November 1, 2001
Source: Representative Tom Feeney, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives

"I applaud Governor Bush's recognition of the tough, yet responsible, positions the Florida Legislature took in the recent special session, and his acknowledgment that under extremely difficult circumstances, we were able to accomplish significant and meaningful legislation.

As always, I appreciate the Governor's Statesmanlike leadership and courage.

I am incredibly proud of the Florida House for their perseverance in passing an economic stimulus package to spur Florida's economy, security and anti-terrorism legislation to protect Florida's residents and visitors, and budget reductions that had the least negative impact possible on existing services.

Given the fact that without an exit plan, most sessions have yielded little good public policy and far more acrimony, this special session was a relative success, and I encourage the Governor not to veto the budget.

The caveat, with respect to the budget, is that if the Governor can get the Florida Senate to immediately and publicly agree to cut allocations at significantly higher levels, it may be worth the risk."