Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 58th anniversary of Head Start, a program launched in 1965 as a comprehensive, anti-poverty, child development program. The program President Johnson envisioned as an eight-week summer program for a few thousand children has since served over 37 million children and their families.

For 58 years, Head Start has promoted school readiness for children in economically disadvantaged families, those families suffering from homelessness, and children in the foster care system by offering educational, nutritional, health, and social services. Head Start offers programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories, including programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives, and in migrant and seasonal communities.

Head Start serves nearly 43,000 children and their families in Florida alone. Over the past year in my state, almost 33,000 children have been kept up-to-date on health screenings, over 19,000 children have received preventative dental care, and over 32,000 families have received support services. In addition, Head Start employees conducted over 109,000 home visits.

Early in my professional career, I worked as a Head Start teacher, a job which helped position me to better serve my vulnerable constituents here in this chamber. As I reflect on that experience, I am awed by the profound impact Head Start has had on our society, and I am proud to have played a role, both as a Head Start teacher and a Member of Congress in helping disrupt generational poverty.

The Head Start promise is simple: every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach their full potential. As we celebrate the 58th anniversary of this extraordinary program, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Head Start and its staff for their invaluable contributions over the past 57 years to building opportunities so that every child can thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the service and accomplishments of Dr. Phelton Moss, my senior policy advisor who is transitioning from my office to continue his mission at the NAACP.

A Mississippi native, Dr. Moss came to my office ready to change the American education system to increase equity and give students a fighting chance to succeed. While in my office, Dr. Moss has pushed my education agenda to great lengths--from drafting legislation to increase teacher pay, increase the Pell grant, and provide at least one nurse in every public school.

In our time together, I have recognized that Dr. Moss is a force in education. His passion has been powerful over the last year as we have fought for underserved and disadvantaged communities. His commitment to education has led Dr. Moss to teach high school English, move an underperforming middle school in Mississippi from an F to a C, and become Bureau Director of Educator Effectiveness and Talent Acquisition at the Mississippi Department of Education. Dr. Moss has and will continue to make a difference and leave his mark on education as he continues to fight for a better system.

On behalf of Florida's 24th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Phelton Cortez Moss for his exemplary accomplishments, dedication to public service, and trailblazing leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the service and accomplishments of Langston White, my intern who is transitioning from my office to further his education at Hampton University.

Langston White is a graduating senior at Cleveland Heights High School completing his senior project with my office. He will attend Hampton University next year as a Business Administration major with a focus in Finance.

The son of Daiedra and Garrett White, Langston is from Cleveland, Ohio. He is a member of the Minority Student Action Network and Students Advocating for Youth where he volunteers his time to advocate for rights and equity across communities. In his time as a high school student, Langston has advocated for the equity and fair treatment of Black Americans, stood by and protested for sexual assault survivors, and interned for the NAACP.

During his time in this office, he spoke to constituents daily, researched legislative topics, and attended briefings on various subjects. He has displayed a great work ethic and professionalism.

On behalf of Florida's 24th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Langston White for his exemplary character, dedication to teamwork, and willingness to learn.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the service of Hilton Etienne, my intern who has completed his Spring 2023 semester serving the people of Florida's 24th Congressional District. Hilton has proven to be a very articulate young man and shows great promise for his future endeavors. Hilton has assisted my office in various areas, such as education policy, constituent outreach, and research. He has demonstrated an excellent drive and a continuous willingness to learn.

Hilton Etienne is a proud first generation Haitian American from Pompano Beach, FL. He is a current student at the University of Florida majoring in Economics. While at the University of Florida, he has orchestrated college prep workshops for underrepresented high school students to obtain access to higher education through the Bridges Multicultural Outreach Program and has spent the last year serving as the elected secretary of the Black Student Union. His experience in Student Government and the Black Student Union has empowered him to pursue a career around helping students achieve their dreams.

Upon transitioning from his internship, Hilton will start a fellowship with the PPIA Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University. While there, he will spend 6 weeks taking graduate level coursework in Economics, Public Policy, and Foreign Relations to be well equipped to pursue a master's in public policy upon obtaining his bachelor's.

On behalf of Florida's 24th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Hilton Etienne for his present and future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, from the 24th District of the great state of Florida, I rise today to recognize and honor the life and legacy of Hector Javier Rocco and commending him for his devotion to the Nation and its ideals.

Whereas, Hector Javier Rocco was born on December 3, 1959, where he was raised, the oldest of 4 children to Hector Rocco and Doris Avalos. He was the son of a school teacher and businesswoman; and husband to Ines Veronica Perea:

Whereas, trained as a systems analyst and having worked in the Chilean fishing and mining industries for many years as a human resource manager; in 2001, Mr. Rocco and his family moved to Hollywood, Florida in the pursuit of the American Dream. There, as is common for many new immigrants to America, he worked a variety of jobs in the construction and furniture industry. He quickly gained skills and found a passion as a handyman. Realizing a life dream of becoming a business owner, Mr. Rocco and his wife opened a cleaning, remodeling, and repair company. For over twenty years, Mr. Rocco worked in Broward and Miami- Dade counties where he renovated homes, businesses, and schools.

Whereas, Mr. Rocco was grateful for America and the opportunities it provided for him and his family, and was known for his talent and dedication to his craft. Mr. Rocco raised children who grew up to be entrepreneurs, public servants, and community leaders: reveled in the successes and accomplishments of his children, and never missed an opportunity to express his love for them.

Whereas, his humor, bright spirit, graciousness, kindness, and joie de vivre were an inspiration to those fortunate enough to know and work with him;

Whereas, a committed brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend, Mr. Rocco was loved and respected both in the United States and around the world;

Whereas, Mr. Rocco leaves to carry on his legacy his four children: Hector Javier Rocco Jr., Karina Stefania Rocco, Giovanni Paolo Rocco, Antonella Francesca Rocco, and five grandchildren; Walter Aaron Pescador, Sofia Victoria Rocco, Isabella Agatha Agudelo, Amelie Eleanor Agudelo, and Madolyn Olivia Rocco McNellis.

Whereas, left to mourn him are a host of family members, dear cherished friends, and a beloved community who lost a strong, forward- thinking leader and generous and knowledgeable individual;

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Frederica S. Wilson, a member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 24th Congressional District of Florida, am honored to recognize the late Hector Javier Rocco for his exemplary career, contributions to his community, and devotion to his family and friends.

Mr. Chair, today I rise in opposition to H.R. 5. As an educator, I believe parent voices should be honored in schools. All educators believe this.

We know that this bill is not about that at all. We have always had parents involved in our schools, so stop being foolish and divisive. We always need their input.

This bill is nothing more than a talking point of the extreme MAGA agenda that will hurt children and hurt our schools. Let's face it-- there has been a movement to eliminate public education since the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.

With the election of our President 7 years ago, it pulled the scab of a wound that never healed. Now it is an open, gaping wound, and it is out of control. They are throwing everything at public schools but the kitchen sink: vouchers, excessive testing, poorly paid teachers, banning books, and now they are trying to drive a wedge and create an antagonistic relationship between schools and their parents. How pathetic. How dreadful.

Parents love teachers. Everybody loves teachers. Every parent has an ``I love and remember a teacher'' story. How disgraceful that we want to terrorize the very people who love our children, keep them safe, and educate them for over 8 hours daily. Our teachers are sacrificial lambs.

You will never eliminate public schools. We will fight you as long as it takes. This is all that the little children who look like me have. Public schools are the bedrock of this Nation.

Let me tell you what a parent's bill of rights should include. I will call it the parents' 10 commandments:

Thou shalt restore the Child Tax Credit; provide free, hot breakfast and lunch; provide free pre-K and free community college.

Thou shalt end the school-to-prison pipeline; put a nurse in every school; offer after-school activities; provide intensive counseling services, particularly to address school shootings.

Thou shalt offer parents the right to improve their education and job skills, love and respect every child's individuality, guarantee that every child's teacher will make a minimum of $60,000 a year.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard the women of Congress come to the floor one by one by one to tell their personal stories about abortion. I am a very private person, and I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to relive the most painful time in my entire life.

But, yesterday, I read these startling statistics about my State, yes, the great State of Florida, the beautiful Sunshine State with all the beaches and the theme parks and the immigrant-rich communities, my Florida, my State.

If abortion is banned nationwide, Florida will be the most impacted State, seeing maternal deaths increase by 29 percent. That is the mother.

The Nation will see a 24 percent increase in maternal deaths, with a disproportionate 39 percent rise in maternal mortality for Black women.

All I ever wanted since I was a little girl was plenty of children that I could love and cuddle and raise to greatness. That was the school principal in me even back then.

So, after getting married in 1968, I would soon become a mother-to- be. It was the joy of my life. I was ecstatic. My husband was walking on the clouds. My husband and I would touch my stomach all the time just to feel the movement of our baby boy and the glory of a life growing inside of me. It was amazing.

Then, at 7 months, the baby stopped moving. He was soon pronounced dead right inside of my womb, and the doctor was prohibited, by law, from inducing labor.

I had to learn how, first of all, to handle the immense grief that comes with losing a child and the fact that the corpse of that child was still within me.

I cried every night and all day. My little body was wretched with pain, weakness, and frailty. I lost 50 pounds. I would crawl into a fetal position in my mother's lap most of the day and in my husband's most of the night.

I beg you, I plead with you, we can't go back. Lord have mercy, please have mercy on women like me.

I almost died. As the days became weeks and the weeks became months, the baby began to disintegrate, and the flesh from the corpse began to spill into my bloodstream. I was at risk for toxic shock. Poison was flowing through my grief-stricken little body.

At 8\1/2\ months, I went into labor, hard, painful labor, and what was left of the baby Wilson boy was born. Oh, what a day. Oh, what pain. Oh, what grief. Oh, what despair. Oh, what suffering.

After 3 days, I left the maternity ward in a wheelchair emptyhanded, no baby, nothing. I watched other mothers and families celebrate their newborns while I grieved and cried.

We had a small graveside burial for baby boy Wilson, and the doctors were so afraid that I would also have had to have a graveside burial.

Do not take us back to the days before Roe v. Wade. Everyone who needs reproductive healthcare is different. Abortion does not only apply to women who have decided for themselves they are not ready to have a child. Abortion affects women who are at risk of facing medical emergencies, life-altering emergencies, and death.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, let the women march on and on till victory is won.

You cannot put young, childbearing women at risk because of a group of ludicrous, hateful, majority male Congressmen, who have no idea what it feels to even bear the pain of childbirth or even have the courage to carry a child for 9 months and who take pride in monitoring women's vaginas.

How dare you. How dare you. How dare you.

May God help you find it in your heart to hear my story and never wish that kind of pain and grief that I experienced on another living soul.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today to recognize and honor the life and legacy of Congresswoman Carrie Pittman Meek and commend her for her devotion to the Nation and its ideals.

Whereas, Carrie Mae Pittman was born on April 29, 1926, in Tallahassee, Florida, where she was raised, the youngest of 12 children of Willie and Carrie Pittman. She was the daughter of sharecroppers and granddaughter of a slave; and

Whereas, Congresswoman Meek earned a bachelor's degree in biology and physical education from Florida A&M University while setting records as a track and field athlete. Due to a ban in Florida that prevented Black students from attending State graduate schools, Ms. Meek enrolled at the University of Michigan, where she earned a master's degree in public health and physical education; and

Whereas, upon graduation, she accepted a position at Bethune Cookman College as an instructor and became the institution's first female basketball coach. In 1958, she returned to Florida A&M as an instructor in Health and Physical Education; a position she held until 1961. Meek continued her teaching career at Miami Dade Community College as the first Black professor, associate dean, and assistant to the Vice President from 1961 to 1979; and

Whereas, in 1979, Meek began her trailblazing political career as a Democratic Florida State House Representative. From 1983 to 1993, she served as the first African American woman in the Florida State Senate and went on to become a United States Congresswoman representing Florida's 17th Congressional district. One of the first Black members from Florida elected to Congress since the Reconstruction Era, Meek was a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee and worked to secure $100 million in aid to rebuild Dade County as the area recovered from Hurricane Andrew. While in the House, Congresswoman Meek focused her attention on issues such as economic development, health care, education, and housing. She led legislation through Congress to improve Dade County's transit system, airport, and seaport; to construct a new family and childcare center in northern Dade County; and to fund advanced aviation training programs at Miami-Dade Community College. Meek emerged as a strong advocate for Haitian immigrants and senior citizens; and

Whereas, Ms. Meek later retired from public office in 2002 and founded the Carrie Meek Foundation, which provides the Miami-Dade community with critical resources, opportunities, and jobs. Ms. Meek was awarded honorary Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Miami, Florida A&M University, Barry University, Florida Atlantic University, and Rollins College. Ms. Meek was inducted into the Florida A&M University Sports Hall of Fame and honored with the co-naming of its James N. Eaton, Sr., Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum in Tallahassee, Florida. Ms. Meek was honored with the renaming of Broward County's Nova Southeastern College's Outstanding Education Leadership Achievement Scholarship and Miami, Florida's Northwest 27th Boulevard; and

Whereas, Congresswoman Meek leaves to continue her work and carry on her legacy her children: Lucia Davis-Raiford, Sheila Davis Kinui (Mike), Kendrick B. Meek (Arshi); grandchildren: Ayo Raiford Barrett, Maggie Aldophe, Ryan C. Aldophe, Amber F. Kinui, Carrie Y. Kinui, Lauren Meek, Kendrick Meek, Jr.; great-grandchildren: Alana Barrett, Carissa Barrett, Anya Bonhomme, Bryce Lim, Chloe Raiford, Aidan Barrett. Woven into the tapestry of her life were special nieces and nephews: Juanita Pittman Bivins, Betty J. Pittman, Samuel Pittman, Jr. (Shirley), Cynthia G. Gilliam, Dr. Vincent June, Carmen V. Terry, Dorothy Ottman, Left to mourn her and sit in the shade under the trees in the forest she planted are a host of family members, dear cherished friends, and a beloved community; and Now, therefore, be it

Resolved That I, Frederica S. Wilson, a member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 24th Congressional District of Florida, am honored to recognize the late Congresswoman Carrie Pittman

Meek for her exemplary career and contributions to public service, the people of Florida, and the American people.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today to honor Robert Shelley for his stellar service and contributions as Commissioner of the City of Aventura.

Someone once said this about local government, ``when you are in local government, you are on the ground, and you are looking into the eyes and hearts of the people you are there to serve. It teaches you to listen; it teaches you to be expansive in the people with whom you talk to; and that engagement gives you political judgment.''

It is this same standard of leadership and approach that has distinguished his success at the City of Aventura. With input given from passionate public servants like Commissioner Shelley, Aventura is certain to have a bright future guided by a grounded approach to local governance, cooperation, and investment in the well-being of this community achieved during his tenure in office as a Commissioner.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Commissioner Robert Shelley for the completion of his term in office, his time, his commitment, and outstanding contribution representing the residents of the City Aventura.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today to honor Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, journalist, and novelist, Leonard Pitts, Jr. Mr. Pitts is the recipient of the 2022 5000 Role Models of Excellence Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom and Justice Award.

A native of Southern California, Pitts entered the University of Southern California at 15 through a special honors program and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English at age 19.

Upon graduation, he worked as a freelance music reviewer for a broad range of publications. He wrote scripts for the award-winning documentary films King: From Atlanta to the Mountaintop (1986), Who We Are (1988), and Young Black Men: A Lost Generation (1990). He served as a staff writer for the music countdown show American Top 40 and its legendary host, Casey Kasem, from 1989 to 1991. In 1991, he was hired as a music critic by the Miami Herald and began writing commentary in 1995.

He is perhaps best known for his twice-weekly syndicated columns that tackle the race, politics, and culture. He won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary ``for his fresh, vibrant columns that spoke, with both passion and compassion, to ordinary people on often divisive issues.''

Other awards include first place for commentary in division four in the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors' Ninth Annual Writing Awards competition; three National Association of Black Journalists' Awards of Excellence; and NABJ's 2008 Journalist of the Year. He is a five-time recipient of the Atlantic City Press Club's National Headliners Award and a seven-time recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists' Green Eyeshade Award. In 2001, he received the American Society of Newspaper Editors prestigious Award for Commentary Writing and was named Feature of the Year in the column writing division by Editor and Publisher magazine. In 2002, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists awarded Pitts its inaugural Columnist of the Year award; in 2016, it named him to its Hall of Fame. In 2002 and in 2009, GLAAD Media awarded Pitts the Outstanding Newspaper Columnist award. In 2017, he was awarded the Missouri Honor Medal and has received four honorary doctorates. The father of five is the author of four novels and has also written nonfiction books.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Leonard Pitts, Jr.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today in celebration of the 39th Miami/ Bahamas Goombay Festival and to pay tribute to a group of remarkable individuals for their historic longevity journey and commitment to Miami's Coconut Grove community.

The Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival is a celebration of cultural expression embracing the legacy of Miami's Bahamian-rooted community known as Coconut Grove. The three-day celebration strives to provide a historical overview of the American/Bahamian culture by educating and exposing the public to its rich heritage and traditions.

These pillars of the Coconut Grove community have been an integral part in upholding the mission of the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival and deserve to be recognized: MayBelle Berry, Elizabeth Daniels, Thelma A. Gibson, Beatrice F. Johnson, Mary B. McCray, Delois McGriff, Hattie Mattox, Hattie M. Nelms, Ethel R. Phillip, and Dr. George A. Simpson.

Since the 19th century, Bahamians have played a significant role in the City of Miami representing one third of the registered signatories needed for the city's incorporation. Their rich Bahamian heritage has been preserved throughout the years with the support of individuals like the 39th Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival honorees.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring these living legends of Coconut Grove`s rich history.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today to honor Fredrika S. Brown, Leona Cooper, and Herb Hiller who have served on the board of the Miami/ Bahamas Goombay Festival since its inception.

The Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival is a celebration of cultural expression embracing the legacy of Miami's Bahamian-rooted community known as Coconut Grove. The three-day celebration strives to provide a historical overview of the American/Bahamian culture by educating and exposing the public to its rich heritage and traditions.

The Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove is dedicated to recognizing, promoting and educating the residents of Miami-Dade County and tourists about the rich Bahamian and American Heritage and what makes this such a unique and positive blend.

The board strives to provide a historical overview of the Bahamian Culture, the commemoration of the early Coconut Grove settlers, and to introduce their music, native food specialties, artifacts, and crafts that are indigenous of the island.

The Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival is held to bring about unity and bridge a cultural gap by building communities through the understanding of each other's likenesses and differences.

Since 1977, the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival has celebrated the Bahamian culture of Miami-Dade County. The festival would not be possible without the hard work of the board who has stayed the course. I salute this effort and I am thankful to the Goombay Festival committee for keeping the rich culture of our Bahamian ancestors alive in Miami.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today to honor Jawan Strader, Emmy award winning television news anchor.

A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Jawan Strader is an Emmy award- winning journalist and anchor of NBC 6 News South Florida and host of Voices with Jawan Strader, a community affairs show dedicated to the black community and the disenfranchised.

Bringing more than 20 years of experience covering the most impactful stories, Jawan Strader has reached into the homes of South Floridians, touching their hearts and lives. Mr. Strader has won a number of Emmy awards, including one for anchoring and his coverage of the heartbreaking Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida. He also covered the Hollywood Hills nursing home deaths of 12 senior citizens following Hurricane Irma and his field anchoring has taken him to Havana, Cuba for President Obama's visit; Orlando for the Pulse nightclub shooting. He was the only South Florida anchor covering the shooting of Black church members in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2018, the Miami New Times recognized Strader as the Best News Anchor in South Florida. In 2016, Strader received the Media Excellence award from CCNN Live for Best News Anchor. He has also received the award of distinction for Media Coverage of Public Education by the education fund of Miami-Dade. Legacy Magazine named Strader one of South Florida's most powerful and influential black people.

Mr. Strader is a long time Role Model in the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. He is also a mentor to a number of young journalists and member of the National Association of Black journalists, 100 Black Men of South Florida, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University Bloomington.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today to recognize Dr. Barbara Carey- Shuler, a courageous community leader, dedicated public servant, sagacious mentor, inspiring educator, and loving mother, in honor of a street being named in her honor.

Dr. Carey-Shuler has been a powerful force for positive change in South Florida for decades. She is a trailblazer who has paved the way for many successful professionals, entrepreneurs, and businesses. Her efforts have improved the quality of life for thousands of South Floridians.

Dr. Carey-Shuler's life is founded on a spirit of generosity. Her unselfish character is only overshadowed by her loving spirit and acceptance of others. She considers her ability to empower and inspire others as her greatest accomplishment. Regarding her passion for helping young people she says, ``I want to exude my passion so that they will have the same passion to give back and help other young people.''

Dr. Carey-Shuler was first appointed to the Miami Dade County Board of Commissioners in 1979. She made a major impact through her progressive policies and legislative decisions. She initiated the groundbreaking legislation to create Affirmative Action and set-aside programs in Miami Dade County which are credited with creating more jobs and opportunities for minorities and women than any other legislation in the county's history. She also created the 15 miles per hour school zone in Dade County and was later adopted by the rest of the State of Florida. She made history in 2002 when she was selected as the first African American woman to serve as chairperson of the Miami Dade County Commission.

Dr. Carey-Shuler has never shied away from an opportunity to help others or promote equality without regard to the popularity of her decisions. In 1990, she attended an event where the late South African President Nelson Mandela delivered a speech upon his release after being unjustly imprisoned for 27 years. The event was locally controversial but Dr. Carey-Shuler was among a small group of elected officials who attended because she understood President Mandela's importance to the international campaign for human rights. Her courage and vision earned the respect and admiration of her constituents and was a large part of the reason she was re-elected several times.

Above all, Dr. Carey-Shuler values education as the key to a happy and healthy life. She was well-regarded as an administrator with Miami Dade County Public Schools. She was also credited with inspiring and advancing the careers of dozens of educators as an assistant superintendent. She has an impressive educational resume of her own; Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Florida A&M University, Master of Science in Communications from Ohio State University, Specialist Degree in Guidance from the University of Miami, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Florida.

Since retiring from elected office in 2005, Dr. Carey-Shuler has managed very successful family-owned funeral homes in Palm Beach County, Florida. However, she has continued her passion to help others and mentor young people. Her board memberships include Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, West Palm Beach Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Delta Heritage Foundation, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Educational Foundation, Pathway to Prosperity, among several others.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues and all Americans to please join me in recognizing a great woman, a great public servant, a great businessperson, a great mother, and a great American, Dr. Barbara Carey-Shuler for her indelible contribution to our community and our Nation.

Madam Speaker, from the 24th District of the great State of Florida, I rise today to honor Denise Landman for her stellar service and contributions as Commissioner of the City of Aventura.

Someone once said this about local government, ``when you are in local government, you are on the ground, and you are looking into the eyes and hearts of the people you are there to serve. It teaches you to listen; it teaches you to be expansive in the people with whom you talk to; and that engagement gives you political judgment.''

It is this same standard of leadership and approach that has distinguished her success at the City of Aventura. With input given from passionate public servants like Commissioner Landman, Aventura is certain to have a bright future guided by a grounded approach to local governance, cooperation, and investment in the well-being of this community achieved during her tenure in office as a Commissioner.

Madam Speaker please join me in honoring Commissioner Denise Landman for the completion of her term in office, her time, her commitment, and outstanding contribution representing the residents of the City Aventura.