U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., is continuing to show that he is not the usual congressional freshman.
Rooney, who was named vice chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced on Friday that he will bring a big name political leader and a key congressman to South Florida this week.
On Friday, March 23, Rooney will host a tour of the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee Watershed for former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Id., the chairman of the U.S. House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Other members of the tour include Lt. Col. Jennifer Reynolds, the deputy district commander for South Florida of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Paul Warner, the principal scientist, Office of Federal Policy & Coordination of the South Florida Water Management District.
Rooney weighed in on the matter at the end of last week.
“I am thankful to Chairman Simpson, Speaker Boehner, and Lt. Colonel Reynolds, for taking time away from their many responsibilities to visit our Everglades and the Lake Okeechobee Watershed,” Rooney said. “To get the promised results from the federal government on Everglades restoration projects, and to speed up repairs on the dilapidated Herbert Hoover Dike, the importance of the Everglades must be fully understood by lawmakers in Washington. This is why I have and will continue to bring my colleagues to South Florida so they can see firsthand the problems we face, and learn of the consequences of inaction for the third most populous state in the nation.”
Dan O’Keefe, the chairman of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, sung the congressman’s praises.
“Congressman Rooney is a great Floridian and has been one of the strongest advocates working to preserve and restore America’s Everglades,” said O’Keefe. “His efforts for the Everglades will leave a lasting impact on the environment for generations to come.”
Boehner and Simpson aren’t the only big named guests Rooney has hosted in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Rooney brought Peter Witting, the German ambassador to the U.S., down to Southwest Florida at the start of the month.
During his brief time in Washington, Rooney is proving more prominent than the usual freshmen. Part of that comes from his high profile business career, leading Manhattan Construction Company and investment company Rooney Holdings. He also had previous stints in public service, sitting on the Advisory Commission on the Panama Canal from 2002 to 2005 and 2008 to 2016, only taking a break to serve as then President George W. Bush’s ambassador to the Holy See.
In early November, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, replaced U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., with Rooney. Yoho already had his hands full as chairman of the U.S. House Asia and Pacific Subcommittee.
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