LEADERSHIP REPORT
Letter from the CEO Since we first learned of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association has been hard at work for our members — advocating for financial relief, strategizing with the National Restaurant Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and regularly meeting with our state and national legislators about urgent industry needs. We were honored to have more than 15 Members appointed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Re-Open Florida Task Force on the Executive Committee and the Industry Working Groups to provide tangible, smart, step-by-step practices to reopen our state and get our industry back to work. We launched an important web page of resources with the latest up-to-date information, including operating restrictions, FAQ documents and other background documents. We immediately got to work hosting numerous webinars to keep our hotels and restaurants informed on how to navigate this difficult time. We are extremely proud of these efforts and look forward to continuing to serve you as we move forward in a postCOVID 19 economy.
Florida’s hospitality industry is resilient, and I know that we will get through this if we work together and support one another. FRLA recently launched Florida Hospitality TV, a news and informational program that highlights hotels and restaurants and brings you the latest news and trends in our industry. Make sure to watch and subscribe on Facebook or YouTube. We would love to hear your thoughts on information and resources you would love to see highlighted. Send us your thoughts to FRLANews@FRLA.org. We also just released a Support Florida Hospitality video, which I encourage you to watch and share through your networks. Please know that we are here for you, and we are fighting for you. As most of Florida approaches entering Phase 2 of reopening and South Florida approaches Phase 1, we will continue to keep you informed, represent your needs and fight for you. We will recover and rebuild our industry together one brick at a time. We are hospitality strong. At time of publishing, the National Restaurant Association announced Tom Bene as the new CEO. Congratulations
and we look forward to working with him! Read more here: https://frla.org/newsrelease/frla-congratulates-newly-announcedceo-for-the-national-restaurant-association
Carol B. Dover Carol B. Dover
FRLA President & CEO
Letter from the Chairman of the Board This has been an incredible time in history, and obviously there is no crystal ball that will tell us what will happen next. I believe that it’s our time to focus on today. Most of us spend every day going from one meeting to the next meeting, going from project to another project, and it seems that we never stop. I was honored to serve as a member of the Re-Open Florida Governor’s Task Force working with businesses and industries across the state to open safely. I have strived to represent our Industry in every way possible in our discussions and hope that this has served us well. This is the time to take time to reflect on what we have and appreciate all that we have done in the past few years. I have a renewed appreciation for my staff that has been furloughed, as now I only have a skeleton crew working for me. Scrubbing our public bathroom, polishing tile floors, cleaning restaurants and bars are only a few of the tasks that I have tackled during the past few 4 SUMMER
2020
weeks. Our Executive Chef, Bill Ryan, singlehandedly prepared large numbers of Easter takeout dinners. There are many of you who reach out to your communities on a regular basis. Do you have enough to donate something to your local food bank? If you provide takeout or delivery, do you offer complimentary meals or significant discounts to first responders? I believe that this is our time to appreciate why we are in the hospitality business, and it is our time to serve others. I pray that you are keeping yourselves and your loved ones safe and healthy. I look forward to seeing you on the other side of this. Sincerely,
Sheldon Suga Sheldon Suga 2019 Chairman of the Board
FLORIDA RESTAUR ANT & LOD GING A S SO CIATION
