President's Message

June 2019

President Dianne Collins

   Another month has gone by and it’s time to write this message again.  The time is absolutely flying this year. I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day and are looking forward to Father’s Day coming up this month as well as summer vacations.

    May was a busy month, as they all are at this point. We started the month with our FSMS Scholarship and FSMS Board of Director’s meetings held at the Stern Learning Center located in the Austin Cary Forest just northeast of Gainesville. What a beautiful venue for this meeting. We really appreciate the University of Florida for having this facility and providing it to us.

Brief highlights of these meetings:

  • We had only one scholarship applicant to review and approve this quarter. We still have funds available and I would like to encourage any of you with staff, family or friends that are working towards a career in Geomatics to complete the application for this assistance. We really want to help as many people as possible.
  • “Unlicensed Practice Committee” has been renamed/rebranded as the “Professional Practice Committee”. This committee will be addressing not only apparent unlicensed practice but will also be trying to address items in municipal and county codes that are of concern to the Professional Surveyors and Mappers of Florida.
  • The Florida Legislative session ended with deletion of ALL of the requested funding for the Geomatics program and Tide Marker replacements funding for the Division of State Lands. This has been a continuing battle for several years and we will be looking for ways to address this, hopefully with more success, during next year’s session.
  • Our slate of officers for the 2020 year was approved – Elections should be happening as this issue is published. PLEASE VOTE even if there’s only one candidate. We do have two candidates for NSPS Director and I encourage you to vote for whomever you believe will best represent FSMS at the national level. It only takes a minute to cast your vote and it is important.
  • The financial status of FSMS is sound due in part to your support and participation as members but also to the fiscal responsibility exercised by our Executive Director, Tom Steckler. He does a great job for us!

     We want to thank Dominic Levings for his contribution to our organization over the past couple of years. We wish him well in his new endeavors. At the same time, we want to welcome our new Communications Director, Laura Levine who started with us on May 20th. At this time, Dominic is working with and training her to take over his duties. Please give Laura your support and a little latitude while she acclimates herself to our organization. Stop by to say hello and introduce yourselves at the Conference.

     Speaking of the Conference, remember Conference registration is NOW OPEN. It’s going to be a great time in Orlando, July 24th-27th. Register for conference and get your room reserved now. Please consider sponsorship and let us know if there are Exhibitors you’d particularly like to see included in this year’s Exhibit Hall. We have an additional surprise that will complement your conference experience. We will be utilizing a Conference App for your phones which will provide schedules, who’s attending the events, potential changes to scheduled events, etc. Everything you need to know about conference will be at your fingertips. This year the app is being sponsored by KEITH so please thank Dodie Keith for giving us this opportunity to further enhance the conference experience.

     For all who have fathers in their lives, be they fathers, grandfathers, husbands, sons or brothers, take this special day of Father’s Day to show them how important they are and how much they mean to you.

“Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” 
—John F. Kennedy

Dianne Collins