"The big moments are the ending of segregation. And Gov. Leroy Collins -- his moment. I don't know if Florida would be what it is today without them."
--Rivers H. Buford III, director of legislative affairs, Florida Department of State, whose grandfather served as attorney general, Florida Supreme Court justice and member of the House of Representatives
"If not the best, then certainly the most impactful was the arrival of Disney to Orlando. The decisions to locate Disney World in Florida turned what was largely a collection of orange groves and cattle farms into the family entertainment capital of the world. Air conditioning is a very close second. And the Rosewood massacre in 1923 surely ranks among the worst events in Florida history."
--Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel
Honestly, for where Im from, the most significant (event) would be the landing on the moon.
-- Sen. Thad Altman, R.-Melbourne
The commercialization of air conditioning [opened up the vast potential of real estate].
-- Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota
"I would say Henry Flagler's railroad into Palm Beach County. The rail brought wealthy Northerners. And that population continues to be an important asset to the area."
-- Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach
"No question, the overwhelming impact on Florida in 165 years has happened in the last 60 years -- growth. I remember what it was like even 30 years ago when I arrived from Thomasville, Ga. The pressures on the state were so much less, even then."
-- Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa
"Growing up in Winter Park, I know that Walt Disney World was the great story at least in Central Florida's history. From sleepy cow towns to probably the greatest tourist destination in the world, it made an incredible difference to the geography, economy and lifestyle of the region."
-- Robin St. Onge, Realtor, Tallahassee
"From the 1940s into the first decade of the 21st century, Florida was in the enviable position of achieving growth and prosperity Now, with the end of this automatic growth, the state has to figure out how to preserve and enhance its fragile environment and at the same time foster economic growth and a better standard of living. This is not going to be easy."
-- Dr. Edmund F. Kallina, professor of history, University of Central Florida, Author of Claude Kirk and the Politics of Confrontation
