by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Hundreds gathered in Courtroom 13-A of the United States Courthouse at Jacksonville Tuesday morning for the 4th annual Congressional breakfast.
Well, they weren’t all in Jacksonville. Technology, specifically the use of videoconferencing, enabled federal judges, members of the administration, members of the U.S. Congress, attorneys and many others from the five Congressional districts within the Middle District of Florida to meet at once.
The group gathered for an hour-long “meet and greet” designed to acquaint the federal legal community within the Middle District of Florida with the district’s Congressional elected officials. In addition to Jacksonville, meetings were conducted in Orlando, Ocala, Tampa and Ft. Myers.
“This is an opportunity for members of the Bar to meet with representatives district-wide,” said United States District Court Judge Virginia Covington. “Members of Congress throughout the district participate. It’s amazing that we have all five offices hooked up at once. Technology has made all the difference in our ability to host this event.”
Locally, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown maintained her record of perfect attendance at the meetings. In addition to all four videoconference meetings, Brown also participated five years ago when the meeting was held in the lobby of the Federal Courthouse.
“This has been on my agenda for months,” said Brown, who is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure and Veterans Affairs committees. “I was asked to be in meetings in Texas and California, but said no, I have work to do back home in Jacksonville.”
For some, the annual breakfast is an opportunity for many facets of the federal legal community to meet in an informal setting with the district’s Congressional members. Thanks to the videoconferencing capabilities, it’s also a chance to address issues facing either particular regions within the Middle District or issues that confront the entire district. Locally, Brown said the homicide rate must be addressed while statewide she’s concerned about the graduation rate. The two, however, are directly linked, she said.
“I think this is very important,” said Brown. “There has been a spike in crime and in particular the homicide rate. I am interested in what’s going on in our court system.
“There is a 57 percent graduation rate in Florida. Criminology 101 tells us we are going to have problems in the court system.”
Specifically, Brown would like to see funding for the local Community Oriented Policing Services increased.
“I want that program full-funded,” she said. “In addition, I want the Weed and Seed fully-funded. That program also goes into the community.”
U.S. Rep. Rick Keller of Orlando echoed many of Brown’s sentiments. Like Jacksonville, Orlando saw a huge jump in homicides the past two years — 22 in 2005 to 49 in 2006.
“Seventy-two percent of those were drug-related,” said Keller, who was able to help secure $70 million from Congress for the COPS program that will put 933 more police on the streets of Orlando.
Other news and notes from the meeting:
• Brown said Martin Luther King III will be in Jacksonville Tuesday for a “town home” meeting. Brown said the meeting will not be a “gripe session” about the local murder rate. “What can we do to turn this around?” she said. “What programs work?”
• U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patricia Fawsett of Orlando opened the meeting. She said there are now 45 federal judges in the Middle District and 16,911 members of the state’s Federal Bar. She also said it’s good for the judicial and legislative branches to get together. “The Federal Bar recognizes a healthy relationship between lawmakers and judges is absolutely indispensable. That’s why we are honoring our legislative leaders today,” said Fawsett. “Our legislators control our pay, jurisdiction, they help us build new courthouses and get new judges. We want to keep them happy.”
• After being introduced by Robert Thielhelm, president of the Orlando Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Keller said, “Judge Fawsett wanted to make sure we were well-fed. Mission accomplished.”
• U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns was a no-show at the Ocala meeting.
• Magistrate Judge Marcia Morales Howard was recently appointed as a District Judge in Ft. Myers. While she’ll begin taking cases (she’ll have to commute) Howard won’t relocate to Ft. Myers until the summer.
• Former U.S. Rep. Sam Gibbons — for whom the Federal Courthouse in Tampa is named — spoke briefly. “I am probably the oldest living fossil from Congress in the state of Florida, I guess,” he said.
• Former U.S. Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis spoke right after Gibbons. “Sam and I have a deal,” said Davis. “This is his courthouse and he comes over to check on it. I come over to work.”
• A date hasn’t been selected, but in the near future a ceremony is planned to officially name the Federal Courthouse in Jacksonville the John Milton/Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse. Apparently the only real holdup is for the General Services Administration to order the lettering for the outside of the building.