By Carrie Resch, Contributing Writer
The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors welcomed Florida House District 13 Rep. Tracie Davis and District 19 Rep. Bobby Payne as the guest speakers at the association’s May 12 general meeting.
The representatives gave an account of their experiences as freshman legislators in the 2017 session that ended May 8.
The two took the podium together and had high praise for one another with Payne, a Republican, describing Davis, a Democrat, as a “class act” and Davis stating that she “wants to be just like Rep. Payne” when she grows up.
They sit near each other on the House floor and served on two committees together, although on opposite party lines.
Davis gave an account about her experience as a freshman legislator, stating she was exhausted, both physically and mentally and somewhat emotionally.
“I think my freshman year was successful,” Davis said. “I enjoyed every minute of it, but it definitely was exhausting for me.”
The pair recently returned after spending 19 of the last 25 weeks in Tallahassee. Payne said being a representative is definitely a full-time job.
Davis addressed the doubts she said many had about a group of freshman legislators getting much accomplished for Northeast Florida.
“We really brought back millions of dollars,” Davis said. Individually, she calculated that she brought back more than $2 million in projects to Duval County.
“I think, for both of us, we definitely can say we’ve had some wins,” Davis said. She pointed out that the Democratic party is the minority party in the House.
Both representatives credited their abilities to build relationships as a path to their success.
Davis said Realtors should give themselves a round of applause for what they’ve accomplished this year.
“We are ecstatic to have the partnership that we have with you all,” Davis said. “Right now, the only thing we can ask for you to do is continue to support our effort as we will continue to support you, and we look for this partnership to be a long-lasting one.”
“Feel free to contact our offices,” Payne said. “We like to hear from constituents – especially for issues that are of economic importance.”