Recently, our contingent from the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association traveled to Tallahassee and met with our elected officials accompanied by Dave Shepp and Seth McKeel from The Southern Group. They were instrumental in setting meetings with members of the state legislature that potentially have a significant impact on the Florida golf industry.

Our big ask was last year, but we wanted to thank those members that supported our efforts to get HB 967 signed by Governor DeSantis, which memorialized our BMP Certification Program in Florida Statute. It is important even if there is not a major ask that you continue to enhance the relationships with your representatives so that they know who you are and what you stand for. We also wanted to show our support of a few initiatives this year including the governor’s Executive Order, 2023-06 calling for the protection and enhancements of water quality throughout Florida. These efforts are synonymous with what we are trying to accomplish as an industry.

We met with no less than 10 state representatives and senators in our two days in the capital. Our first meeting was with Representative, Kevin Steele who has put forth HB 1379 seeking to implement provisions of the Executive Order relating to the Indian River Lagoon, basin management action plans and agricultural best management practices. HB 1379 has a companion bill in the senate (SB 1632) introduced by Senator Jason Brodeur. We also met with Senator Brodeur letting him know that we support the bills and view them as compatible with our efforts.

The first evening we were fortunate enough to dine with Representative James Buchanan from Sarasota and Representative Keith Truenow from Lake County. Representative Truenow’s support was instrumental in getting HB 967 signed last year and he has proven to be a staunch supporter of our industry. The evening allowed us to get to know both representatives better than an office setting affords. 

Tuesday morning, we were off and running with our initial meeting with our new Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson. We listened to his plans moving forward as we relayed our efforts to protect the environment through educating members and implementing our best management plans. We seem to be aligned in our goals and relayed that we (GCSAA / Florida GCSA) are proud to be a leader in helping to protect Florida’s natural resources while providing Floridians and visitors recreational opportunities to enjoy Florida’s beauty.

The highlight of our meetings was the time spent with Governor Ron DeSantis. We met in his office and spoke with him for longer than I anticipated we would and enjoyed a great exchange. The governor is very in tune with the golf industry in Florida and knew a great deal about what was transpiring around the state as far as golf is concerned. It was a busy day for the governor, but he did not appear to rush us in and out of our meeting. We did take the opportunity to thank him for his support on HB 967 and reiterated our hope to work in tandem with his efforts to protect Florida’s waters.

Our last bit of business for the day was to thank Senator Joe Gruters for his support of our efforts last year. He was unable to attend the FGCSA Annual Meeting in Longboat Key last year due to other commitments, but we acknowledged his support and thanked him as a group.

I have participated in numerous lobbying efforts, and I am compelled to say that the work The Southern Group performs on our behalf is easily some of the best use of our time and money that we can put forward. I am always energized after these interactions. I enjoy the opportunity to support our members in their endeavors and love the occasion to promote you as the environmental stewards you are.