What's changing for South Florida business owners: new laws, public programs, and the companies to know. We explain what each decision means for your storefront, payroll, or deal.
Fort Lauderdale’s Get Equipped AI Summit returns Nov. 13–15 with a virtual Friday, an in-person Saturday and a VIP Sunday. Tickets run $197 to $997. Here’s which South Florida owners belong in which room, and what to bring home.
AI & Tech
FAU’s Oct. 27–29 AI in Business certificate runs three full days in Boca or live virtual for $2,495: no coding, no prior degree, for managers who need a real decision framework before Q4.
AI & Tech
Florida’s SB 484 large-load power rules and the 100 MW data-center sales-tax gate: owner stack for SoFla landlords, contractors, and compute investors.
AI & Tech
Evoke Strategy's Florida AI Visibility 2026 index found 94% of 28,488 studied businesses absent from AI search. What Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach owners should measure next.
Grants & Money
Miami-Dade's District 9 Mom and Pop grant, up to $5,000 on a cost-reimbursement basis, took sealed applications by hand from Oct. 5 through Oct. 9, by 4 p.m., at the Richmond Heights Business Development Hub. The county had not announced awards as of Oct. 9.
Business & Policy
Owner map of Pembroke Park’s data center ordinance, M-1 special exception path and adopted fee schedule, Broward colocation sites with operator specs, and how Chapter 2026-65 layers on local rules.
Local Development
Related Ross closed on Boca’s 124-acre BRiC campus. Who controls the former IBM site now, what tenants and vendors should do next, and how Palm Beach–Broward operators should read the money and mixed-use runway.
Business & Policy
Palm Beach County commissioners adopted the Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium ordinance 6 to 0 on Sept. 24, 2026. Here is what the one-year zoning review covers, what keeps moving, the sub-50 MW lane, and where owners, contractors and suppliers find work through 2027.
Business & Policy
From Smorgasburg Flagler Village and CTZN Park in Progresso to Eataly and Equinox at CityPlace, Fletchers in Boca, Delray café announcements, and Palm Beach Improv in Wellington: a Broward/Palm Beach map of hangouts built for return visits, with owner adjacency and landlord pitch language.
Business & Policy
Florida’s protected series LLC law (CS/SB 316 / Ch. 2025-162) is live since July 1, 2026. SoFla owner map: Sunbiz $25 designations, horizontal shields, associated-asset books, vs marketing reels.
Film & Media
As of Monday, Oct. 5, the Vero Beach Film Festival lists its Regular Deadline as Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, with Late on Nov. 30. The festival runs April 8 to 11, 2027 in Vero Beach. Categories, NEXT UP! Florida student lanes, Fringe, Pilots and what to confirm at checkout.
Film & Media
GIFF Earlybird hits Nov 1: Tampa Bay’s 20th-anniversary fest Apr 1–4 2027; live FilmFreeway fees for Filmed in Florida features ($45), Tampa Bay shorts ($30), docs, episodic, AI disclosure map.
