To Tallahassee and Back: You Never Know Who You Will Meet Walking the Capitol Halls

During my daily travels throughout the Capitol complex I run into friends, old and new.  Some have gone on to become high-powered lobbyists; others have taken positions with an executive branch office.  On occasion I will cross paths with someone who, like me, has been in the legislative process for a long-time. This truly is a job that you stick with or you move on from fairly quickly.  One of the perks of working here is the caliber of people I not only work with but sometimes get to meet.

I saw someone in the lobby yesterday that just put a smile on my face.  Jeff Kottkamp was lieutenant governor under Governor Charlie Crist.  He has always been a stand-up guy in my book.  His triumph through the support of his family and the strength of his faith over a nearly fatal illness was compelling and moving.  The daily updates we received as he battled back to life were heartwarming, and kept us on the edges of our seats.  I don’t know of any event that sent more people to their knees in prayer than his illness and recovery.  When he was tapped to be Charlie Crist’s second-in-command he won admiration by the legislature because he was one of them.  He was tasked with being the governor’s liaison to the lawmakers and did a great job.  He also chaired the oversight committee for the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy.

Governor Kottkamp is someone who always has a smile on his face and a kind word to say.  A few years ago he was invited to speak at the New Port Richey 9-11 Memorial Event.  Before he spoke I chatted with him backstage and introduced him to my young daughter Elizabeth.  Outside of the public eye he very graciously spent time speaking with her and posed for a photo with her.  If he had accomplished nothing else in this world I will always be grateful for the kindness he demonstrated to a young girl who was just thrilled to shake his hand.

As I have mentioned in previous posts,  everyone from the President of the United States and the Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives, to former governors of Florida, have all been seen in the Capitol at one time or another.  A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to meet one of my personal “entrepreneurial” heroes, Tom Monaghan.  Mr. Monaghan was the founder of Domino’s Pizza, and one time owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball club.  I used to “work” for Mr. Monaghan when I had my Domino’s Pizza store in Holiday (back in the 1980’s).  When he came by our office to advocate for an issue that impacted his planned community Ave Maria in southern Florida I had the chance to shake the hand of the one whose business model impacted my understanding of economics, marketing and free enterprise.  Domino’s Pizza also connected me with what has now been a 25-year relationship with Junior Achievement.  More than all that, Mr. Monaghan’s commitment to pro-life issues has been a blessing and a call to action.  It is wonderful that we live in a nation in which people can work for faith and life causes as they wish.  He is an example of one who has used his wealth to support the causes he believes in.  His story is the American Dream come true.

Another person whose appearance in the Capitol made a distinct impression on me was the football great Cris Collinsworth.  Now an Emmy Award-wining broadcaster, the former University of Florida standout, and career-long Cincinnati Bengal, always impressed me as someone who was not only intelligent, but down to earth.  A few years back he was in town promoting a charitable foundation he was involved with.  It was fun listening to him speak about his work with the charity.  Some celebrities I wouldn’t look around the corner for, but others, such as Collinsworth or my all-time favorite Terry Bradshaw, I would go out of my way to see or meet.  His appearance in Tally was just one more example of the variety of people who come to make their voices heard in the Capitol.

With the legislative session ending its sixth week, I thought it would be a nice break from the more mundane issues of budgets and bills.  Next week, however, as the session heats up and begins its run down the home stretch, look for more substantial updates on the legislation that will, hopefully, do good things for the people of our great state.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them in the Comment Section and I will respond in either a reply or a future blog post.  Thank you, as always, for your loyal readership!