Faircracker SUMMER 2021 Capitol Update
UF/IFAS: The University of Florida/ Institute of Food and Agricultur-
al Sciences “UF/IFAS” plays a critical role in the success of events around the state. To this end, we are always willing to help support UF/IFAS budget priorities during the Legis- lative session. This session UF’IFAS’ number one priority was workload funding. Workload funding $4 Million of which ($2.5 Million recurring funds); School of Forest Re- sources $1.1 Million; Fertilizer Rate Study $1.6 Million. Taken on the whole, the 2021 session could be catego-
rized as “no harm done!” Certainly, given the initial budget outlook, there were concerns about the Legislature examin- ing existing sales-tax exemptions, there was serious dis- cussions about across the board cuts to Higher Education and, as the budget constricts there is always the potential of raising fees to offset costs. Thankfully, none of these actions were necessary to get us to a balanced budget. There were some specific lessons learned from the 2021 session and, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the biggest takeaway from ses- sion: Relationships matter! To be clear that isn’t a partisan statement; there is no requirement to check voter registrations at the gate before entry into our events. Yet, the ability to have a relationship with Senate and House mem- bers and their staff is critical especially when the chaos of session ensues. Now, the summer is the time to reach out, set up a meeting, for those with shows upcoming invite elected officials to your events. The point is to develop the relationship
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and familiarity of what your event means to the community. The effort invested in the summer will always pay dividends when the next session rolls around. Whether it is protecting your ability to operate your event or building advocates for specific projects which are important to the growth and im- provement of your facilities, having the ability to call or email your elected officials will only increase chances for success! Thank you for the privilege of representing you in Tallahas- see and please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance.
The CAS Team Jim
Connie Dale
The deadline for the FALL Newsletter is OCTOBER 1st. Please send news and committee reports to:
floridafairs@gmail.com
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