MESSENGER e INSIDE THIS ISSUE: e Newsletter of e James Madison Institute www.jamesmadison.org 2015 | Edition 1 Trusted Solutions for a Better Florida WE’VE COME A LONG WAY. The Empire Falls: Florida Surpasses New York to Become the Third Most Populous State B y now you’ve probably heard the buzz surrounding Florida’s climb to third most- populous state in the nation. The Empire has fallen. We’ve officially surpassed New York. Florida reached a total population of 19.9 mil- lion people, gaining around 803 new residents every month during the 12-month period. You may have also asked yourself, “Why is this good news?” From what we at The James Madison Insti- tute perceive, this is good news. It’s a sign that Florida is a state worth calling home. It shows that beyond its beauty and desirable climate, Florida has much to offer on the economic op- portunity front as well. As a state, we have bounced back from the (Continued on page 3) Eva Baker PAGE 3 Thrift Week PAGE 4 Madison Movie Nights PAGE 5 Growing Greater with Your Support PAGE 6 Youth Leadership PAGE 8 Pro-Growth Tour PAGE 9 Andy Gardiner Reception PAGE 10 “Freedom to Innovate Hoppy Hour” PAGE 10 2007-08 real estate collapse and have grown the third-highest private sector employment in the nation. Florida’s state budget is also half the size of New York’s. With this tremendous swell in population comes a surge in wealth migration to the Sun- shine State. Wealth comes in many shapes and sizes — property, a small business, one’s income, a home, a family farm — and some states have squeezed wealth so tightly it has little left to give. In fact, over the last 25 years, more than $96 billion in income and wealth mi- grated from high-tax and high-regulation states like New York, New Jersey and Illinois to, you guessed it, Florida. PAGES 6 & 7 Exciting New Developments announced on
Transcript
MESSENGERThe
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
The Newsletter of The James Madison Institute www.jamesmadison.org 2015 | Edition 1Trusted Solutions for a Better Florida
WE’VE COME A LONG WAY.
The Empire Falls: Florida Surpasses New York to Become the Third Most Populous State
By now you’ve probably heard the buzz surrounding Florida’s climb to third most-
populous state in the nation. The Empire has fallen. We’ve officially surpassed New York. Florida reached a total population of 19.9 mil-lion people, gaining around 803 new residents every month during the 12-month period.
You may have also asked yourself, “Why is this good news?”
From what we at The James Madison Insti-tute perceive, this is good news. It’s a sign that Florida is a state worth calling home. It shows that beyond its beauty and desirable climate, Florida has much to offer on the economic op-portunity front as well.
As a state, we have bounced back from the (Continued on page 3)
Eva Baker Page 3
Thrift Week Page 4
Madison Movie Nights Page 5
Growing Greater with Your Support Page 6
Youth LeadershipPage 8
Pro-Growth TourPage 9
Andy Gardiner ReceptionPage 10
“Freedom to Innovate Hoppy Hour” Page 10
2007-08 real estate collapse and have grown the third-highest private sector employment in the nation. Florida’s state budget is also half the size of New York’s.
With this tremendous swell in population comes a surge in wealth migration to the Sun-shine State. Wealth comes in many shapes and sizes — property, a small business, one’s income, a home, a family farm — and some states have squeezed wealth so tightly it has little left to give. In fact, over the last 25 years, more than $96 billion in income and wealth mi-grated from high-tax and high-regulation states like New York, New Jersey and Illinois to, you guessed it, Florida.
PAG E S 6 & 7
Exciting New Developmentsannounced on
2 THE MESSENGER 2015 | Edition 1
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Bob McClure
J. Robert McClure III, Ph.D.President and CEO
STAFF DIRECTORYDana Edwards, Digital Strategist
Carter Fowler, Development CoordinatorAlyssa Gill, Director of Events and Logistics
Francisco Gonzalez, Vice President of AdvancementKristen Hill, Development Associate
Travis Keels, Director of Public AffairsBecky Liner, Executive Vice President
Jill Mattox, Foundation Grants ManagerWilliam R. Mattox, Jr., Resident Fellow
Sal Nuzzo, Vice President of Policy and Director of the Center for Economic Prosperity
Don Orrico, Southwest Florida Development Director
Daniel Peterson, Director of the Center for Property Rights
Scott K. Sholl, Florida Verve Editor Clay Tullos, Finance Manager
Valerie Wickboldt, Vice President of Communications
THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTEThe Columns
100 North Duval Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301Phone: 850-386-3131 Fax: 850-386-1807
It’s already upon us, another legislative session. Yet, this one has the opportunity to be different. Our mantra in 2015 is, “No excuses, Florida.” This is the year that much can be accomplished, and the recent election proves this.
The day after the election, JMI got to work. We outlined our policy priorities for 2015 and released them early on. We have focused our education efforts on recommended reforms/priorities in the areas of property insurance, K-12 education, Amendment 1
funding allocations, juvenile justice, energy, industry regulations, health care, labor, water and the environment.
Time will fly by and we’ll see how this session measures up, but there’s a reason to be bold. Florida has come so far. The James Madison Institute exists to make sure our state doesn’t take a step back. To that effect, we’ve made some exciting announcements inside this edition of The Messenger.
We know what happens this session is important; however, as it begins, Floridians have a lot to be thankful for as our state is well positioned in comparison to most other states in the U.S.
In late February, North Carolina’s John Locke Foundation, a sister think tank to JMI, released its “First in Freedom Index” ranking Florida #1 overall and the Foundation’s own state as #23, which was highlighted by Reason.com.
No surprise, the index ranked New York the “least-free” state overall – and again, it’s no wonder over the past 20 years Florida has picked up nearly $20 billion in wealth from those fleeing the Empire State. Mostly because of the brutal tax and regulatory environment there. (NY has to be tired of hearing this, but we’ll never be tired of repeating it.)
For nearly 30 years, JMI has worked to improve Florida in nearly all measured rankings related to economic freedom. We’ve had much success, but we know our work is never done. It’s because of supporters like you we’re able to grow, thrive and make a tremendous impact on the public policy decisions that will affect you and your family now and in the future.
Thank you again – and let’s go forward together,
www.jamesmadison.org THE MESSENGER 3
Also, if Florida remains in this position for the 2020 census that would mean a gain of one seat in the U.S House leading to more influence in Washington.
But what if those who migrate to our state forget why they came here in the first place? What if longtime Florida residents lose the understanding behind the reasons for our state’s success? That would be where the good news could turn to bad.
At JMI, we’re determined to continue telling the Florida story to remind those
who live here, those who may live here in the future and anyone visiting that our state thrives because we have recognized that the real fuel in the engine of economic prosperity comes not from government intrusion in the market, but in freedom from it.
“Florida is an example of what can happen when the private sector, local gov-ernments, the legislature and the governor all work together to promote a climate that fosters innovation and job creation,” said Dr. Robert McClure, President and
2014 Preston A. Wells, Jr. Student Award Winner — Eva Baker: She’s Got Cents
Third Most Populous State(Continued from page 1)
teens,” said Dr. Bob McClure. “Teens like Eva stand out for their ability to be proac-tive and resourceful. Her ability to connect teens with a topic that is important for their future success is truly a great contri-bution to the state of Florida. That’s why we’re so thrilled to award her this honor through JMI’s Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for American Ideals.”
To see for yourself this mo-tivating story, watch “She’s Got Cents: The Story of Eva Baker” at this link:http://bit.ly/ShesGotCents_JMI.
If you asked most teens about their future plans you might expect to get answers
about a weekend with friends, a date to prom or maybe even college prospects. Eva Baker’s answer, however, may sur-prise you.
At the age of 17, this Jacksonville, Fla. native established her own financial web-site aimed at educating her fellow teenag-ers about a topic that will play a big role in their success, but often a small part in daily conversation.
Eva, a competitive rock climber, endured long drives to the gym as her mother listened to the audio version of Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Make-over.” What first seemed quite boring to a teen, quickly became an inspiration to this young entrepreneur.
“I thought to myself, these are great tips after the fact, but what can teens do to not get into this situation in the first
place? I searched the Internet for financial education websites aimed at young people and didn’t see anything that spoke to me. There was nothing for teens, by teens, to help them,” lamented Eva. “So, I decided to take on this challenge.”
Eva launched TeensGotCents.com, a financially focused blog that tackles an array of topics from budgeting, saving for college, do-it-yourself tips, deal-finding tactics, and job-searching advice — all tailored to the younger generation. Her posts come from real-world experiences and feature guest submissions from ex-perts in their respective fields.
“I am dedicated to teaching teens just how to be purposeful with their money,” Eva said.
Eva’s story and website has gain state and national media attention, and in 2014, she was awarded The James Madi-son Institute’s 2014 Preston A. Wells, Jr. Student Award for her exemplary work and entrepreneurial spirit. Becky Liner, JMI’s executive vice president presented Eva with the award at JMI’s Constitution Day celebration in Tallahassee on Sept. 16 (pictured top of next column).
“Eva took initiative creating a fun and informative tool that was lacking in the area of personal finance education for
CEO of The James Madison Institute. JMI was quoted in several state and national media outlets including the National Re-view, Washington Post and the Tampa Bay Times, responding to the announcement of Florida’s population growth.
Florida has a top-rated business cli-mate, a welcome environment for en-trepreneurs, and a dedication to free enterprise principles. Our state has figured out the formula for success and remains a model for the nation in that regard.
Good news indeed.
4 THE MESSENGER 2015 | Edition 1
CFO Jeff Atwater Celebrates “Thrift Week” with JMI
“Thrift Week” kicked off on Jan. 17, the birthday of one of the fathers of thrift, Benjamin Franklin. During the weeklong celebration, JMI hosted a lun-cheon featuring special guest speaker Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwa-ter. The CFO led a large gathering of guests and media assembled at JMI headquarters in a discussion about how the concept of thrift was a core component in Florida’s economic success story. Watch his entire presentation featured on The Florida Channel here: http://bit.ly/CFOAtwaterThrift.
“Fiscal discipline attracts capital. Even though the numbers highlighted in my
presentation are important, this story is not so much about the numbers. This is a story about a belief in the human spirit and an understanding that every policy has a consequence,” CFO Atwater said to the crowd. “I want you to see the numbers across time and note the results of public policymaking. Whatever you are a part of, you didn’t achieve success by accident. Public policy is no different. Public policy has a value proposition.”
CFO Atwater closed by stating that Florida needs to continue to attract great entrepreneurial minds and keep hard-earned dollars in the hands of Floridians. He presented JMI a state-issued proclama-tion recognizing “Thrift Week” in Florida, which was signed by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet.
“Being thrift-minded doesn’t just mean pinching pennies – it’s often about find-ing a way to increase quality without increasing spending, being innovative and focusing on getting more out of less. In comparison to other states in our na-tion, Florida understands this,” Dr. Bob McClure added.
JMI has honored “Thrift Week” in a variety of ways in past years and contin-ues to promote the “Thrift Ethic: Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” Throughout the year, our classroom curriculum, “All About the Benjamins,” has taught this thrift ethic to more than 350,000 students across the state.Media and attendees listen to CFO Jeff Atwater present at JMI’s “Thrift Week” celebration event
Summer Interns Andrew Nugent, Joe Endicott,
Jordan Watkins, Lauren Calmet, Stephen Syfrett, Zach Poole
Fall Interns Aaron Ruster-Mack, Brent Morando, Carter Fowler, Colin Gilliam,
Colin Perrier Corrie Hodges, Katie Dawson, Melissa Gorham, Tony Durel
Thank you to our 2014
Summer and Fall Semester Interns!
www.jamesmadison.org THE MESSENGER 5
Madison Movie Nights: 2014 Fall Series
JMI’s VP of Communications Named “Top 30 Under 30”
SaintPetersBlog.com names JMI Vice President of Communications Valerie Wickboldt a “Top 30 Un-der 30 Rising Star in Florida Poli-tics.” Read her interview here: http://bit.ly/JMIVWickboldt.
A fright-night double feature thrilled audiences at the first Madison Movie
Night in JMI’s 2014 fall series followed by a musically-influenced account of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
and tragedy about a broken family, a bru-tal government, and an act of defiance that changes everything.*
The second fea ture, “L1TTL3 BR0TH3R,” is a political thriller with a sci-fi twist. It follows a fictional Nobel laureate who, armed with an unbreak-able determination to battle tyranny, risks everything to challenge the status quo. Inspired by films such as “1984” and “V for Vendetta,” “L1TTL3 BR0TH3R” explores both the promise and peril of technological progress – revealing how technology has become a powerful tool used by oppressors and freedom fighters alike. The film makes a timely contribution to current debates over state surveillance, technological activism and governments’ suppression of citizens’ core freedoms.*
In November, JMI commemorated the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with the film “Rockin’ the Wall,” directed by Marc Leif. It is the compelling story of rock and roll’s part in bringing down the Berlin Wall and smashing the Iron Curtain. Told from the perspective of rockers who played at the time, on both sides of the Wall, and from survivors of the communist regimes who recalled the lifeline that rock music provided them, “Rockin’ the Wall” features new inter-views, music from the Doors, Quiet Riot
and other influential bands of the time, and several original songs written exclu-sively for the film. The emerging message shows music is a force of liberation, and in a society like America’s, where it is seldom — if ever — truly suppressed, music failed to ignite a social revolution.*
Nearing the time of Halloween, JMI showed “2081” by Kurt Vonnegut, along with the short film, “L1TTL3 BR0TH3R,” written, produced and directed by Cyrus Saidi and Gautam Pinto of the Moving Picture Institute.
“2081” is a film based on the short story, “Harrison Bergeron,” which de-picts a dystopian future in 2081 in which, thanks to the 212th Amendment to the Constitution and the vigilance of the U.S. Handicapper General, everyone is “fi-nally equal.” The strong wear weights, the beautiful wear masks and the intelligent wear earpieces that fire off loud noises to keep them from taking unfair advantage of their brains. It is a poetic tale of triumph
Rockin’ the Wall
Finally Equal
l1ttl3br0th3r
*Film descriptions featured on www.finallyequal.com, www.l1ttl3br0th3r.com and www.rockinthewall.com respectively.
6 THE MESSENGER 2015 | Edition 1
Growing Greater with Your Support
In past Messengers, we’ve captured the exciting moments of JMI’s growth in
recent years. From the launch of three new JMI Centers (K. Earl Durden Center for the Advancement of Liberty; the Carol and Barney Barnett Young Leaders Center; and the Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Ameri-can Ideals), to the addition of five new JMI team members that significantly increase JMI’s capacity to reach the masses, we are growing greater every year with the support of generous donors like you who believe in our mission.
Now, we’re thrilled to announce sev-eral new developments that are game changing:
CENTRAL FLORIDA – CENTER FOR PROPERTY RIGHTS: For more than a year, JMI has partnered with the Coalition for Property Rights (founded in 2001), an organization based out of Orlando, on several endeavors including a 2014 Fall Issues Forum with keynote speaker Adam Putnam, Florida’s Commissioner of Agri-culture. Starting March 2015, JMI will take over management of the Coalition and it will become the JMI Center for Property Rights. The JMI Center will be headed up by longtime director of the Coalition, Dan Peterson and will retain office space in Orlando.
Dan has been deeply involved in the Central Florida business and political communities since 1999. Before coming to the Coalition, Dan worked in both the Florida Senate and the Florida House as a legislative assistant. Prior to that, he was a public affairs manager for SPRINT. Before moving to Orlando in 1998, Dan served as Campus Crusade’s director of affairs for Eurasia (the former Soviet Union). During his 14 years of residency in Moscow, Rus-sia, Dan traveled extensively as a seminar leader and conference speaker.
Just before launching the Center for Property Rights, in coordination with the Coalition, JMI released an Issue Commen-
tary titled, “Responsible Preservation of Florida’s Resources: Priorities For Ensur-ing Effective Use of Amendment 1 Fund-ing.” The recommended priorities have received broad, statewide support and have been a useful tool in educating Flor-ida’s leaders on how to proceed with al-locating Amendment 1 funds, which total more than $20 billion over a 20-year span.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA – NEW DE-VELOPMENT DIRECTOR: Don Orrico joined JMI as the Institute’s Southwest Florida Development Director in January 2015. Don is glad to return to this region of Florida where he graduated from Ave Maria University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics, Economics & Govern-ment and a minor in History. In the past year, Don has contributed his talent to the teams of Congressman Bill Posey on Capi-tol Hill and Gov. Rick Scott here in Florida.
Proudly born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., Don is emblematic of “The Florida Story.” As the infrastructure and economy
of his home state deteriorated before his eyes, he believed that the New York model of governance was a thing of the past.
Don feels he’s joined the right team to help protect Florida from the same fate that has befallen New York and other states like it. Don brings a unique back-ground to the position of Development Director having worked for his beloved New York Yankees, in hotel sales and management, and real estate management in the New York metropolitan area.
MIAMI, TAMPA, ORLANDO and TAL-LAHASSEE - LEADERS FELLOWSHIP: In 2014, JMI embarked on a new initiative with intensive outreach to under 40 young professionals. With chapters in Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Tallahassee, program participants are selected through a rigor-
Dan Peterson, Director of the JMI Center for Property Rights
Don Orrico, Southwest Florida Development Director
www.jamesmadison.org THE MESSENGER 7
ous nomination process and include some of the most impressive young profession-als across the Sunshine State.
After the inaugural 2014-2015 year, JMI has plans to start additional chapters in other Florida cities. To the right are list-ings of those who serve on the Statewide Executive Committee and the current members of each of the existing four re-gional chapters.
ACROSS FLORIDA AND BEYOND - NEW OUTREACH TOOLS: In November, JMI issued a survey to gather input on an assortment of subjects from our pub-lications, events and our website to our fundraising and public policy efforts, and everything in between. Thank you to those who participated.
Based on the feedback we received, we’ve been making some changes. First, we streamlined our email alerts to include Children Tried As Adults in Florida
A Common Sense Approach to Ensure Fairness and Accountability
OverviewFlorida prosecutors have virtually unfettered discretion to decide which children to try as adults. While Florida law authorizes “judicial waiver” (a court hearing to determine whether a child should be tried as an adult),1 more than 98 percent of children tried as adults are “direct filed” in adult court by prosecutors—with no hearing, due process, over-sight or input from a judge.2 Sole discretion results in wide disparities in how a child’s case is handled, depending on where he or she lives. Last year, a child charged with a felony offense was almost twice as likely to be tried as an adult in Duval or Hillsbor-ough County, three times as likely in Palm Beach County, and four times as likely in Escambia County as compared to a child in Miami-Dade.3
Florida Has the Highest Number of Adult Transfers Reported by Any State Over the last five years, more than 10,000 children have been tried as adults in Florida.4 While the number of youth in the adult system has been on the decline, this largely tracks the overall reduction in juvenile arrests.5 Still, in 2013-2014 more than 1,300 children were transferred to adult court in Florida, the highest number of adult transfers reported by any state.6 Countless other children are pressured to accept guilty pleas just to avoid the danger of adult transfer.7 Children tried as adults are “branded for life.” A child convicted in the adult system becomes a “felon” for life, severely limiting educational and employment opportunities forever. A child loses the right to vote before even acquiring
it. Children should not be placed in jeopardy of such serious consequences without a fair process.
Children Receive Most Effective Treat-ment in the Juvenile Justice System Youth who commit serious crimes should be held account-able in the juvenile justice system. Children in adult facil-ities do not receive the education, rehabilitative services and treatment they need to ensure they do not re-offend as adults. Prosecuting children in the adult system therefore leads to more crime, not less.8 The cost to society is tangi-ble: increased recidivism and incarceration, and decreased employment opportunities and economic self-reliance. Giv-en recent reforms, Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice is uniquely equipped to provide the interventions and controls necessary to hold young offenders accountable and reduce the risk to re-offend.
• Let a Judge Decide. Restore judicial waiver to allow a judge to decide whether a particular child should be tried as an adult.
• Recognize Children are Different. Given the unique needs and vulnerabilities of children, ensure fair criteria before a child can be tried as an adult, and house chil-dren only in juvenile facilities.
• Do What Works. Hold children accountable, protect public safety and use taxpayer funds effectively by treat-ing children in the juvenile justice system, where bet-ter outcomes for the individual and community are the most likely.
Issue CommentaryFebruary 2015
ing the comprehensive “2015 Policy Priori-ties” and the “Issue Commentary.”
The “2015 Policy Priorities” descriptive document is a clear guide to the policy priorities that JMI will focus on this year. The publication also provides a detailed account of the considerations and process behind how JMI selects this list of issues from the hot button topic of the legislative session to the long-ranging problem that will not be solved within the year.
a weekly, branded “Madison Minute,” which is a brief look into the topic of the week, policy-oriented or otherwise. And we’ve created comprehensive headers for our other alerts including the “Media Men-tion” and “Event Notice” emails, along with other specialty announcements.
We also created two additional tools solely for public policy education includ-
The “Issue Commentary” is a one-to-two page document that captures the narrative behind specific policy topics and often offers policy solutions that can address the issues at hand. This is meant to provide a quick glance of a topic cur-rently being addressed, or one that is soon to make headway. Commentaries are distributed among Florida’s policymakers and to our membership across the state and nation.
In the fall of 2015, JMI plans to unveil a new website that will significantly in-crease our reach and impact. We’ve taken into consideration survey responses and are currently collaborating with industry leaders to create a user-friendly, engaging and search engine-optimized web pres-ence that will be sure to wow. We can’t wait to share it with you!
The core of the program is a year-long fellowship where about 15 young professionals in each city (and about 30 in Tallahassee) meet together formally once a month: the fellowship has dinner discussions with guest speakers (such as authors, scholars, business leaders and elected officials) and they meet informally as well, forming friendships and network-ing with like-minded business leaders. Each chapter has its own private Facebook page to share information with each other and for JMI staff to share with them. Once their “year” fellowship is over, they will not be done with their JMI experience. They will enter into a growing statewide network that will build upon itself year after year.
Orlando chapter connects with Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow, Cato Institute
Miami chapter meets with State Senator Anitere Flores and State Representatives Erik Fresen and Jose Felix Diaz
8 THE MESSENGER 2015 | Edition 1
Youth Leadership “Government and Media Day”As part of JMI’s youth outreach efforts,
we partnered with Youth Leadership Tallahassee to host our annual “Govern-ment and Media Day” in October. During this day of hands-on activities, Tallahassee high school students had the opportunity to role play as elected officials and the me-dia. Throughout the day students partici-pated in interactive events that served to focus on three main goals to help students:
• Develop an understanding of lo-cal and state government, and the media’s role in holding government accountable;
• Interact with government and media officials; and,
• Heighten their awareness of issues facing government officials.
First, students traveled to the commis-sion chambers in city hall where they participated in a “Principles of Good Decision-Making” course, followed by a special visit from Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. Mayor Gillum addressed the students during the “Mayor for a Day Election,” where students had the oppor-
tunity to “campaign” for the position of mayor, play the role of a particular “voter,” or act as a “media member” in charge of asking the hard questions during mayoral speeches.
Following this election, students ven-tured to JMI headquarters where they
played a “Let’s Balance!” budgeting game with the Leon County Office of Financial Stewardship, and then heard from distin-guished members of the Florida Capitol Press Corps, as well as city and county commissioners at lunch.
A short walk to the Florida Capitol gave students time to talk through their next activity “Bill or No Bill,” designed so that students take turns being the Governor and must either sign or veto legislation after hearing the pros and cons of the issue and polling their constituents.
This was followed by participation in a mock Supreme Court case taken from an actual U.S. Supreme Court case that tested the First Amendment (free speech) rights of high school students on a school field trip.
Mayor Andrew Gillum with Youth Leadership Tallahassee mayoral candidates.
(Pictured right) WTXL’s Abby Mauer and Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson with Youth Leadership Tallahassee students. Students were able to ask reporters and government officials about their occupations and role in government.
Kristen Dozier and JMI’s VP of Communications Valerie Wickboldt discuss their roles in the local government.
www.jamesmadison.org THE MESSENGER 9
The James Madison Institute’s Publius Society is a group of men and women who believe the most important legacy they can leave their children
is a bequest of freedom.
Become a friend of the people of Florida and join James Madison’s quest to leave a permanent legacy of liberty to future generations.
Why Publius?Publius was the pseudonym chosen by James
Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton, in their original collective writing of The Federalist Papers.
These 85 papers from the anonymous “Publius” appeared in newspapers across the country to support the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Madison and his colleagues chose the name of the Roman consul, Publius, in honor of his role in establishing the Roman Republic. The Roman name, “Publius,” also literally means, “a friend of the people.”
LEAVE A LEGACY OF LIBERTY
JOIN JMI’S PUBLIUS SOCIETY
If you are interested in joining the Publius Society, please contact JMI Vice President of Advancement,
Pro-Growth Tour with FLDEO Director Jesse PanuccioReaching hundreds of Floridians in
key cities, JMI’s statewide pro-growth speaker tour featured Jesse Panuccio, executive director of the Florida Depart-ment of Economic Opportunity (DEO). JMI staff traveled with Director Panuccio from Tallahassee to Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Davie, Miami and Coral Gables. Events ranged from meetings with JMI’s Board of Advisors and the Leaders Fellowship, to speeches given on Constitution Day through JMI’s American Cause College Seminar Series at Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University.
During the course of the tour, JMI pro-moted the values of free-market principles, as well as the need for increased economic opportunity. An infographic was also dis-tributed on the tour, which was created by DEO using facts and figures to tell the Florida economic turnaround story.
Director Panuccio and Dr. Bob McClure were featured on the Florida Roundtable radio program, as well WLRN in Miami. Listen in on the Florida Roundtable dis-cussion here: http://bit.ly/FLRoundtableProGrowth.
The message of the week was clear: Florida is
on the right path and there is no need to go back or to pursue policies that have failed in other states. Given the message Florida voters sent in November, it is clear most agreed.
10 THE MESSENGER 2015 | Edition 1
Dr. J. Antonio Villamil Joins JMI Research Advisory Council
Nationally-recognized economist, Dr. J. Antonio Villamil, founder and princi-
pal of The Washington Eco-nomics Group, Inc., joins JMI’s Research Advisory Council. See release here: http://bit.ly/VillamilJMI.
JMI Sponsors the 2014 Sayfie Review Florida Leaders Summit Joining a star-studded gathering of
top thought leaders on a state and national scale, JMI was announced as one of the newest major sponsors of the 2014 Sayfie Review Florida Leaders Summit in December at the JW Marriott in Orlando. More than 300 guests gath-ered to participate in panel discussions
and hear from keynote speakers Fareed Zakaria from CNN, Ray Kurzweil from Google, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. JMI President Dr. Bob McClure led a round-table discussion on K-12 education in Florida (picture below).
“Freedom to Innovate Hoppy Hour” in Jacksonville
Many entrepreneurs face occupational licensing laws and regulations that
stifle entrance into their chosen industry or the growth of their business. To highlight these issues, JMI held a ”Freedom to Inno-vate Hoppy Hour” at Intuition Ale Works, a local brewery in Jacksonville, Fla.
Attendees received an Intuition Ale/JMI-branded pint glass and a tour of the brewery. The owner explained many of the obstacles facing the craft brew industry nationwide and in Florida.
Additionally, Ari Bargil of the Institute for Justice, and Daniel Davy from the DeVoe L. Moore Center at Florida State University, laid out challenges met by two other consumer favorites – ridesharing programs and food trucks.
Florida Forward: Closing the Income Gap On Sept. 15, the Orlando Sentinel held
a “Florida Forward” panel at the Al-fond Inn in Orlando to discuss “Closing the Income Gap.” The panelists included JMI Senior Fellow and Valencia econom-ics Professor Jack Chambless, University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith,
Organize Now Director Stephanie Porta, lawyer and commentator Tico Perez and former Orlando Police Chief Val Dem-ings. Watch the recorded panel discussion by clicking here: http://bit.ly/Florida ForwardIncomeGap.
FSU NewsFSViewGainesville SunGuampdn.comHerald Tribune PoliticsHernando TodayHistoric City News – St. Johns
CountyHuman EventsKnoe.comLeed PointsLubbock OnlineManufacturing.netMarco Island EagleMiami HeraldMiami Herald BlogMiami Herald Naked PoliticsMySuncoast.comNaples Daily NewsNCPANews Herald – Panama City NewsmaxNews PressNews Service of FloridaOcala Star-BannerOrlando SentinelPalm Beach Post Pensacola News JournalPensions & InvestmentsPharmacy ChoicePolitics in Polk
Property and Environment Research
PR LogPR WebR StreetSaint PetersBlogSaint PetersBlog/SunburnSarasota Herald TribuneSayfie ReviewSeeking Alpha StorifySun SentinelSunshine State NewsTampa Bay TimesTampa Bay Times BlogsTampa Bay Times NIETallahassee DemocratTC PalmTampa TribuneThe Florida Current The Heartland InstituteThe Lakeland LedgerThe Republic (AP)They Gave Us a RepublicTopixTownhallUniversity PressVero Beach NewsweeklyWatchdog.orgWork Force Florida
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Radio/TV
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JMI’s 2014 Media HitsFlorida Senate Presidents Join JMI in Panama City Reception In October, JMI held a reception in
Panama City for Florida Senate Presi-dent Don Gaetz and then-incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner. Thank you to all who attended!
