I look forward to working with my fellow members in tackling many of the issues presented by Governor Scott particularly education funding, reducing government regulation, and putting Floridians back to work. We can, and should help him achieve these objectives.

This session will clearly be dominated by the two major issues of redistricting and balancing the budget. It will indeed be a historic time as we under-take the once in a decade redistricting process. I look forward to discussing additional legislation with you that focuses on my guiding principles of lower taxes, limited scope of government, individual liberties and getting Floridians back to work. As always, it is my pleasure to serve you. Here’s to a successful 2012!

God Bless.

• NEW Public Guide- House videos, podcasts and photo galleries can be found on the Public Guide page in addition to being featured rotationally on the House homepage slider. The slider will also include up-to-date information about Session activities, announcements and news. The Public Guide page also includes publications like The Informer, OPI Pulse, On Track and Session Guide, among other items.
• Legislative Tracking- used to track specific bills and committees throughout the legislative process. The tool will appear on the left-hand side of the webpage, opposite Find a Bill.
• Additional Resources- an expandable section of the homepage that includes links to various resources like the Office of the Clerk, the Office of the Sergeant, and traditional reference materials as supplied by the House and other government entities .

Energy Summit

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend and participate in the 2011 Florida Energy Summit in Orlando hosted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It was encouraging to see so many influential leaders in the energy bisector congregating at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort. This event came on the heels of an exciting shift in Florida’s energy oversight. During the 2011 legislative session, I spearheaded a drastic change of energy policy in our state through HB7215. This important piece of legislation called for moving the Governor’s Energy Office to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. I believe this change was critical to the future of Florida’s energy, and I am very thankful that Commissioner Putnam and his staff welcomed the idea with open arms. The official move occurred July 1, and it is already evident that Commissioner Putnam and the entire Department are taking this change very seriously and creating a buzz regarding Florida’s energy future. As the Chair of the State Affairs Committee, our jurisdiction includes the Energy and Utilities Subcommittee. Therefore, energy issues are and have been for some time a vital part of my public service. There are many ways to improve Florida’s energy policy, and I was excited to be a part of this Summit and to be asked to participate in a panel discussion on Florida Energy Policy so that we can put our state at the forefront of every opportunity.

Happy Thanksgiving!

On the eve of this important holiday in our land, I thought you might appreciate a little bit of history surrounding Thanksgiving. God bless each and every one of you, and I wish you the very happiest of Thanksgivings.
Thanksgiving is a centuries-old tradition held by most cultures around the world. After the autumn harvest, communities held 3-day-long feasts, sharing meat, bread and beer. In today’s culture, Thanksgiving is known best as an US public holiday. The first recorded US Thanksgiving was held between September 21st and November 11th, 1621 in Massachusetts. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving for August 6th, and for the last Thursday in November. After a few deviations, the last Thursday in November was proclaimed as the national Thanksgiving day, but it was still not an official holiday. Thanksgiving remained a custom unsanctified by law until President Roosevelt signed a bill on November 26th, 1941 that established the fourth Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving public holiday. Turkey is the traditional dish for the Thanksgiving feast. In the US, about 46 million turkeys with an average weight of 15 pounds are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations. Oddly enough, there is no official reason or declaration for the use of turkey. Most would testify that they just happened to be the most plentiful meat available at the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

Thank you for sending me to Tallahassee to represent you.

It’s an honor and a privilege.

Sincerely,

And let us not forget those who have died for us — those who have given what Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.” The price they have paid protecting our freedom should be held dear and never forgotten.

But this Veteran’s Day is about more than our veterans. It’s about the moms and dads and wives and husbands and children who love them too. Quietly, they’ve battled long lonely nights. They’ve fought back tears of joy and tears of sorrow. Too often we’ve asked them to share in the pain of war. But they don’t get a day set aside for them. Mothers that lose a son or daughter don’t get a ribbon — even if their sacrifice is heroic. Spouses that single-handedly raise a family don’t receive a homecoming; they must wait for their home to be whole again.

Never doubt that without strong families, America wouldn’t have its strong soldiers.

So this Veteran’s Day, we should celebrate what has sustained America for over two hundred years: solders that stand up for our us and the families that stand behind them.

God Bless you. God Bless our soldiers. God Bless the United States of America.

Thank you for sending me to Tallahassee to represent you.

It’s an honor and a privilege.

The Florida constitution requires that the Legislature vote on new district maps during the even numbered year following a US Census, which are completed at the start of every decade. This year the legislature moved session to the months of January and February, as opposed to the regularly scheduled March and April, to better accommodate the redistricting timeline. We as legislators are welcoming the public’s input in regards to redistricting. There is a website (http://www.floridaredistricting.org/) dedicated to the process, and it even provides software to assist and submit district drawings of your own. The effects redistricting will have on the districts boundaries in your immediate area are unknown at this time but with the population changes in Florida since the last Census in 2010, there are bound to be changes to many different districts all over the state. This will undoubtedly be a key topic during the upcoming months as the districts are finalized and redistricting is complete.

By way of update, the re-districting committees have finished their tours throughout the state gathering citizen input on the process. The tour took the redistricting committee members to 25 cities in 25 different counties around the state. I am proud of the commitment those legislators made to hearing from constituents and I look forward to working with them during the earlier than normal legislative redistricting session beginning in January.