Across the State of Florida

Friends,

It is a great day to live in America! This week, across the State of Florida, school has begun again. There is much anticipation and excitement from students, parents and teachers. Excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, and that we live in a great country where anything is possible. A country where a young man who got his start washing cars at Hiers funeral home, could go to school, get a degree and one day become the principle of that company. That same man is now your State Senator, and it is an honor and privilege to serve you in Tallahassee. This is the final column of a short series that has highlighted many of our accomplishments since joining the Senate in 2016.

Last year, your Senator was awarded an “A” by the Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida (ICUF) in recognition of our continued support for higher education in the 2018 legislative session. The ICUF is a diverse association of 29 private, not-for-profit, educational institutions based in Florida that serve more the 130,000 students.

Also in 2018, the Florida Chamber of Commerce recognized your Senator with a Distinguished Advocate award and an honor roll “A” rating. The Florida Chamber’s Distinguished Advocate award recognizes lawmakers who fought tirelessly for the passage of pro-business legislation. This award was given in recognition of an amendment that we championed in the Senate that would promote transparency in the collective bargaining process. It is important for our education professionals to have legitimacy in negotiations when represented in collective bargaining. This amendment will help to provide that legitimacy.

Just last week, The Florida Rehabilitation Council awarded your Senator the Stephen R. Wise Advocacy Award in recognition of our legislative leadership and commitment to create and promote meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This past legislative Session we sponsored and passed HB 1437, which provides state-paid Workers’ Compensation coverage for customers of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Division of Blind Services to enhance their work experience activities.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the Florida Senate. I hope these last few columns have given you better insight into some of the important things that we work on in your Legislature. Nothing is ever complete in Tallahassee, but with your help, we can continue to protect faith, family, freedom and opportunity for everyone in the State of Florida and Senate District 12.

Onward & Upward,

Dennis Baxley