Tampa Bay Chamber

The Tampa Bay Chamber is a not-for-profit business membership organization that promotes the businesses and business interests of its members. Its members range from small businesses and large corporations to government bodies and the military. Together they form a single voice for shaping the future of the Tampa Bay region. Today the Chamber counts about 1,400 member companies and more than 9,800 individual members, and it hosts over 150 events every year.

The Chamber's history goes back to May 7, 1885, when the Tampa Board of Trade was created at Branch's Opera House. Dr. John P. Wall, its first president, supported the Plant System of railroads, bridges and waterworks that connected Tampa with neighboring and distant cities. In 1928 the Board of Trade became the Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Over the following decades the Chamber helped open trade between Florida and Latin America, supported the construction of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and won an 18-year campaign to secure a Foreign Trade Zone for Tampa. In 1964 it was accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

In 2019 the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce changed its name to the Tampa Bay Chamber, to advocate for the entire Tampa Bay business community in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. The Chamber has earned 5-Star Accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2017 and 2022, and was named Chamber of the Year by the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals in 2013 and 2020. In 2025 it celebrated its 140th anniversary. Its mission is to serve its members and enhance the community by building business success, guided by the core values of integrity, inclusiveness, agility and accountability.