[by Richard Dempsey, President Elect, Lakeland Association of Realtors® (LAR) and sales associate at CBC Saunders Real Estate]
I was honored to be one of LAR's (Lakeland Association of Realtors®) representatives to the 2009 NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings (National Association of Realtors®) in Washington and REALTOR® Days in Tallahassee. I have a deeper appreciation for how blessed we are as a nation to be able to have a voice in how our government operates. When thousands of REALTORS® gather in DC or in state capitals across the country they are noticed.
Our time in Tallahassee this year proved to be especially effective as most of the key talking points we presented to our legislators this year were passed and are awaiting the Governor’s signature.
Senate Bill 360 contained several items that FAR (Florida Association of Realtors) advocated including a two year extension of development permits and impact fee legislation. As of this writing, the Governor has not yet signed the bill. His office originally indicated that he would sign it. However, it appears that he is wavering. Call Governor Crist's office and let him know your viewpoint. It counts!
REALTORS® also had a hand in helping to defeat a very costly proposal known as the “Springs Protection Bill” That bill would have required very expensive wastewater treatment technology and other regulations even though the effectiveness of the technology has not been established and the studies have not been completed.
One of the most interesting and informative forums I attended in DC involved using technology to drive business our way. The forum panel presented the tools and methods that they are using to develop stronger relationships with their targeted consumers by implementing various technology tools. For further information about this forum you can go to the Center for REALTOR® Technology Web Log to see some of the presentations. There are also several valuable links and sources of information there.
I strongly encourage REALTORS® to begin making plans to join us in Tallahassee and Washington next year. As we saw particularly in Tallahassee this year, our united voice can make a difference. In addition, the opportunity to network and attend informative seminars is extremely valuable!
I was honored to be one of LAR's (Lakeland Association of Realtors®) representatives to the 2009 NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings (National Association of Realtors®) in Washington and REALTOR® Days in Tallahassee. I have a deeper appreciation for how blessed we are as a nation to be able to have a voice in how our government operates. When thousands of REALTORS® gather in DC or in state capitals across the country they are noticed.
Our time in Tallahassee this year proved to be especially effective as most of the key talking points we presented to our legislators this year were passed and are awaiting the Governor’s signature.
Senate Bill 360 contained several items that FAR (Florida Association of Realtors) advocated including a two year extension of development permits and impact fee legislation. As of this writing, the Governor has not yet signed the bill. His office originally indicated that he would sign it. However, it appears that he is wavering. Call Governor Crist's office and let him know your viewpoint. It counts!
REALTORS® also had a hand in helping to defeat a very costly proposal known as the “Springs Protection Bill” That bill would have required very expensive wastewater treatment technology and other regulations even though the effectiveness of the technology has not been established and the studies have not been completed.
One of the most interesting and informative forums I attended in DC involved using technology to drive business our way. The forum panel presented the tools and methods that they are using to develop stronger relationships with their targeted consumers by implementing various technology tools. For further information about this forum you can go to the Center for REALTOR® Technology Web Log to see some of the presentations. There are also several valuable links and sources of information there.
I strongly encourage REALTORS® to begin making plans to join us in Tallahassee and Washington next year. As we saw particularly in Tallahassee this year, our united voice can make a difference. In addition, the opportunity to network and attend informative seminars is extremely valuable!
