Scott Franklin

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor BayCare Winter Haven Hospital as it celebrates 100 years of serving the people of Winter Haven, Polk County, and Central Florida.

Since opening its doors on October 2, 1926, Baycare Winter Haven Hospital has grown alongside the community it serves. For a century, generations of families have turned to the hospital for care during some of the most important and difficult moments of their lives.

Throughout its history, Baycare Winter Haven Hospital has continued to expand and adapt to meet the changing health care needs of our region. The hospital has helped lead advancements in emergency care, cardiovascular medicine, orthopedics, surgical services, and maternity care while maintaining its focus on providing high-quality care close to home.

That commitment has also extended beyond the walls of the hospital. In 1967, Baycare Winter Haven Hospital established the Center for Behavioral Health, the first community mental health center in the Nation developed with federal funding to support the deinstitutionalization of children and adults living with mental illness. Nearly six decades later, the Center continues to serve our community.

More recently, Baycare Winter Haven Hospital partnered with Florida State University to establish a family medicine residency program in 2020, helping address the shortage of physicians in our region and train the next generation of medical professionals.

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the physicians, nurses, medical professionals, administrators, volunteers and supporters who have dedicated themselves to caring for their neighbors. Their service over the past century has touched countless lives and helped make Baycare Winter Haven Hospital an important part of the Polk County community.

Mr. Speaker, I again congratulate BayCare Winter Haven Hospital on its centennial and thank all those, past and present, who have contributed to 100 years of service to Central Florida. On behalf of Florida's 18th Congressional District, I wish the entire Baycare Winter Haven Hospital community continued success as it begins its second century of caring for the people of our region.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of First Sergeant Jerry Wooten, who dedicated decades of his life to serving our country and shaping the next generation of leaders.

First Sergeant Wooten served 20 years in the United States Army before continuing his service as the JROTC instructor at Mulberry High School for more than two decades.

To generations of cadets, he was known simply as ``First Sergeant.'' He taught his students the same values that guided his own life: discipline, integrity, service and leadership. Those lessons stayed with them as they went on to serve in the military, attend college, build careers and give back to their communities.

First Sergeant Wooten lived a life of service, and our community is better because of the example he set.

My condolences are with his wife, Carol, their two children and all those whose lives he touched.

First Sergeant stood the watch faithfully. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Herbert Dixon, a legendary golfer and longtime Bartow resident who passed away at the remarkable age of 106.

Herbert's love for golf began early. He started caddying at the Bartow Golf Course at just 14 years old and taught himself the game by practicing on the course at night during segregation.

He went on to become a pioneer in professional golf, winning 63 tournaments in the United Golf Association, including the National Negro Open Championship. Herbert also served our country in the U.S. Air Force and earned recognition in multiple halls of fame.

As a lifelong golfer myself, I can certainly appreciate a man who spent more than nine decades around the game. Herbert was still hitting his age into his later years and became a true legend in Bartow and throughout the golf community.

Living to 106 is remarkable enough. Doing it while leaving behind a legacy like Herbert's is something truly special.

My condolences are with his family, friends and all those who knew him. May he rest in peace.