I’ve spent the better part of twenty-year professional career working in the political arena and I’m still standing to tell the stories. Many people, friends and strangers have often questioned my sanity wanting to have a career in this field. Yes, there are back room deals and yes, an inside view of “The Process” can often be messy and disheartening.
But and this is one of the big ‘buts’, there is so much good that happens to make the majority of the mess worth it. When you get to be a part of something that you know is going to produce good results for your State or your community, it’s a priceless feeling.
If I could offer one piece of advice to you, it would be this: Build relationships with your community’s elected officials and their staff. It’s crucial. I believe that most elected officials are here for the right reasons, and they want to help their community succeed. However, many of them have careers outside of their elected offices so connecting with staff is just as vital.
The State Legislature holds power over State budget funding and local bills that impact your community every single year. If you happen to be completely fine with not having a say in what happens in your community, so be it. As for me and my community, we want to have a say. We have a list of requests that we approach our Legislative Delegation with every year.
We dream big, our asks are large, and it has worked out quite well in our favor over the years. My community has received over 100 million dollars in funding over the past 5 years for local projections. Cleaning our Bay, getting waterfront residents off personal septic onto city sewer and continuing to work on our massive trailways system.
How do we make this happen you might be asking? We have around 100 community leaders who have all made a vested interest in connecting on a personal and professional level with our State Representative and State Senator. Each year we travel as a group to the State Capitol and lay out the wish list, we visit committees that our bills are in and advocate on behalf of ourselves.
Relationships are the cornerstone of it all. If you are wondering how to get connected to your elected officials, look in your local paper to see if they are having Town Hall sessions. Reach out to their staff and ask for an appointment with them first. Just like eating an elephant, you start one bite at a time.
From one person who has watched The Process for nearly 20 years, I can promise the work you will put in will reap rewards for your communities. It is worth the effort, trust me.
Meredith Linley is the Executive Director of Crystal River Main Street. She is a graduate of Florida State University and spent the first five years of her career working in the State Capitol.
SAMPLE SUPPORT LETTER 2022 Legislative Session
Representative sssss Date: DRAFT
Florida House of Representatives
Capitol Building
Tallahassee FL
Re: House Bill #4195
Dear Representative sssss,
I am writing today to ask for your support for House Bill #4195 - a request to increase annual funding for Florida Main Street to help meet the growing needs of the 51 Florida Main Street communities throughout the State. Florida Main Street was created in 1985 as part of the Department of State, Division of Historic Preservation. House Bill #4195 builds community and economic resilience, helping local communities recover from the pandemic and expanding Florida Main Street’s capacity to meet the responsibilities of Florida Statute Section 267.031.
Florida Main Street is a Main Street America Coordinating Program currently serving 51 communities across the State. These communities represent Florida’s unique diversity, showcasing historic commercial districts of every size and in every region of the State, from Miami to the Panhandle including (insert names of local Main Street communities in the representative’s district). While each community has its own unique historical assets, charm, and locally-owned small businesses, they have all used the Main Street Approach to create jobs, boost their economies, and build community pride.
Although chronically underfunded, the Florida Main Street program has produced amazing results. Since 1985, Florida Main Street coordinating programs and their communities have reported over $2.36 Billion in private investment, $2.96 Billion in public investment, 38,903 net new jobs, and 9,265 net new businesses.
Just as impressively, Florida’s Main Street programs are stepping up like never before to help their businesses and communities recover from the pandemic. Thanks to well-established locally-based support systems, Florida’s Main Street programs provide the support small businesses need to guide them through the pandemic and maintain the programming that keeps their downtown districts at the heart of their local communities.
Though their resources are limited, these community-based programs across the State have leveraged local support and countless volunteer hours to get the job done. From providing education on financial assistance programs and marketing their downtown districts in new ways to navigating shifting public needs, Main Streets have worked tirelessly over the past 18 months. (insert local efforts here.)
A recent survey by the National Main Street Center found that Florida is one of the largest coordinating programs in the country. Yet it is one of the country’s lowest funded programs and has the fewest support staff per designated community. House Bill #4195 provides funding for this proven community and economic program for technical assistance and training for local Main Street programs. Your support will increase program capacity, supporting local communities through this ever-changing environment.
Please contact me if you have any questions about this bill or the Main Street program. I would be pleased to give you a personal tour of our Main Street District and show you all the successful ways we are building – and rebuilding – our community.
Sincerely,
SSSS
