TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The 2026 legislative session will be in full swing Tuesday, and local businesses are looking forward to the boost amid a typically slow January.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is enormous for the local economy,\u201d Owner of Hayward House Ashley Chaney said. \u201cWhen people from Miami, Orlando, Tampa – these larger metropolitan areas – are coming into Tallahassee, they\u2019re coming and they\u2019re spending money.\u201d <\/p>\n
Chaney said it can be difficult for local businesses to thrive during January, but she\u2019s grateful for the influx of people during the next couple of months.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have over 60 people on staff here at Hayward House, and when the legislature is in, we are able to provide more shifts, and that goes directly back to helping them feed their families,\u201d Chaney said. <\/p>\n
She pointed out that visitors to the capital city are spending money in a variety of industries, boosting the overall economic value of the area. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not just spending money downtown,\u201d Chaney said. \u201cThey\u2019re spending money at all the different restaurants around town. They\u2019re spending money at the hotels. They\u2019re ordering rideshare companies to drive them around. There\u2019s parties and different coffee shops.\u201d <\/p>\n
More Tallahassee News<\/p>\n
In Midtown, the owners of Lemon & Thyme are also anticipating the crowd. <\/p>\n
\u201cDuring session, it\u2019s one of our biggest seasons, absolutely,\u201d Co-owner Kate Chase said. \u201cA lot of business is done off of word-of-mouth, and when people come into town and they hear about us, it\u2019s just awesome that we have new people coming in all the time to share what our place is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaney said when people support one local business, they end up supporting several local businesses indirectly. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are able to buy more seafood from our local seafood provider. We\u2019re able to buy more produce from our local produce provider, and that money goes straight back into the city of Tallahassee,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that is really important about shopping local and eating at local restaurants – it stays in the community.\u201d <\/p>\n
Many lawmakers were already seen throughout the downtown area on Monday. Session officially kicks off on Tuesday, Jan. 13.<\/p>\n
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