By Jeremy Gottschalk
Herald Intern
Local businesses and government agencies recently gathered at Olive Garden for Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Hurricane Preparedness Lunch-n-Learn.
Members and guests enjoyed lunch specials from Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, 10 Towne Center Circle, while government representatives, business leaders, and weather experts weighed in on preparation, planning and business recovery for the 2026 hurricane season.
“It’s always better to be proactive than reactive in a storm season. I wanted to offer how best to help Waste Pro and FPL, utilities we are so dependent on, to help businesses help them to not have it be as catastrophic,” said Tricia Feliu, Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce President.
Panelists included Spectrum News 13 meteorologist Zach Covey, Seminole County Emergency Services Management Division Manager Steven Lerner, Waste Pro USA Division Manager Eric Saxton, Florida Power & Light External Affairs Regional Manager Linda Webster-Dubea, Sol Aire Air Conditioning Services LLC President Lorenzo Mendoza, U.S. Small Business Administration Public Affairs Specialist Tammi Ross, and AffordableONE Kirkendall Insurance Managing Partner Donald Kirkendall.
Sanford Greater Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tricia Feliu moderated this second annual panel with diverse specialists across multiple industries with topics including ‘hurricane fatigue’, safety tips, vegetation management and waste removal, small business loans, as well as securing financials and important papers.
Twenty-four attendees included vendors offering unique ideas on their own products focusing on roof maintenance and technologies, a cargo and courier transportation services app, and an asset inventory service.
Meteorologist Zach Covey discussed the below-average hurricane season predictions given in NOAA’s 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook released on May 21. “Just because the El Niño is developing, doesn’t mean a named storm can’t do damage,” Covey stated. “It only takes one storm to make it a bad season.”
Covey further explained how 2006 was an El Niño year with three hurricane landfalls.
“Events like today and seeing all these small businesses come out and learn how they can prepare is the first step. You’re getting a lot of good information on the weather side, but also on the local emergency management side,” stated Covey.
When preparing for a storm, Seminole County Emergency Services Management Division Manager Steven Lerner explained how the county sees 700 new residents a day.
“It can be challenging to convey what days without power can look like,” said Lerner.
For waste management and power, the focus was on vegetation management and removal of dead trees and bushes prior to a storm. Yard maintenance and tree trimming help limit debris around neighborhoods and power lines during high winds or flooding. Early preparation will greatly reduce waste after a storm.
SBA Public Affairs Specialist Tammi Ross advised, "Prepare before disaster strikes."
For those impacted by storms, US Small Business Administration small business loans and SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan are available for eligible businesses through sba.gov.
Prioritizing securing of tax returns, schedule of liabilities, and important documentation prior to a major storm also helps with filing insurance claims.
Businesses set up tables to share new technologies and programs to aid during hurricane season and year-round.
Roof Saver Florida Regional Manager Markey Casey displayed GoNano, a nanotechnology-based protection system developed to help preserve exterior surfaces exposed to harsh environmental conditions. The roofing treatment has an average ten-year extended life, is hail-resistant and meets new state wind mitigation requirements.
Truck It App LLC CEO and Founder Elizabeth Casey discussed the small business and personal cargo shipping application developed in 2018 and currently hosts 25,000 drivers. Casey said the Truck It app is in soft launch and can be used for courier services, large orders, and a variety of shipping needs.
“We have drivers all over the country; some drivers deliver medical, pharmaceuticals,” said Casey. “You go in the Truck It app, and it gets delivered,” explained Casey.
Tricia Feliu said the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce will continue to host more Lunch-n-Learn events with other themes and hold future hurricane preparedness discussions around the same time next year.
For Chamber of Commerce member package information or for future events, visit https://www.mysanfordchamber.com/ or email [email protected].
