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President's MessageOctober 2018
As a 501(c)(6) non-profit society, we must be involved in the legislative process for the good of our members, families, businesses and the surveying and mapping profession. I have said this before: a very important part of a professional society such as ours is legislative involvement. We outsource with Smith, Bryan & Meyers (a non-partisan government relations firm) in Tallahassee to represent and watch over the surveying and mapping profession and our business here in Florida. They do that by monitoring every new legislation or bill filed that involves the statutes and codes which govern what we do. They also seek out and speak with legislators on both sides of the aisle to inform them on who we are as a profession, and to stress the utmost importance of our relevancy in the future development of Florida and of the security of property rights for all Floridians. As advancements in technology, mapping and remote sensing dilute the need for our services, it is paramount that we stand strongly united and growing as a professional association. This one aspect alone of what your Society is doing to protect and promote your license and livelihood is surely enough to continue your support, and to strongly encourage others in the mission and purpose of FSMS. The legislative involvement of FSMS is the life blood of our profession; it is as important as our scholarship funds, education programs, networking opportunities and sustaining firms. Another vital component of an association is a Political Action Committee, or “PAC”. We are fortunate to have our own PAC, and it is referred to as the “Florida Surveying & Mapping Political Action Committee” or “FSMPAC”. This committee is administered separately outside of the FSMS office, has its own bank account, and does not EVER use any FSMS dues money. We have recently reorganized the FSMPAC and its page on our website. Please go and read about it, and by all means, make yourself a contributor! Again, we do not play politics - this is not about taking sides to ideologies. Contributions to the FSMPAC are used in their entirety for supporting and recognizing campaigns and legislators who are supportive of the surveying and mapping industry, and our industry needs. Thank you to all that have contributed this year. To those that have not, please take a few minutes and go to our website and do so. The FSMPAC truly needs all of us to dig deep and support our profession right now. A sure way of cutting down on personal and professional anxiety is knowing you did your part in supporting your professional society and its legislative presence. Plain and simple, we can all assist in ensuring our importance, purpose and future livelihood in this state by supporting elected officials who set the rules and guidelines of how we operate as a profession! We do have the ability to make a difference! “If you do politics the right way, I believe, you can actually make people's lives better. And integrity is the minimum ante to get into the game” -Joe Biden |