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Small Business

38 stories South Florida coverage

Brass service bell on a shop counter at dusk with receipts, headline Up to $5,000, The Waitlist, Broward.

Grants & Money

Broward Small Business Micro-Grant: Waitlist Guide

Broward County's $5,000 Small Business Micro-Grant is full with a waitlist as of Oct. 5. Eligibility, documents and what the county has not said.

By Brian D'Antoni a month ago

Three glowing screens above rows of empty chairs in a dark workshop room, with the headline FREE AI WORKSHOPS, OCT. 6 TO 21.

Events & Deadlines

Free AI Workshops for South Florida Owners: Fall 2026

Three no ticket price AI sessions for South Florida owners ran this fall: FIU Oct. 6, TechFluence Oct. 15, Miami AI Women Oct. 21. What each covered.

Glowing laptop on a shop counter at night with Miami skyline lights behind, with the headline AI BASICS FOR OWNERS, OCT. 6, 1 PM.

Events & Deadlines

FIU AI Fundamentals Webinar for Small Business: Next Steps

FIU’s AI Fundamentals for Your Small Business webinar took place online Tue., Oct. 6. Hosts, what the listing promised and the next AI sessions.

Hotel ballroom exhibitor floor with a 6 ft table, pull-up banner and sample tray, titled Palm Beach Business Expo, Nov. 12, with a Sundaze Gazette watermark.

Events & Deadlines

Palm Beach Business Expo Nov. 12: Free Entry, $250 Tables

The Palm Beach Business Expo on Nov. 12 is free for guests, and the organizer posts exhibitor prices from $250. A practical guide to attending or exhibiting, the rules, the prep and the follow-up.

Three labeled document folders fanned beside a laptop showing a portal login screen, with the title Which County Certifies You First? across the image

Business & Policy

SBE Certification in South Florida: 3 Counties Compared

Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties each run their own Small Business Enterprise program with different revenue caps, net-worth limits and location tests. Here is a side-by-side table, a document folder and a guide to where to apply first.

A workplace notice and a "$15" sticky note pinned to a cafe kitchen corkboard, with the title Florida's $15 Wage: The Owner Checklist on the image.

Small Business

Florida $15 Minimum Wage: Owner Payroll Checklist

Florida’s $15 minimum wage started Sept. 30. Here is a South Florida owner’s checklist for the poster, payroll, tipped pay and hourly pricing, with sources.

Illustration of a palm-lined shopping street at twilight with lit storefronts, with the words 94% Invisible in AI Search for Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm owners.

AI & Tech

94% Invisible in AI Search: SoFla Owner Map

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.

Illustration of a shop service window at golden hour with a sealed envelope and clipboard, titled D9 Mom & Pop Grant, with a Sundaze Gazette watermark

Grants & Money

Miami-Dade D9 Mom and Pop Grant 2026: What Comes Next

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.

Illustration of small business owners at laptops in a library workshop room, titled Mandel AI Workshop, Oct. 22 Recap, in sky blue, cherry red and ink

Events & Deadlines

Mandel WPB Intro to AI for Small Business: Next AI Workshop

Mandel Library’s Intro to AI in Small Business ran Thu., Oct. 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Clematis St. See the three session ladder and the next AI workshop.

Miramar FIU I-75 Google and AI visibility lab atmosphere with designed title The Gator Effect

Events & Deadlines

Gator Effect AI Visibility Lab in Miramar: What It Covered

The Gator Effect Google and AI visibility lab ran Sat., Oct. 3, 2026 at FIU in Miramar. What the three hour agenda covered and how owners run the checks.

Illustration of a sunlit library carrel with an open laptop by tall windows and palm trees, with the words Free AI, Library and SCORE, for Broward Owners.

Events & Deadlines

Broward Small Business AI Literacy: Library and SCORE

Broward County Library’s free four-week AI For Small Business course at AARLCC (Sept. 9 to 30) and SCORE Broward’s free Sept. 9 AI webinar have both passed. Here is what each offered, what free programs can and cannot promise, and where to find upcoming South Florida AI events.

Illustration of an entrepreneur working on a laptop at a desk beside a window with palm trees outside.

AI & Tech

Entrepreneurs Using AI Are Building Leaner Companies

Entrepreneurs are using AI for research, marketing, planning, customer operations, and financial clarity, but the strongest results still require judgment and verification.