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Legislative Corner
Of the people, by the people, for the people really means of, by and for those that show up and participate in the process. If we don’t show up we don’t get to participate and special interests—get involved & participate in the process!
The CFRI Legislative committee is looking to recruit monitors in every city and county in the 7-county area that we encompass including Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Volusia Counties. We want to monitor primarily for the following reasons:
Lawmakers want and need to hear directly from business people as well as the trade associations and professional representatives.
The website that is the starting point for monitoring is below. From this website you can drill down to find your specific city or county. On the city or counties website, there is typically a link with upcoming commission meetings. You can read the agenda online to see what is coming up at the next meeting. Commission meetings are typically once or twice each month.
"I Want to be a Monitor"
Thank you for your interest in serving the Legislative Committee. Click on the link below. It will take you to a fast, 5-minute survey where you can indicate what county you’re interested in, how much (or little) time you feel comfortable devoting, what areas you would like to serve, and what areas you do NOT want to serve. Your contact information will remain confidential, and will only be used for the Legislative Committee to get in touch you.
Click Here to Take the Survey
Join the CFRI Legislative Corner Yahoo Group
The CFRI Legislative Corner Yahoo Group is for Central Florida Realty Investors (CFRI) to share and exchange information about legislative issues, concerns, and events that may affect real estate investments and management of property throughout the state of Florida. The group welcomes beginners, intermediate, and advanced investors to share and post legislative topics of interest to our investment/business community.
Additional Information on Monitoring
- Where should I look for information?
- The official city or county web site (1) First look at the agenda for upcoming meetings for issues that we may need to proactively act on, and (2) then look at the minutes of recent meetings for items we may need to retroactively act on or adhere to (new rules, regulations, fees, notices). You can use CTRL F to “find” keywords on the website.
- Ask the county or city clerk to put you on an email or mail notification list if they have one for city council, city commission, or county commission meetings
- City or County meeting room (bulletin board, public meeting notices)
- Newspapers (public meeting announcements, news items), TV, radio reports
- News web sites (orlandosentinel.com, local TV websites)
- What information should I look for?
- Notices of Public Hearings, ordinances, or codes
- Look for key words: apartments, multifamily, rentals, landlords, property owners
- Match key words above with other trigger words: fees, regulations, licenses, inspections
- How do I know if it’s important?
- If the item contains a key word and a trigger word, it is important on some level
- Read the summary or the background and use your judgment
- Ask yourself if it will it change the way we do business or the cost of doing business?
- How often should I look?
- Establish a pattern that works well for your schedule, taking into account when your city or county publishes new information or has meetings scheduled
- Try to visit your city or county web site at least two times per week
- Look at the meeting agendas as soon as they become available
- What should I do when I find something?
- Email Legislativechair@cfri.net as soon as possible, attaching any pertinent information
- If action is imminent (today or tomorrow), include the following in the subject line: URGENT CFRI LEGISLATIVE ISSUE
- If it is an item of interest only and no action will be taken by the government, bring the information to the next Legislative Committee meeting or Conference Call
- How should I follow up on what I have found?
- Continue to look closely for signs of action on the item including news coverage, public workshops or public hearings
- If the issue is very important and you have not received a response from CFRI or heard of any CFRI action on the item, please contact Steve Flewelling at Legislativechair@cfri.net to ensure we have received the information
- Attend the Legislative Committee meetings and conference calls
Other sites to monitor / related links:
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