limousine Association (FLA) has announced that Governor Ron DeSantis has signed House Bill 377—the “FLA Bill”—which ends years of burden that required operators to hold multiple permits to work throughout Florida. Going into effect on July 1, 2024, this new law dictates that “[a] person who holds license or permit issued by county or municipality to operate vehicle for hire may operate vehicle for hire in any other county or municipality without being subject to certain requirements or fees.”
FLA President Rick Versace of A1A Global
In addition to DeSantis, the FLA extends its thanks to sponsors and supporters of the Bill, including Representative David Borrero [R], Senator Nick DiCeglia [R], Senate President Kathleen Passidomo [R], Speaker of the House Paul Renner [R], and Commerce Committee Chair Bob Rommel [R].
FLA President Rick Versace of A1A Global has been championing this legislation for years.
“The simplification of the licensing criteria in the state of Florida is a tremendous victory for the limo industry in the state of Florida. It shows how vitally important it is for all of us to stick together because it’s the only way we could afford a lobbyist that can push through the changes our industry needs to survive and thrive,” says Versace.
Prior to the passing of HB 377, to work between counties, operators had to be licensed in each county where they wanted to operate. This created a complex and costly administrative burden, limiting business owners from transporting customers across various regions and hindering their overall business growth.
Now with full reciprocity, operators in the state of Florida will be free to operate seamlessly across all counties, eliminating the need for multiple licenses and reducing administrative costs significantly. This also allows them to expand their service area, reach new customers, and increase their revenue potential. Additionally, it promotes competition, leading to lower prices for customers and a more efficient market.
Visit floridalimousine.com for more information.
[04.09.24]
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The New England Livery Association (NELA) welcomed a sold-out crowd of 65 members and guests to Ken's Steak House in Framingham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 2, for their Spring Membership Meeting. Highlights of the meeting included guest speaker CD President Chris Weiss as well as a panel discussion about fleet electrification spearheaded by Tiffany Hinton of MOTEV.
John Bradley of Colonial Cadillac with the Cadillac LYRIQ electric sedan
The evening began with John Bradley from the night’s Platinum Sponsor, Colonial Cadillac in Woburn, Mass., spotlighting the Cadillac LYRIQ electric sedan. During the evening’s cocktail hour, meeting attendees had the opportunity to check it out first-hand and chat with Bradley about the vehicle. During dinner, NELA Executive Director Rick Szilagyi of Lexian Management welcomed the members, and introduced the evening’s sponsors, which included Gold Sponsor Grech Motors; Bronze Sponsors A&A Metro Transportation, Above All Transportation, Boston Chauffeur, Freedom Assets, Great Bay Limousine, Leros Point to Point, and Park Avenue Limousine; and Raffle Sponsors Anastasi Insurance, Center Insurance Agency, Chauffeur Driven, Pat’s Car Service and WIA Insurance.
CD President Chris Weiss, CD/NLA Executive Retreat pass winner Becky Laramee of All Points Limousine, and NELA/NLA President Brett Barenholtz of Above All/Boston Car
NELA President Brett Barenholtz of Above All/Boston Car, who was recently elected president of the National Limousine Association, was then invited to speak, providing updates of his two associations.
The NELA Board of Directors
Next, Weiss was given the podium. Introduced by Szilagyi as “the rock star of the industry,” Weiss talked about the success of March’s CD/NLA Show in Las Vegas and provided some information about the upcoming CD/NLA Executive Retreat in Miami. He highlighted the event’s Problem-Solving Interactive Roundtables, which will see peer experts on-hand to resolve a specific issue introduced by the operators. Weiss also took the time to compliment NELA as one of the preeminent associations in the industry.
L to R: Anna Vanderspek of Green Energy Consumers Alliance, Hugh Reese of National Grid, Tiffany Hinton of MOTEV, and Joel Barrera of Massport
Szilyagi then thanked board member Alicia Hayes of American Classic Limousine for positing the idea of a special session on devoted to EVs. He offered the historical parallel that the move from horse-drawn vehicles in the early 1900s was a gradual one until there was enough quality technology and infrastructure. Thus, horse-drawn vehicles were still on the streets 25 years after the first car was built, and well after the Model T and the assembly line came into existence. Then, Barenholtz introduced the EV panel members— Joel Barrera of Massport, Hinton, Hugh Reese of National Grid, and Anna Vanderspek of Green Energy Consumers Alliance—and led a lively conversation from the panel members covering topics like infrastructure, incentives on vehicles and charging stations, as well as questions from attendees. Hinton was particularly invaluable to the session, sharing all that she has learned electrifying MOTEV’s fleet.
Andrew Tighe of RMA Worldwide, Michael Callahan of Able Limousine, and Chris Weiss
Before the evening concluded, several items were raffled off, including a pass to the CD/NLA Executive Retreat, which was won by Becky Laramee of All Points Limousine.
The next NELA event is the association’s 21st Chauffeur Appreciation Day on June 6 in the Boston Logan Airport Limo Pool. Each year, NELA honors the “most important people of the industry” by holding a barbeque where chauffeurs can stop by for a free lunch in between runs for the day. Chefs include the NELA Board of Directors along with volunteers from the membership.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
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Things are looking good for meetings and events as the latest Meetings Industry PULSE Survey, co-produced and sponsored by Cvent, reveals that business is booming worldwide and industry indicators are trending upwards. Data for the study was collected in March 2024.
For the first time ever, the survey polled planners across North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia Pacific (APAC).
Per the results, nearly two-thirds of North American planners say their events are considered more valuable to stakeholders than before the pandemic. While optimism levels are high around the world, planners in APAC are the most hopeful compared to the start of the year.
Confidence levels have bounced back up from a more guarded perspective at the end of last year and the beginning of 2024. There are considerably more optimists now than there were two months ago (57 percent), and a lot fewer pessimists (14 percent). Although most planners say networking and education are the two most important factors driving demand for their face-to-face meetings, budget constraints and higher costs remain the top challenges worldwide.
The study does report that the challenges with hotels and venues vary by region. The most notable sticking point for North America is that food & beverage costs are reported as being higher than expected. For EMEA and APAC, however, the cost of nightly accommodations is the biggest issue. Although planners’ comments focused somewhat negatively on hotels (rates and service levels), planners rank hotels, convention centers, and venues higher than they did last fall.
Sustainability differences vary starkly by region, with North American planners lagging far behind their counterparts and EMEA leading the way. One area where North America surpasses EMEA is in aligning operations with the UN’s sustainable development goals (14 vs. 11 percent).
Don’t delete the Zoom app off your phone yet, though. More than a half of EMEA and APAC respondents (54 percent and 56 percent, respectively) are planning to produce events that are either fully virtual or hybrid this year, more so than their North American peers.
Click here to see the full results.
[04.08.24]