Speaker Dean Cannon Imparts Farewell Words to House

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, left some words of inspiration to his colleagues Thursday in his farewell comments.

Find allies, members who are smarter than you, and dont be afraid to challenge enemies who appear stronger than you, said Cannon, who cant seek re-election to the House this year due to term limits.

Among the lines:

-- Dont be afraid to say it when your allies are wrong and your enemies are right, because that happens too.

-- Dont be afraid to give people second chances when they make mistakes. One day youll need that, too. I have.

-- If you go through your entire time in the Legislature without upsetting an editorial board or two or making people angry, then you need to question whether your time here was well-spent.

-- Whatever you do, never, never, never give up.

However, Cannon's knowledge of Jay-Z lyrics -- which came up during a floor debate over a bill regarding the states evidence code, HB 701, with Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee -- has drawn more national attention.