November 2019

It's already November and this year is flying by. Guess that tends to happen when one is busy but I, for one, am certainly waiting on some "fall" weather to appear and cool us off. Perfect weather days in Florida, to me, are clear skies, low humidity and 70° temps. Hoping they come soon!

 Last week I was privileged to attend the Quarterly meeting of the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers held in St. Augustine, Florida. Participating in her last meeting on the board was Ms. Deborah J. Hill, PSM, who has served for the past eight (8) years. Debbie has done a great job throughout her tenure having served as Chair, Vice Chair, Chair of various committees and was the Rules Committee Chair during the re-write of 5J-17 after Chapter 472 was revised to Standards of Practice. We all wish Debbie well in any new endeavors she may choose to undertake.

Iarelis Hall, PSM, was announced as the newest appointed board member coming on in 2020. We want to congratulate Ms. Hall on this appointment to the Board and know she will do a great job for the profession in this capacity.

Executive Director, Jenna Harper, also announced she is leaving the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in a couple weeks and moving to the Department of Revenue. Jenna has been an outstanding Executive Director for the Board and she will be greatly missed by the Board, the FSMS Board and licensees all over the state. Until she is replaced, inquiries can still be made to Regenia Lee. I know Regenia will do everything she can to see questions answered as quickly as possible during this time of transition.

The schedule for next year's board meetings was determined. The open to the public meetings will be February 4-5, May 5-6, July 30-31 and November 5-6. 2020. Locations include Melbourne area, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Panama City/Destin and St. Augustine. All of these are subject to change so if interested in attending, please verify with the Department Office or look to the website for updates.

As 2020 approaches, Don Elder, our incoming FSMS President will be planning the FSMS Board Meeting schedule and looking to staff our committees. Much of the accomplishments of FSMS are due to the commitment and dedication of our volunteers who act as Chairs and serve on the various committees. Committee members do not have to be a board member or someone in a leadership role at the local level. ANYONE can serve on a committee; I would encourage you to look at volunteering to serve your profession in this capacity. We have many interesting committees which include Education/Scholarship, Professional Practice, Membership, Legislative and Legal just to name a few. Please contact Don Elder if you would like to participate on any of these. All committees are also listed in The Florida Surveyor.

 I wish everyone a joyous Thanksgiving holiday. Please remember to be thankful to God for our daily blessings; be thankful to family, friends, and colleagues for we are all nothing without these things. Please also take the time to remember and thank our veterans, men and women in the military serving our country, and the men and women in our police and fire departments who serve our communities every day. Remember our teachers who work tirelessly to educate and mentor our children. Support them. They can be a great influence on the life of your child.

"Every calling is great when greatly pursued." --  Oliver Wendell Holmes. Jr.