Years Moments - James Madison Institute

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keen instinct for what would push Florida to the forefront of advancements ... former graduate students, Phil Halstead,
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Allan Bense C

Bob McClure P  CEO

Message from the President and Chairman F

25

OR THE PAST YEARS, The James Madison Institute has been at the forefront of helping to shape Florida’s future. The following pages tell the story of the Institute’s most notable 25 moments over 25 years – the who, what, when, and how in terms of our accomplishments in Florida’s public policy arena. While the Institute weighs in on a whole host of issues – property rights, taxes, regulations, education, health care, transparency in government, property insurance, and others – we do so with a keen focus on economic freedom. The namesake of our organization, James Madison, said it best: “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” As the oldest and largest free-market think tank in the Sunshine State, The James Madison Institute’s research and education efforts provide lawmakers and citizens with trusted solutions for a better Florida. We are a powerful platform for advancing liberty, a haven for innovative ideas and a gathering place for supporters of economic freedom across Florida. Every year we reach several hundred thousand young people through our civics and economics education programs to ensure that future leaders in our state remember the principles that made America the greatest of nations. Of course, none of these accomplishments would have been possible without the founder of the Institute, Dr. J. Stanley Marshall. His vision for creating a state-focused organization truly has been revolutionary. His passion for education reform has given millions of Floridians more educational options, which in turn has lifted Florida into the top 10 states in terms of academic performance. The theme of our 25th Anniversary celebrates liberty, leadership, and legacy. Liberty is central to the American experience – it is the focus of the Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Leadership is required to protect our liberties. This leadership is reflected throughout these pages – from political leaders like Governor Jeb Bush and Margaret Thatcher; to academic leaders like professors James Gwartney and Randall Holcombe; to leaders on our board of directors and among Institute staff; and the many donors who made this possible. The legacy of the past 25 years is the synthesis of what happens when leaders focus on liberty: we have lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. In 1787 – exactly two hundred years before The James Madison Institute was founded – our founders finished one of the most accomplished documents in world history, the U.S. Constitution. Just as that work was the beginning of an experiment in limited government, so is ours. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we know many challenges and battles lie ahead. The entire world is watching the Sunshine State. We must do our part to provide the path forward. If you are already a member of the Institute – we thank you for helping us reach this important milestone and ask you to continue to stand with us. If you are not yet a member, we welcome you to join us as we embark on the next 25 years. We believe we are just getting started.

Bob McClure President & CEO

Allan Bense Chairman [1]

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Moment 1 An Idea Spurs 25 Years of Impact Following a momentous term as the President of Florida State University from 1969 to 1976, Dr. J. Stanley Marshall decided to run for Florida Commissioner of Education in 1986. Although a great candidate with a keen instinct for what would push Florida to the forefront of advancements in education, he did not win the election. However, through these experiences, Dr. Marshall had developed significant contacts and built strong relationships with other education reformers. One of his former graduate students, Phil Halstead, suggested to Dr. Marshall that, while his candidacy was unsuccessful, he might consider starting a think tank to further some of the ideas he had to reform education in Florida. Intrigued by the idea, Dr. Marshall’s quest sent him to two unexpected places in the spring of 1987. The first was San Francisco, where he was able to visit with two free-market think tanks that had recently been established — the Independent Institute and the Pacific Research Institute. “I had decided that the best way to find out about this new entry into public policy matters was to visit the organizations and meet their founders,” said Dr. Marshall. From there, Dr. Marshall learned about a conference being organized by the Atlas Network that would be taking place in Jamaica featuring a British public figure named Antony Fisher. Fisher had started London’s Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), the first of its kind in the United Kingdom and one of the oldest free-market organizations in the world. IEA played a prominent role in forming public policy ideas that took root in the administration of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

“I showed up at the hotel in Kingston along with about 30 other people with aspirations similar to mine. The others were from Central and South America — I was the only one from the United States — mostly people Fisher had heard about who might need encouragement and help.” “During the conference I learned that Antony would be traveling to San Francisco, and it occurred to me that he might be persuaded to stop in Tallahassee on the way. He readily agreed to do so. I thought it would be helpful to have him meet some of the Tallahassee people whose help I hoped to enlist in getting underway. It happened that he arrived in Tallahassee on a Wednesday, the day the Tallahassee Rotary Club holds its weekly luncheon meeting. I invited Antony to attend as my guest, and he accepted. The scheduled luncheon speaker was thenGovernor Bob Martinez, and I thought how lucky to be able to introduce Fisher to our Governor.” “When the meeting convened, the Rotary President announced that the Governor’s office had called and said he would be arriving late. I saw an opportunity that was too good to pass up, and I suggested that my guest, a distinguished British political figure, would be pleased to fill in the time of whatever duration. Antony had only ten minutes or so to speak, but his message was well received, and Governor Martinez, when he arrived, was grateful and gracious. It was a nice opportunity for Antony to get a taste of Florida.” It seems Florida would soon get a taste of Antony Fisher’s ideas as well.

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

Vice President Bush Welcomes Institute Dear Dr. Marshall: I have heard many good things about the Madison Institute from my son, Jeb, and many others. You and your colleagues are to be commended for your fine work. By promoting sound, innovative approaches to public policy, the Madison Institute will help ensure the continuation of vibrant economic growth in the southeast and throughout the nation. I hope our paths cross soon. Many best wishes. Sincerely, George Bush

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Moment 2 Founding Leaders Draw Inspiration from a Founding Father During Dr. Marshall’s continued effort to learn more about forming a public policy organization, he visited two free-market think tanks in California. While there he discovered that Dr. James Gwartney, a professor of economics at Florida

as consultants for the think tank, which would provide research and education for Florida’s policy makers. As President of Florida State University, Dr. Marshall had seen that government leaders tended to rely on research coming out of government-funded institutions such as FSU. When government funds research, the solutions tend to promote policies that rely on government. An independent, private organization could first look “Learned Institutions ought to be favorite objects for more effective public policy with every free people. They throw that light over solutions in the free market, the public mind which is the best security against instead of always relying on crafty and dangerous encroachments on the public taxpayers to foot the bill. liberty.” – James Madison The James Madison Institute received the support needed State University in that day to move forward. And later, the first donor to the Tallahassee, was organization was Wayne Coloney of Tallahassee, with a writing for one donation of $100. He remains an active supporter today. of those organizations. When Dr. Marshall later inquired with Dr. Gwartney about why he was writing for a think tank in California, Gwartney replied that he wanted his academic work to be relevant to contemporary public policy and that there were no such think tanks in Florida, specifically, or the entire Southeast. Dr. Marshall immediately solicited the advisement of Dr. Gwartney and an FSU political science professor, Dr. Tom Dye, to help form a think tank. They considered forming an organization with a “Southeast” regional focus. “It did not take very long for them to figure out that there was enough to attend to in Florida,” said long-time JMI staff member Susan Christian. When a discussion about naming the proposed Florida think tank ensued, Dr. Dye offered up the idea of naming the organization after James Madison, drawing inspiration from the Father of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights — including the Tenth Amendment, which SINCE 1987, DR. STANLEY MARSHALL delegates specific powers to the states. What better namesake for a state-focused organization? HAS KEPT THIS TYPEWRITTEN PAGE ON HIS On April 29, 1987, Dr. Marshall convened a meeting OFFICE WALL TO REMIND HIM OF THE 16 of 16 prominent business leaders, held at the Ramada PATRIOTS WHO GATHERED AT THE FIRST Inn North in Tallahassee to encourage them to support “THINK TANK MEETING” AND PUT THEIR his efforts to start The James Madison Institute. With SUPPORT BEHIND HIS INNOVATIVE PLAN TO headquarters in the state capital, this organization would be privately funded, independent, and nonpartisan. Top START THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE. academics such as Dr. Gwartney and Dr. Dye would serve

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Moment 3 Building a Strong Foundation of Knowledge In the early days of JMI, it was very important for the Institute to demonstrate academic integrity and professional credibility. Therefore, one of the first actions was to form a Research Advisory Council to do just that. Along with the JMI staff members who worked tirelessly to grow the Institute, the organization also utilizes this group of distinguished scholars who provide peer review of articles and studies, speak at events around the state and — when called upon — testify before legislative committees and meet with policy makers at the State Capitol. Since the Institute had early considered being a regional think tank for the Southeast part of the United States, many of the scholars came from all parts of the region, not Florida exclusively. Professor Randall Holcombe, for example, had been teaching at Auburn University and had been later hired to be a professor at Florida State University in the fall of 1988. The Council first met on January 30, 1988. Dr. Marshall and Warren Briggs, an Institute board member from Pensacola, presided over the meeting. At that first meeting, John Goodman of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) in Dallas, Texas, provided advice on how the Research Council would work to promote free-market policy solutions for Florida. “The idea was that The James Madison Institute was going to try to leverage off of the work that we were already doing and make our academic work have public policy relevance. These policy ideas could then be promoted through the Institute’s policy papers,” said Professor Holcombe. The initial meeting of the Council included Peter Aranson (Emory University), Don Bellante (University of South Florida), Thomas R. Dye (Florida State University), Randall Holcombe (Auburn University), Susan McManus (USF), Laurin Wollan, Jr. (FSU), Richard Wagner (FSU), and Bruce Yandle, Jr. (Clemson University). James Gwartney (FSU), Bruce Benson (FSU), Dwight Lee (University of Georgia), David Mulkey (University of Florida), E.C. Pasour, Jr., and Nobel Prize-winning economist James Buchanan (George Mason University), also joined the Research Advisory Council in that first year. With the assistance of Dr. James Gwartney, Dr. Marshall also consulted with Richard Stroup, Terry Anderson, and John Bodman, who had established the Political Economy Research Center (PERC) in Bozeman, Montana (now named the Property & Environmental Research Center). JMI has grown its Council to include top experts with varying credentials and areas of focus. These great minds help JMI continue to make an impact on the issues that affect the people of Florida.

Professor Randall Holcombe

Peter Aranson (front) and Bruce Yandle

Don Bellante and Susan McManus

Tom Dye

James Gwartney (seated)

John Goodman

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Richard Wagner

Moment 4 A Growing Idea Lays Down Roots From the very beginning, Dr. Stanley Marshall reached out to his friend Dr. Jerry Lundquist, who had built a nationwide network of real estate publications called Homes & Land along with other publications such as Tallahassee Magazine. In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, Jerry Lundquist “was a pillar of strength and support in many organizations and causes in Tallahassee, and the outpourings of his love and gratitude flowed in abundance,” noted Dr. Marshall. Mr. Lundquist gave JMI its first sizeable cash contribution of $10,000 in the spring of 1987 and provided a

suite of offices for the Institute’s first three years. Those offices were located in the same building that housed Mr. Lundquist’s publications business. “There were other cash gifts for many years and, on a couple of occasions, loans were required to meet the week’s payroll and other obligations,” said Dr. Marshall. However, these “loans” turned out to be gifts because the Institute was never asked to pay them back. Jerry Lundquist passed away in February 2008, but his philanthropic legacy continues and his early belief in the mission of JMI helped lay the groundwork to protect liberty in Florida for generations to come.

JMI Announces Board of Directors; Lundquist Assumes Chairmanship JERRY LUNDQUIST “WAS A PILLAR OF STRENGTH AND SUPPORT IN MANY ORGANIZATIONS AND CAUSES IN

TALLAHASSEE, AND THE OUTPOURINGS OF HIS LOVE AND GRATITUDE FLOWED

IN ABUNDANCE,”

— DR. MARSHALL.

Jerry Lundquist

Gov. Wayne Mixson

Sen. Phil Lewis

William Adams

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Ann and George Gibbs

Moment 5 JMI Announces its Board of Directors

At its board meeting in October 1988, the Institute named Jerry Lundquist of Tallahassee as the chairman of the Board of Directors. Other board members included D. Burke Kibler III, a Lakeland attorney; Warren Briggs, a civic leader from Pensacola; William H. Adams III, an attorney from Jacksonville; and Frank Shepherd, an attorney from Miami. The Institute’s board would grow in the coming years. Throughout its history, many distinguished men and women would be part of the Institute’s Board of Directors. They are listed below in alphabetical order, with their city of residence and years of service on the board. Those in bold have been Chairman of the board at certain points during their tenure. William Adams, Jacksonville (1988-1992) Carlos Alfonso, Tampa (1999-2003) Lee Arnold, Winter Springs (1999-2001) Hoyt Robinson Barnett, Lakeland (1996-2002) Jacob Belin (deceased), Port St. Lucie (1992-1997) Allan Bense, Panama City (2007-present) Warren Briggs (deceased), Pensacola (1988-1994) Glen Blauch, Naples (2010-present) James Brady, Jacksonville (1995) Norman Braman, Miami (2003-2007) Tommy Bronson, Brooksville (2007-2011) J.F. Bryan IV, Jacksonville (2007-present) The Honorable Jeb Bush, Miami (1990-1993) Ambassador Charles Cobb, Miami (2009-present) Stan Connally, Pensacola (2012-present) William W. Cook, Atlantic Beach Chris Corr, Jacksonville (2000-2004) Louise Courtelis, Micanopy (1992-1999) Mark Crosswhite, Pensacola (2011-2012) Jay Crouse, (2000-2001) Courtney Cunningham, Coral Gables (1999-2001) A. Dano Davis, Jacksonville (1995-1999) John A. Delaney, Jacksonville (1999) Bill Dunn, Stuart (1997-2001) Rebecca (Walter) Dunn, Palm Beach (1996-present) K. Earl Durden (deceased), Panama City (2004-2010) Robert Feagin, Tallahassee (2004-2008) The Honorable Tom Feeney, Orlando (1995-1996) T. Martin Fiorentino, Jacksonville (1997-2003) Don Gaetz, Fort Walton Beach (2004-2006) George W. Gibbs III, Jacksonville (1997-present) Rob Gidel, Orlando (2012-present) Linda Gill, Fort Lauderdale (1999-2003) John Hrabusa, Lakeland (2007-present) William Harrison, Panama City (2001-2002) William V. Hayes, Riviera Beach (1997-1999) Michael Hightower, Jacksonville (2001-2002)

L. Charles Hilton, Panama City (2002-present) Alfred Hoffman Jr., Bonita Springs (1999-2002) Mallory Horne (deceased), Tallahassee (1993-2002) Jeffrey Jones, Osprey (2000-2003) Victor Kiam II (deceased), Bridgeport, CT (1993-2001) D. Burke Kibler III, (1988-1992) John F. Kirtley, Tampa (2002-present) Fred Leonhardt, Orlando (2009-present) Philip D. Lewis (deceased), Riviera Beach (1989-1991) James M. Lombard, Osprey (1999-2002) W.R. Jerry Lundquist (deceased), Tallahassee (1988-1995) Dr. J. Stanley Marshall, Tallahassee (Founder-present) Nimrod McCair (1990-1992) Dr. J. Robert McClure III (2004-present) The Honorable Bill McCollum, Orlando (2002-2008) Jean McCully, Tallahassee (1992-1999) Richard McEwen, (1993) Wayne Mixson, Tallahassee (1991-1999) Ann Murphy, (1996-1997) Pat Neal, Bradenton (2001-2002) Carlos Palomares, Miami (1993-1999) Herbert Peyton, Jacksonville (1999) Jon Rawlson, Orlando (2001-2006) Ambassador John D. Rood, Jacksonville (1999-2002) Harris Rosen, Orlando (2005-2006) Frank Shaw Jr., Tallahassee (1990-2000) Frank A. Shepherd, Miami (1988-1995) Thomas K. Sittema, Orlando (2012-present) Jay Skelton, Jacksonville (1995-1997) Susan Story, Pensacola (2004-2011) Jeffrey V. Swain, Tallahassee (2003-present) Thomas W. Sylte, Pensacola (1997-2003) Paul S. Tipton, Jacksonville (1996-1997) Billy ‘B.J.’ Walker, Jacksonville (1993-1998) Preston A. Wells Jr. (deceased), Fort Lauderdale (1997-2003) Byron Wiswell, Stuart (1997-1999)

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Moment 6 Ideas Have Publications One of the ways a think tank like JMI gets its ideas tion: “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is for public policy out to policy makers and the general the only guardian of true liberty.” public is through its publications. Once the organization In 1987, any members that donated $1,000 were got underway, it began a newsletter called The Madison also given a “lifetime subscription” to The Madison Messenger, with the Messenger. In 1996, inaugural issue pubthe newsletter was relished in the winter “…it is fitting that our Institute, dedicated to promulgating named James Madipolicies to perpetuate ordered liberty and economic freedom, son Messenger and in quarter of 1988. The Madison Mes- was founded in the year of the Constitution’s Bicentennial.” 1999 it became simply senger opened with – Kirkwood Callahan The Messenger, as it a short bio of the Inremains today. stitute’s namesake, While the first issue James Madison. The article, written by Kirkwood Calof the newsletter contained a short policy article on “The lahan, even mentioned that “it is fitting that our InstiConstitutional Base of Economic Freedoms” by James tute, dedicated to promulgating policies to perpetuate Gwartney,” the Institute decided it needed to publish ordered liberty and economic freedom, was founded in longer, more intensive research papers on specific issues. the year of the Constitution’s Bicentennial.” The article In 1991, the first JMI Backgrounder was published, concluded by saying the Institute had adopted as its featuring a research paper by Warren T. Brookes on the motto a quote by Madison, the Father of the Constitutopic, “Can Educational Choice Save our Schools?” Mr.

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Brookes, a nationally syndicated columnist for The Detroit News, gave a speech at an April 4, 1991 JMI conference at Florida State University. His speech was published as this first JMI Backgrounder. The second Backgrounder, also published in 1991, was authored by James Gwartney and continued the theme of school choice and taxpayer spending on education. Also in 1991, JMI released its third Backgrounder, “Florida’s Tax Structure: An Evaluation,” authored by Randall Holcombe. While newsletters were short and informative and Backgrounders were longer, more scholarly pieces intended for policy wonks and academics, the Institute’s next move was something in between. In 1998, the first JMI Journal was published with a cover story asking, “What Price High-Speed Rail?” The article, drawn from studies written by Wendell Cox, concluded that, “The proposed Florida Overland Express high-speed rail system would provide only negligible benefits but its cost to Florida would be enormous.” Other articles focused on issues ranging from land use, property rights, climate change, the state Constitution Revision Commission, and nationalized child care.

Of course, from the beginning all issues of the JMI Journal from 1998 to 2013 have opened with a “Message from the Publisher,” JMI founder, Dr. J. Stanley Marshall. The Journal won the “Distinguished” award for magazines in the 2000 Florida Technical Communication Competition. In 2007, JMI would develop a Policy Brief, which was a shortened version of the Backgrounder research papers. Many Backgrounders and Policy Briefs also now include one-page “Talking Points,” which sum up the main arguments to allow legislators and citizens across the state to more easily make the case for good policy in debates and in a world of shortened attention spans. Over the years, all JMI publications have received upgrades. Some of the early ones were typewritten. Today, they are well designed with color photos and graphics. And while most JMI members still receive hard copies in the mail, most readers first find them on JMI’s website and through social media.

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Moment 7 John Cooper Leads Institute (1989-1994) On August 14, 1989, JMI President Dr. Stanley Marshall appointed Dr. John W. Cooper as the first Executive Director of the Institute. While Dr. Marshall would continue as President, concentrating on general administration and fundraising, Dr. Cooper directed the Institute’s programs. John Cooper came to JMI from Washington, D.C., where he had worked as a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center from 1987-1989. He spent other parts of his career in education and also had a stint as a

“I always described our view on term limits as what a think tank strategy should look like: We should be neutralizing elite opinion and mobilizing mass public opinion.” – John Cooper

John Cooper

A copy of What Everyone Should Know About Economics and Prosperity, published by The James Madison Institute in 1992 and translated into 14 languages, including Hebrew.

research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute. In other words, he knew a thing or two about think tanks. Dr. Cooper, however, was not an unknown in the Sunshine State. He had earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Florida State University before earning his Ph.D. at Syracuse University. Between Cooper and his wife, they had a combined five degrees from FSU. Ironically, the Coopers were students at FSU when Dr. Marshall was President of the university. In February 1991, Dr. Marshall resigned as the Institute’s President to assume the duties as Chairman of its Board of Directors and John Cooper was made President of the Institute, a post he remained in until 1994. Cooper and Marshall worked together to build the organization. “We had a great and close relationship. We spent much time together on road trips to conferences, on donor visits, and setting up lectures and other events,” said Cooper. “Dr. Marshall is an amazing and inspiring person.” Under Cooper’s leadership, JMI published a book, What Everyone Should Know About Economics and Prosperity (1992) by James Gwartney and Richard Stroup. By the mid 1990s, more than 75,000 copies of this economics primer were in print and in use at colleges and universities in Florida and in many states across the country — and it has been translated into 14 languages. The Institute would continue to publish titles through its Montpelier Book Series, a joint effort with the newly emerging State Policy Network. Another book in that series, Gridlock in Government: How to End the Stagnation of America was also released in 1992. In that same year, the Institute acquired additional office space at 2010 Delta Blvd, renting out the second floor of the building above the law firm below. The space was large enough to hold luncheon events. It was also during Dr. Cooper’s time that the Institute expanded its public outreach to make an impact in the media, with the goal of publishing opinion editorials with newspapers around the state, something it continues to do today. It also sought to influence elite opinion, by bringing more awareness of the issues to legislators. One issue JMI rallied behind in the early 1990s was term limits. “We were seen as the principal, if not the only, group in Tallahassee, that was supportive of term limits,” said Cooper. “I always described our view on term limits as what a think tank strategy should look like: We should be neutralizing elite opinion and mobilizing mass public opinion.”

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Moment 8 1995: A Year of Expansion and New Facilities By 1995, at nearly the end of its first decade, the Institute had enjoyed steady growth and expansion and required new facilities. JMI moved to a new 5,000 square foot office space at 2017 Delta Blvd (the building just behind the offices it began renting in 1992). It is where the Institute would remain until 2012. However, the Institute was not content to just do business from Tallahassee. In addition to the Center for World Capitalism of The James Madison Institute that had just begun at Jacksonville University, the Institute initiated one of its most successful ventures, the Forum of Tampa Bay, in 1995. Directed by JMI Board Member Rebecca Walter (now Rebecca Dunn), this Forum grew in popularity and substance. Among others, it attracted speakers such as William F. Buckley, Jr., founder of National Review; Peter Brimelow, Senior Editor of Forbes; Robert Woodson, President of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise; and Jose Pinera, former Chilean Secretary of Labor and Social Security and the father of privatized social security worldwide. In the latter part of the 1990s, the Institute was directed by several different Presidents including Peter Schweizer (1995) and John Barry (1998), with Dr. Marshall filling in during the interim periods. At top, then-JMI President Peter Schweizer with founder, Dr. Marshall; center right, headquarters of JMI on Delta Boulevard; at right, JMI board member Rebecca (Walter) Dunn at the Forum of Tampa Bay; at bottom, JMI board member Mallory Horne with longtime staff member Susan Christian.

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Moment 9

THEN-JMI BOARD MEMBER DANO DAVIS, WENDY’S FOUNDER AND CEO DAVE THOMAS, AND DR. MARSHALL.

The Davis Family Endows JMI’s Center for

A. Darius Davis and his three younger brothers helped their father, William M. Davis, open the first Winn-Dixie store in Miami in 1925. At its peak in the 1990s, the Jacksonville-based grocery store chain was the fifth-largest in the nation and the largest in the Sunbelt — operating over 1,186 stores in fourteen southern states. It was during this time that the family began an association with The James Madison Institute with the purpose of teaching the free-market principles that helped the entrepreneurial Davis family earn its own success. Darius Davis retired as President of Winn-Dixie in 1965 and served on its board of directors until his death in 1995. In 1994, he instituted the development of The Center for World Capitalism of The James Madison Institute at Jacksonville University. The Davis family donated

more than $1.6 million to The James Madison Institute in the 1990s, much of which underwrote the Center for World Capitalism’s programs and allowed JMI to attract other sources of funding to the Center. At the time, they had written the largest check the Institute had ever received — making a $1 million gift in 1995. Throughout the five-year period between 1994 and 1998, the Center for World Capitalism awarded an International Prize to recognize outstanding leaders, nationally and internationally, for their success in advancing freemarket principles. This program brought many speakers to Jacksonville, including the International Prize winners: conservative scholar Michael Novak (1994), Wendy’s restaurants founder and CEO Dave Thomas (1995), and the Prime Minster of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus (1996).

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CZECH PRIME MINISTER VACLAV KLAUS WITH JMI MEMBERS AND GUESTS.

World Capitalism at Jacksonville University Other prominent speakers included political pundit Fred Barnes, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeanne Kirkpatrick, and free-market economist Walter Williams. The Center also had an Eastern European Scholarship Program for students from former Soviet bloc nations to attend Jacksonville University. Recipients of this fouryear scholarship represented Croatia, Russia, Uzbekistan, and other nations from the region. The J.E. Davis Writing Award, honoring the late co-founder of Winn-Dixie stores (who passed away in 1993), was a national essay competition that encouraged young scholars to consider the virtues of capitalism as a key to global prosperity. A high school form of this competition also emerged in partnership with the Junior Achievement of Jacksonville. In August 1997, JMI would release the program

to Jacksonville University, which renamed the Center for World Capitalism as the Center for American Free Enterprise in JU’s Davis College of Business, a lasting legacy of the Davis family’s entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropic endeavors. A. Dano Davis, the son of J.E. Davis, was Chairman of Winn-Dixie from 1988 to 2004 and served on JMI’s board of directors from 1996-2000. His successor at WinnDixie, H. Jay Skelton, also served on JMI’s board from 1995-1997, while he was CEO of DDI, Inc., a diversified holding company owned by the Davis family and located in Jacksonville. To this day, the Institute remains grateful for the generosity of the Davis family and the confidence they placed in the Institute during its early years.

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Moment 10 JMI Brings Margaret Thatcher to Florida On April 19, 1996, The James Madison Institute held one of the highest signature events in its history, bringing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Florida. The “Iron Lady” was the keynote speaker for JMI’s 1996 Spring Conference, “Reclaiming America’s Moral and Cultural Heritage,” held at the Belleview Mido Resort Hotel in Clearwater. The two-day conference attracted over 500 people, consisting of conservative activists and business and community leaders, mostly from the Tampa Bay area, but also from every corner of the state. Lady Thatcher’s speech, “The Moral Foundations of Democracy,” made the case that the promise of America requires that the moral underpinnings of society be upheld. “You can’t have freedom without order, and order requires moral responsibility…and if we lose our values, we will lose everything.” Her main argument was that freedom requires responsibility, and a people who seek freedom from responsibility will find the moral foundation of their society rapidly decaying. She decried heavyhanded government as a destroyer of virtue and derided the welfare state as an enabler of illegitimacy and poverty. She also derided the evil ideology of communism as a

totalitarian nightmare which led to the slaughter of more than 95 million people in the twentieth century. During her visit, Lady Thatcher also met with a cadre of high school students who won a JMI essay contest on the topic: “Hope for the Future: Values That Made America Great.” One student, Kristen Bazley, wrote eloquently that she asked Lady Thatcher about what she believed to be her greatest achievement. Thatcher responded that lowering Britain’s tax rate and participating in the fall of the Communist empire with U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were among her most proud accomplishments. She wowed the students with her intelligence, her oratory, and her sense of humor. She sought to inspire them to reach for the stars and to persevere in the pursuit of their life’s goals. The conference received substantial media coverage throughout the state, elevating The James Madison Institute brand and associating it with the values of freedom that were sweeping across the world in the wake of the Cold War. The conference was also taped by C-SPAN, which later nationally televised Lady Thatcher’s speech and some of the other presentations.

You can’t have freedom without order, and order requires moral responsibility... and if we lose our values, we will lose everything.” – Margaret Thatcher

Left, Dr. Marshall welcomes Margaret Thatcher to Florida; above, guest scholars Bill Mattox and Marvin Olasky speak at the JMI conference on “Reclaiming America’s Moral and Cultural Heritage” – Mattox would come to work for the Institute 14 years later.

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Above, Shirley and Stan Marshall with Margaret Thatcher in Clearwater, Florida.

Left, student essay winners meet with Thatcher; above, JMI staff and board members with Thatcher.

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Moment 11 JMI Sparks Florida’s Charter School Movement From the year of its founding in 1987, JMI’s policy prescriptions have focused on empowering parents with more educational options for their children. JMI has worked to extend the educational establishment’s boundaries to provide alternatives and promote competition in the educational marketplace. Throughout the 1990s, JMI pushed to make politically possible in Florida the option of charter schools, which are public schools that operate under a performance contract, or a “charter,” which frees them from many regulations created for traditional public schools while holding them accountable for academic and financial results. The contract between the charter school governing board and the sponsor details the school’s mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment and ways to measure success. The length of time for which charters are granted varies but most are granted for five years. In 1996, the Florida Legislature passed a law providing for the establishment of charter schools. As Dr. Marshall noted afterwards, this law “was the realization of a goal toward which we’ve been striving for the past five years.” Because this was mostly untested territory — only five charter schools opened the first year they were permitted — JMI began plans to foster Florida’s charter and independent schools. In 1998, JMI established the Center for Education Entrepreneurs to provide a wide range of services to individuals and organizations seeking to establish independent schools (from pre-school to Grade 12) and to serve

as a clearinghouse for information on successful cutting-edge schools, thus unleashing the imagination and energy of would-be entrepreneurs in Florida and beyond. Michael Strader was named the Executive Director of the Center, which was largely supported thanks to a grant by the William H. Donner Foundation, Inc. and a matching allocation by JMI members across the state. The Center worked as a broker in establishing relationships between charter school founders and business and education experts, to assist in the smooth flow of developing a mission statement and business plan, as well as locating working capital and school sites. Strader organized “Survival Training for Charter Operators,” Florida’s first state-wide workshop to assist first year operators and developed the first “how-to” guide for Florida charter developers, The Florida Charter School Planning Guide. Michael Strader stayed at the Institute until 1999 and then moved to Broward County to serve as the President of Charter Schools, USA. He later opened the Charter School Associates, where he currently manages 8 charter schools. Florida was not the first state to open a charter school — but thanks in large part to JMI — the charter school movement flourished in Florida and set trends nationwide. Today there are over 213,651 students in attendance at the over 583 charter schools in Florida. Nationally, there are over 6,000 charter schools in over forty states, serving more than 2.3 million students.

Michael Strader

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Moment 12

Former First Lady Barbara Bush

Former Governor Jeb Bush

Former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

Pennsylvania State Senator Anthony Williams

The Foundation for Florida’s Future Merges with JMI Shortly after his unsuccessful first campaign for governor in 1994, Jeb Bush founded an independent policy organization named the Foundation for Florida’s Future (FFF). Its purpose was to be both a do-tank and a think-tank. Through the Foundation and through Jeb’s personal efforts, the Liberty City Charter School was established in Miami. In addition, the book, Profiles in Character, was published — along with the quarterly journal Impact. FFF was also responsible for a number of public policy initiatives in state government at that time. FFF and JMI collaborated on a number of efforts. Dr. Stanley Marshall served on the Foundation’s board of directors from the beginning and Jeb served on JMI’s board of directors in the early 1990s. When Jeb announced his campaign for Governor in 1997, he was succeeded as FFF chairman by Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney. Shortly after, Mayor Delaney and Dr. Marshall, with Jeb’s encouragement, discussed more seriously a possible merger. The boards of both organizations approved the merger, which officially occurred on February 1, 1999. The new organization became titled “The James Madison Institute — A Foundation for Florida’s Future,” which also became reflected in the Institute’s new logo. “We had considered merging the two organizations but the time never seemed right. Now it is.” said Dr. Marshall in February 1999. John Delaney became Chairman of JMI’s

board and Dr. Marshall served as President & CEO with long-time JMI staff member Susan Christian retaining the title Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. This merger took place only weeks after Jeb became Governor and he expressed his endorsement of the merger. “The Foundation and JMI have worked together for years to promote sound public policy in Florida,” he said. “I am proud of what both of these groups have accomplished and know that by combining staff and resources, the new organization will have an even greater impact throughout the state.” After Jeb left the Governor’s mansion in January 2007, JMI “released” the Foundation and Jeb returned to serve as its chairman. JMI and FFF have both grown substantially since that time and continue to work together to promote education reform in Florida and beyond. In 2008, the two organizations combined forces to hold a massive two day Education Summit at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista. Featured speakers included former First Lady Barbara Bush, former Governor Jeb Bush, John Stossel, then-Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, and Pennsylvania State Senator Anthony Williams. The Foundation has continued to hold such conferences in other states and the District of Columbia to strengthen school choice options in Florida and expand these efforts throughout the country.

“I AM PROUD OF WHAT BOTH OF THESE GROUPS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED AND KNOW THAT BY COMBINING STAFF

Bob McClure

AND RESOURCES, THE NEW ORGANIZATION WILL HAVE AN EVEN GREATER IMPACT

THROUGHOUT THE STATE.”

– GOVERNOR JEB BUSH, 1999

John Stossel

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Moment 13 Jeb Bush, Tom Feeney, and Don Gaetz: From JMI’s Board to Leadership Roles Principled leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It is a lifetime commitment. That can certainly be said of many of the leaders who have served on The James Madison Institute’s board of directors over the past twenty-five years. While most of JMI’s board members have no inclination to go into elected office, a few have. But before they became known to most Floridians, they took an active role in the governance of the Institute. In 1990, at the age of 37, Jeb Bush joined JMI’s board of directors, a post he would serve in until 1993. At the time of his departure from JMI’s board, his father, President George H.W. Bush, had recently lost a re-election bid, but a new star in the Bush family was on the rise. When he began his own bid for elected office — challenging Governor Lawton Chiles in the 1994 gubernatorial race — Jeb stepped down from JMI’s board of directors. He ultimately lost the 1994 race, but he remained engaged with the Institute through his work with his newly created organization, the Foundation for

Florida’s Future. Later, Bush would run for office again, winning the 1998 election for governor and serving two terms. He is often recognized as one of Florida’s greatest and most accomplished governors. Due to his commitment to furthering school choice and other educational reforms across the nation, and being the son and brother of two former Presidents, he has become a national leader in the conservative movement. In 1990, the year Jeb Bush had joined JMI’s board, Tom Feeney was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. When Jeb made a run for governor in 1994, he selected Feeney to be his running mate for lieutenant governor. After the pair narrowly lost, Feeney joined JMI’s board of directors in 1995, a post he would serve in until he was elected once again to the Florida House of Representatives in 1996. Feeney served as Speaker of the Florida House in 2000-2002. He first came to national prominence shortly after his election as Speaker, when he led efforts to certify the state’s Republican presidential

On January 23, 2006, Governor Jeb Bush hosted a JMI reception for board members and friends at the Governor’s Mansion in conjunction with the Florida Education Summit.

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electors during the historic “recount” between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Soon after becoming Speaker, he drafted a “Principles Card,” which allowed his fellow Republicans to check if each piece of legislation was consistent with conservative principles. This practice continued with the next speaker, Allan Bense, who later joined JMI’s board of directors and remains its chairman today. Feeney was elected to Congress in 2002 and re-elected in 2004 and 2006. After his loss in the 2008 election, Feeney returned to private life, but has remained engaged in public policy. He joined the Heritage Foundation as a Senior Fellow in 2009. In 2012, he was named President of the Associated Industries of Florida, a not-for-profit association that promotes free enterprise and represents more than 10,000 businesses across Florida. While Bush and Feeney have moved on beyond elected office (at least for now), another past JMI board member leads the Florida Senate today: Don Gaetz. A native of North Dakota, Gaetz moved to Florida in 1978 and was a leader in the health care industry. Living and working in Jacksonville, Miami, and eventually Fort Walton Beach, Gaetz retired from the health care industry and was elected to the Okaloosa County School Board in 1994. He was later elected, in 2000, to serve as the Superintendent of Schools in Okaloosa County, where he oversaw the improvement of the county’s school system from a “C” average to an “A” according to Florida’s Department of Education.

Don Gaetz

In 2004, Gaetz served on JMI’s board of directors, bringing a great business, health care, and education perspective to the organization. After being elected to the Florida Senate in 2006, he stepped down from JMI’s board of directors. In 2012, he was elected to serve as President of the Florida Senate.

Before he served as Governor of Florida (1999-2007), Jeb Bush served on JMI‘s Board of Directors (1990-1993).

Tom Feeney

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Moment 14 Leadership Now:

Ed Moore, Tom Feeney and JMI’s Legislative Orientation Program In 2000, JMI selected Ed Moore to become its President. Moore had spent the previous few decades as a successful businessman in Illinois, but had deep Florida roots going back to the 1830s. Moore grew up in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from Florida Ed Moore State University. Moore’s legacy at JMI would be one of engaging the Florida Legislature to a greater degree than the Institute had done during its existence thus far. And the timing could not be more appropriate. The 2000 election marked the implementation of the “eight-is-enough” term limits mandated by Florida voters in 1992. As a result, the Florida Legislature experienced a sweeping change in its membership. The Florida House of Representatives had 64 new freshmen including names like Jeff Atwater, Holly Benson, and Marco Rubio, among others. The Speaker of the House, Tom Feeney, a former JMI board member, recognized that the freshman dynamic — more than half of the entire House — held great promise to break the mold of the old paradigm and replace it with a new approach for Florida’s future. But he also realized it presented a learningcurve challenge. In response, JMI created the “Leadership Now” freshman orientation program designed to assist new lawmakers with the learning curve and provide a broad introduction and review of the issues they would be called upon to address on behalf of all Floridians. The program was centered on policy, balanced partisan perspectives,

included a wide range of experts and legislative veterans, and was dynamic and relevant. The four sessions took place between November 2000 and January 2001. In addition to the substantive orientation sessions, three dinner programs were also held. All the events were open to the media and the dinner events, to the general public. The dinner banquets included prominent guest speakers such as William Bennett, co-director of Empower America; Governor Jeb Bush, who spoke at the December 5, 2000 dinner — his first public remarks just days after Florida’s historic electoral recount; former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese; and Richard DeVos, founder of Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic. Speaker Feeney was featured in Governing Magazine for taking such a lead on this unique program, which became a model for other states. Feeney and Moore were invited to Austin, Texas to help leaders in their state legislature set up a similar program. On April 2, 2001, JMI was also recognized by the Florida Legislature with House Resolution 9015, thanking the Institute for its role in helping Florida’s legislature become oriented to the political process in Tallahassee and promoting a return to principled leadership during a critical time in Florida’s political history. Over the next decade, the Florida Legislature would not only perform its constitutional duties of balancing the budget, but would do so without raising taxes and, in many cases, with spending cuts.

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From left, Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner, Ed Moore, and former Florida Governor Reubin Askew.

Speaker Tom Feeney

Former Secretary of Education Bill Bennett

Moment 15 Donors Keep the Lights of Liberty Burning

Like all organizations, The James Madison Institute — remains an integral partner, particularly in the fundcertainly experienced challenging times during its first ing of JMI’s Civics Education Initiative, a program that quarter century. While the Institute’s primary mission is began in 2008. promoting sound free-market public policy, it takes no In 2004, as the Institute’s current President Bob Mcgovernment funds and does not engage in contract reClure assumed his position at JMI, another board member search. This means the burden of doing business falls on and Chairman, Charles Hilton, would also step up when sound fundraising efforts to meet the Institute’s budget. needed. “There were several times in my first months At the very beginning of any non-profit organization’s here that I had to call Mr. Hilton and ask him to help history, convincing people to invest in a us make payroll and keep the lights product that is not yet available is always on — he never hesitated,” said Mcchallenging. But, as noted earlier, Jerry “Had any one of these men not Clure. “He has been a true mentor Lundquist was an early investor, donat- stepped up when called upon, throughout my adult life.” ing a $10,000 check to the Institute in there may be no James Madison Later, when the Institute’s board its first year, serving as its first board made a decision to purchase a new chairman, and providing office space for Institute today.” headquarters in downtown Tallahasthe Institute’s first few staff members. see, Board Chairman Charlie Hilton During some critical times in the mid to late 1990s, stepped up to make the largest lead gift. That allowed Preston “Dick” Wells would not only serve on the InstiJMI to go forward in announcing the start of its capital tute’s board, but also donated funds at key times simply campaign in 2010. to keep the lights on and help the Institute make payroll. After reflecting on the Institute’s first twenty-five years, Dick Wells was a veteran of World War II, fighting valiantly it is clear that the investment these three men — and so at the Battle of Iwo Jima. As Manager of Engineering for many other donors — made in JMI, has been worth it. Quaker Oats and co-founder of the Las Olas Company of “Had any one of these men not stepped up when called Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he was an exemplary businessupon, there may be no James Madison Institute today,” man, whose prosperity never surpassed his virtue. Dick said JMI Vice President for Advancement Francisco GonWells also served on the boards of the Heritage Foundazalez. “Without their stewardship, Florida’s public policy tion and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Today, his arena would be in a different place today. We continue family’s foundation — the Lillian S. Wells Foundation to honor the legacy they have left us.”

From left, Dr. Marshall and Congressman J.C. Watts. From right, Dick and Marion Wells.

Charles Hilton

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Moment 16 Bob McClure Takes Institute to the Next Level With 17 years at The James Madison Institute, Susan Christian was the longest serving staff member, other than Dr. J. Stanley Marshall, who has been with the Institute since he founded it in 1987. Christian recognizes the effective roles of the many presidents and scholars she served under at JMI. “Dr. Marshall and James Gwartney really put together the skeleton of JMI,” said Christian. “And Dr. John Cooper put meat on the bones.” Building on her analogy, then, Bob McClure turned that meat into muscle. From the time he took over leadership in 2004, McClure has catapulted JMI onto a whole new stage. “Since Bob McClure came in as President, The James Madison Institute has really done great under his leadership,” said JMI Senior Fellow and FSU Professor of Economics Randall Holcombe. “I have to give him a lot of credit for everything, really. Everything from fundraising,

to talks at conferences, and legislative contacts.” McClure has also been effective at recognizing and hiring good talent. “As just one example, Bob made a wise decision getting someone like Thomas Perrin on board, who is focusing on building relationships with elected officials,” said Holcombe. “These relationships allow the Institute’s work to come off the white paper and onto the floor of the legislature.” “The entire JMI staff is very talented and that is a testament to the leadership of Bob McClure,” said Holcombe. In 2008, McClure hired a development director in Francisco Gonzalez. “I decided to come work for JMI because I recognized the dynamic staff and leadership that was here and the opportunity to work with Bob to build this organization,” said Gonzalez. “Just a few months into my job, I was truly impressed with how open Bob was to so many ideas my JMI colleagues and I presented to him. He has been a good counselor in helping nurture those ideas

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to be even more effective than originally envisioned.” Bob’s first day on the job in 2004 was certainly an interesting one. Before he was hired, JMI had already organized an event in Orlando with the sitting Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney. “Here I was, first day on the job, introducing the Vice President of the United States,” said McClure. “What a wild start to a great adventure that this position has been.” When McClure first took over the Institute, the budget was only a few hundred thousand dollars and there were weeks JMI struggled to make payroll. Nine years later, with a robust staff of 15 and growing, the Institute’s budget now tops $2 million annually. JMI also recently completed a successful $1.6 million capital campaign to purchase The Columns, the most historic landmark building in downtown Tallahassee. “None of that would have been possible without our great board of directors. When you look at the men and women who have been on our board during my time at JMI, I think they are some of the most effective public policy leaders in the state,” said McClure. In 2007, former Speaker of the House Allan Bense joined the Institute’s board of directors. He became Chairman in 2009, a post he still holds today. Bense has helped JMI in terms of fundraising, policy, strategy, leadership, and as a mentor to McClure. Most importantly, the Institute has become more than a think-tank but it is also a do-tank. “We are a results-driven organization,” said McClure. “We aren’t just yelling from the sidelines; we’re providing practical market-based solutions to help the people of Florida in their daily lives.” As JMI President, Bob McClure appears frequently on radio and television, in the halls of the legislature, and introducing notable speakers at JMI events around the state. On his first day on the job as JMI President, June 14, 2004, McClure presided over a JMI event at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, where he introduced the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney. At left, McClure greets Florida CFO Alex Sink during a joint press conference on government transparency in March 2009.

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Moment 17 Standing Athwart History Yelling Stop When William F. Buckley, Jr. founded National Review in 1955, he famously wrote in his opening statement that the magazine “stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no other is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.” In much the same way, this has been part of the purpose of JMI as the leading limitedgovernment, free-market organization in Tallahassee. On so many issues over the years, the Institute has been the leading voice — and sometimes the lone voice — standing up against many special interests that push issues antithetical to the market-based economy our nation’s founders had in mind. Almost every time a new tax or regulation is introduced or suggested, JMI is there to make the argument of how taxes and regulations slow economic growth. To date, Florida has no state income tax — an issue that was the subject of a JMI study in April 1991 — which has remained popular with most Floridians. And thanks to JMI’s longtime work on the issue, the Florida intangibles tax (a tax on financial assets such as stocks or bonds) was repealed in the final year of Jeb Bush’s administration. “We were way out front on this issue,” said JMI Senior Fellow and FSU Professor of Economics Randall Holcombe. “JMI was the first organization to have an objective analysis of this tax and why it should be repealed.” In fact, Holcombe, who served as an economic advisor to Governor Bush, made it a point to ask him about how the repeal was progressing every time he saw him. “It got to the point where if I saw him, he’d start telling me about the intangibles tax before I could ask,” said Holcombe. Over the past two decades, the idea of government-subsidized high-speed rail has also been halted in its tracks — a number of times. While JMI wrote Backgrounders on this issue in both 1997 and 2002, the research from these studies has continued to serve as a key source each time the issue comes back into play, as it did most recently in 2011. Land use restrictions known as “growth management” have been issues in Florida for the entirety of JMI’s existence. The Institute has always approached this from a property rights perspective — arguing that government shouldn’t be put in a position to tell individuals or businesses what they can or can-

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not do with their land. Most recently, this issue popped up again in the 2010 election cycle under the unassumRestoring Florida’s Insurance Market ing name of “Hometown Democracy.” JMI was one of the many leading voices which were part of the broad “No on 4” coalition that led to more than 67% of Floridians voting against the attempt to make this a constitutional amendment (it needed 60% in support to pass). When activists and bureaucrats can’t get their way with land use laws, they often attempt to use “global warming” — or “climate change” — to impose costly restrictions that would halt economic growth. When Governor Charlie Crist and some members of the legislature attempted to go forward with some of these regulations in 2008 and 2009, JMI was often the lone voice in opposition. The Institute distributed a study to all members of the legislature that was focused on the economic impact of these policies, and it brought NASA scientist Roy Spencer to Tallahassee to dispute such claims that man was causing global warming. And today, JMI remains the leading voice in Florida when it comes to warning about the costly effects of the state’s reliance on Citizens — the state-subsidized property insurance company — if and when a hurricane hits any major metropolitan area of the state. When the first JMI Backgrounder on Citizens Property Insurance was released in February 2008, warning of the catastrophe Florida could face, only two House members (Dennis Ross and Don Brown) stood with JMI. Today, more lawmakers have been persuaded and the insurance reform coalition has expanded greatly, but Florida still remains at risk. History is full of men and women with good intentions. But it has been JMI’s role over the past twenty-five years to be, as perhaps Professor James Gwartney put it best, “a cautionary influence” in Florida’s public policy arena.

/VNCFSt'FCSVBSZ 

Eli Lehrer

Senior Fellow, The Competitiv e Enterprise Institute Adjunct Scholar, The James Madison Institute

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#Z3PCFSU'4BODIF[

Policy Director, The James

Madison Institute

By the end of the 1990s, Florida’s property insurance market had largely recovered harder to find and more expensive, angering would-be from the effects of 1992’s Hurricane Andrew, one policy holders. Moreover, of the costliest storms ever because mortgage lenders to strike the mainland of the require their equity to be United States. Property insurinsured, the lessened availance was once again widely ability and higher cost of property insurance threatened available and was generally regarded as relatively affordable. to cause further damage to a real estate market already slowing because of the convergenc In 2004 and 2005, however, Florida was battered by a e of several factors, series of damaging storms including a rapid rise in property taxes. that resulted in huge losses for insurers. Moreover, some Property insurance thus of the climate-forecast models became a political issue in suggested that the regions the 2006 election and, in January of 2007, Governor bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea were Charlie Crist and the Florida entering one of the periodic Legislature fashioned a cycles in which there are political solution in which relatively more hurricanes the state’s taxpayers were and tropical storms. left to assume much of the risk for future catastrophi c damage. Meanwhile, thousands of additional homes and businesses had been built Nonetheless, many of the in Florida’s vulnerable coastal fundamental problems areas, and a real estate boom plaguing Florida’s insurance market have persisted, and had caused the value of those properties to escalate. some of the legislators who As a result, several of the reluctantly supported the insurers gauged their risks insurance legislation now and made a business decision recognize that much remains to reduce their exposure to be done to restore Florida’s in Florida. Some did so insurance market. In this by declining to renew existing study, insurance expert Eli Lehrer, Senior Fellow of policies. Others did so by the deciding not to accept new Competitive Enterprise Institute, analyzes the current policies. situation and recommend As a result, property insurance s corrective solutions. coverage became Nothing written here is to

be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The as an attempt to aid or hinder James Madison Institute or the passage of any specific legislation.



Moment 18 Providing Innovative Solutions When most special interest groups knock on the door of lawmakers in Tallahassee — and elsewhere — it is usually to ask for something from the government. The James Madison Institute, on the other hand, serves as an educational resource for lawmakers — providing innovative solutions, which not only save taxpayers money, but also improve people’s lives. JMI’s work for Florida’s students and parents is well documented earlier in this report, particularly in moments 11 and 12. Education reform ideas that first started at JMI paved the way for the implementation of charter schools, virtual schooling, and digital education more broadly. Thanks mostly to the work of JMI board member John Kirtley and his organization, Step Up For Students, more than 50,000 students from low-income families annually receive a scholarship (funded by dollar-for-dollar tax credit donations from Florida corporations) to attend the school of their choice — public, private, or charter. That number continues to increase each year. Currently, one out of every three dollars in Florida’s state budget goes to Medicaid, a cooperative federalstate program where the federal government matches funds to states that choose to provide medical care to needy persons. The growth of spending on Medicaid makes less room for other priorities in the state’s budget. Thanks in large part to a 2005 JMI study and the leadership of Governor Jeb Bush, Florida was the first state in the country to institute market-based Medicaid entitlement reform to do just that. In 2011, thanks to Governor Rick Scott and Senator Joe Negron, these reforms were expanded statewide. Through this program, Medicaid patients are given vouchers to take to the doctor of their choice, thereby increasing competition, lowering costs, providing patients with access to better care, and helping them to be less reliant on government, by finding access to affordable private insurance plans. “As politicians seek to close budget gaps, many are turning their gaze to high-income givers and foundation endowments—and wondering how they can plunder the wealth that allows Americans to give more than $300 billion annually to support everything from churches to cancer research,” said John J. Miller in a 2010 article in National Review, which lauded JMI’s efforts to protect private philanthropy in Florida. JMI had published a study earlier that year specifically identifying a threat to private philanthropy in California, where private foundations and donors would be forced to publish the race, gender, and sexual orientation of their trustees. “We keep an eye on Sacramento because that’s where a lot of bad ideas are born,” said JMI President Bob McClure. “We made it a

priority to protect Florida’s foundations and non-profits from what almost happened out there.” JMI is especially good at providing innovative solutions to combat threats to economic and personal liberty – such as helping to protect property rights in Florida in the wake of the Kelo vs. New City of London decision. This was especially important in the case of the Riviera Beach town in Palm Beach County, Florida, where the homes of a large population of low-income families were being threatened by eminent domain to make room for residents with a higher tax base. JMI was one of the major voices in Florida bringing attention to this issue and saving these neighborhoods from demolition. As for helping lawmakers save money in the budget — or return that money to taxpayers — JMI has led the Floridians for Sustainable Pensions coalition, which resulted in a significant effort towards pension reform in 2011. Before then, Florida was the only state in which government employees did not contribute something to their pension. JMI continues to advocate transitioning the defined benefit system to a more modern 401k-style defined contribution system for all new government employees, while incentivizing existing employees to transfer to that system as well. In education, health care, private property rights, and many other issues, JMI has provided innovative solutions to reduce the burden of government on Florida’s taxpayers and create more opportunities for those in need.

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Moment 19 Who’s Who at JMI Events

Some of the Institute’s major events have been menGwartney. “I had a discussion with John at that JMI event, tioned throughout this report, but there are simply too and stressed to him that to really have these things widely many from over the years to name them all. Institute used they had to be much shorter. The teachers were events give JMI donors, members of the media, and generally unwilling to take an hour long session in order other guests the opportunity to meet and hear from to watch a full length show and that it would be much top scholars, elected more effective to have officials, rising stars, clips addressing specific and other well-known issues — clips that were INSTITUTE EVENTS GIVE JMI DONORS, MEMBERS only three, four, five minpersonalities in the freeOF THE MEDIA, AND OTHER GUESTS THE market movement. utes in length addressing Some of the more issues put together on OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND HEAR FROM TOP notable speakers JMI that topic.” SCHOLARS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, RISING STARS, has hosted throughStossel thought this AND OTHER WELL-KNOWN PERSONALITIES IN THE out the past twentywas an interesting idea FREE-MARKET MOVEMENT. five years include: Jack and they followed up Kemp headlining a JMI on it. Gwartney and his dinner in March 1991; colleagues in the FSU Walter Williams and economics department Charles Murray in Orlando in November 1992; Michael — Joe Calhoun, Mark Shug, and John Morton — put Medved in Tallahassee in July 1996; Fred Barnes and together a set of Stossel clips in 2006 along with an Dave Thomas in Jacksonville in August and November, instructor’s manual for use by teachers (as well as a subrespectively, in 1996; Steve Forbes and Fred Barnes in sequent one in 2011). Thousands of copies of these DVDs Tallahassee in January 1997; Bill Bennett and Ed Meese have been sold to date, and it is estimated that hundreds in the fall of 2000 in Tallahassee. of thousands of students have since viewed these clips More recently, the Institute has played host to the late to learn about ideas of economic freedom. Andrew Breitbart in Tampa in 2010; Steve Moore in 2006 “JMI actually deserves a big thank you for providing a in Tampa and 2010 in Naples; and Wisconsin Governor foundation for the evolution of that particular product,” Scott Walker in February 2012 in Naples. said Gwartney. “It was at a JMI event where I first had the Florida politicos who have made numerous appeardiscussion with John Stossel. It’s the kind of thing where ances at JMI events over the years include Jeb Bush, Bob I suppose someone might have been able to do it with a Graham, Marco Rubio, Tom Feeney, Allan Bense, Frank phone call and present the idea. But I think it was much Brogan, Bill McCollum, Rick Scott, Pam Bondi, Jeff Atmore likely to get a positive response when you had an water, Will Weatherford, and Don Gaetz. opportunity to get to talk to the person face to face on While JMI events bring people together, they have also why that was a good idea.” at times sparked unforeseen activities and collaborations. In 2005, for example, JMI held an evening event in Fort Lauderdale in which John Stossel was the featured speaker. JMI Senior Fellow James Gwartney, an economics professor at FSU, attended. “John Stossel had put together a number of videos marketed to mostly high school teachers, using his full-length programs with ABC in the classroom,” said

A JMI event in Fort Lauderdale served as the catalyst for an opportune meeting between John Stossel (left) and JMI Senior Fellow James Gwartney (right).

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From top, left to right: JMI President Bob McClure with the late Andrew Breitbart in Tampa, August 2010; U.S. Senator Connie Mack; Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform; Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in Naples, February 2012; Walter Williams in Orlando, November 1992; Florida House Speaker Designate Marco Rubio in Pensacola, 2006; U.S. Senator Jack Kemp in Tallahassee, March 1991; former U.S. Presidential candidate Steve Forbes in Tallahassee, January 1997. At right, longtime JMI member, Dr. Robert Helmholdt of Fort Lauderdale, asks a question at a JMI event.

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Moment 20 Beyond Tallahassee: JMI Adds Regional Boards of Advisors In 2008, the Institute created its first regional boards of advisors made up of people around the state of Florida who share JMI’s limited government principles and market-oriented approach to public policy. Each board of advisors, particular to its region, is comprised of a diverse set of people including those from the business and professional community and civic-minded individuals who want to engage others in their community and who are eager to work with JMI in the promotion of liberty and free-market solutions to meet the challenges that face Floridians. Together, all of the regional boards form a “network” of free-market advocates around the state and afford advisory board members the opportunity to work with other liberty-minded, influential citizens in their local community. The Institute currently has six regional boards of advisors, located in Orlando, Jacksonville, Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Panama City, and Naples. JMI has plans to create more, including in Miami-Dade, Broward, Pensacola, Sarasota, and other areas in the near future. Each board of advisors meets twice per year at a location within their region of the state. Each meeting consists of updates from JMI’s President (or a presiding JMI senior staff member) about what is going on in Tallahassee and around the state, as well as the reforms, research,

events and other plans JMI is currently working towards. Board meetings also frequently feature prominent guest speakers such as John Fund, Grover Norquist, and Peter Schweizer, who have each addressed timely issues with advisory board members in the “up-close-and-personal” format that occurs at JMI regional board meetings. Part of each meeting includes an “advisement” session, where members of the regional board have the opportunity to transmit their own ideas to JMI’s leadership. These meetings also enable JMI to directly hear about the most important issues facing Florida’s residents from a variety of regional, economic, and other demographic viewpoints. “It’s so interesting to go from one location to another and hear how the priority issues vary for people in different parts of Florida,” said JMI Vice President of Advancement Francisco Gonzalez, who started this initiative at JMI. “It really demonstrates the diversity of the people of Florida and how different parts of the state — and the issues each region faces — are distinct from one another.” Members of the regional board work hard to advance the cause of liberty in their own community and around the state between meetings with Institute staff. Whether it is through financial assistance, community development, or putting the Institute’s work in front of key decision makers, advisory board members act as ambassadors on behalf of the Institute in their own communities. “They really are our boots on the ground,” said Gonzalez. “Across Florida we now have over 140 people serving on one of JMI’s six regional advisory boards. In addition to them helping us with outreach efforts in their own communities, they also transmit to us their personal experiences and good ideas so we may better represent their concerns when we provide policy solutions to Florida’s lawmakers in Tallahassee.”

From left, Ryan Houck and Adam Goldman of JMI’s Central Florida Board of Advisors, listen to John Fund, then of the Wall Street Journal, in October 2008.

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Moment 21 A Safeguard Against Tyranny: JMI Enters the Age of New Media When JMI was founded in 1987, getting information out to Floridians across the state was a greater (and more expensive) challenge than it is today. Thanks to the internet, anyone can now visit The James Madison Institute’s web page at www.jamesmadison.org. But even as the Institute held its 20th anniversary in November 2007, it was still a few years behind the curve. In 2009, the Institute rebranded its logo and added a new motto, “Trusted Solutions for a Better Florida.” The new logo and motto would not be complete without also upgrading JMI’s publications and website. While JMI’s website always had great content, the new site is much more dynamic, has a cleaner look with constantly changing graphics, and is more easily navigable. Just as revolutionaries in totalitarian countries try to use the web to spread information, JMI also has taken advantage of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Thousands of people follow the Institute and its reporting staff on these various social media platforms and photos are uploaded quickly after events to a Flickr account. “Social media and our enhanced online presence allows JMI to connect with current and potential supporters on a global scale,” said Valerie Wickboldt, JMI Vice President of Communications. “As Florida is an incubator and model for the great policy debates of our day, it allows people to tune in to our efforts in this influential state anytime and any place.” In 2011, the Institute hired Will Patrick to lead its newly created news reporting website, CapitolVanguard.org. On virtually a daily basis, Capitol Vanguard reports from Tallahassee to inform Floridians of the plans and actions of their state government as they occur, whether at the Capitol or around this diverse state. In the historic 2012 election year, Capitol Vanguard added a political correspondent, Scott Sholl, to offer timely coverage of the many events and races in the all-important state of Florida. JMI’s spike in online communications also helped to foster interaction with grassroots groups across the state, which would not have been as successful without social media. In 2009, JMI’s Director of Development, Francisco Gonzalez, used Facebook to organize the largest “protest” rally in Tallahassee’s recent history when the Tallahassee Tea Party held events at the State Capitol in March and April 2009. More than 2,000 people gathered at the State Capitol on April 15, 2009, just as thousands more such rallies were held simultaneously across the nation. While Gonzalez emceed the rally, Senate Presi-

dent Mike Haridopolos, House Majority Whip Anitere Flores, and local conservative radio host Preston Scott headlined the event. Since that time, the Tea Party has become one of the largest grassroots movements in American history and Florida has had one of the most active and prolific tea party movements in the country. Numerous leaders statewide have come to rely on The James Madison Institute and the Capitol Vanguard for news and information circulated via JMI’s website and its Facebook and Twitter pages. “It appears to me that technology has had a huge impact on the way JMI disseminates its information,” said Randall Holcombe, JMI Senior Fellow and FSU economics professor. “It’s such a great way to keep in touch with people and make people feel like they’re a part of the organization and maybe drum up some support, and also get the ideas out.” The spread of information about our government would certainly make the Institute’s namesake, James Madison, proud. Author of the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights, Madison himself perceived a distinct role for public opinion in the system of checks and balances and he considered the freedom of speech and the press to be important safeguards against tyranny.

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Moment 22 Educating the Next Generation: Civics & Economics Initiatives and the Young Leaders Program After two decades of educating policy makers and the public at large on various issues affecting Floridians, the Institute created special programs with a particular focus on young people. While the Institute has utilized interns from its beginning, a much more formalized internship program was put into place and led by JMI Executive Vice President Becky Liner. “Even though they work here voluntarily, JMI’s interns are an extension of our staff,” said Liner. And with the move to the Institute’s new headquarters in 2012, the creation of the Carol and Barney Barnett Young Leaders Center institutionalized the program. “We now have anywhere from 5 to 8 interns here at any given time,” said Liner. Interns come recommended to JMI in a variety of ways – one is from professors on campus. “I often find interns talking about the free-market economic ideas they are learning in courses they take with one of our Senior Fellows Randall Holcombe, who is an economics professor at FSU,” said JMI Vice President of Advancement Francisco Gonzalez. “I think interning at JMI definitely gets the students interested in ideas,” said Holcombe. “The things the interns are working on at JMI causes them to be interested in the material they get in class and the material they get in class gets them better motivated to be interested in the policy work at JMI, where they can see there’s some relevance. I think there’s a synergy that goes both ways like that.” With the move to the Institute’s new headquarters at The Columns, this synergy is reflected in the Institute’s new “1830 Book Club” held for young people ages 18 to 30, which includes JMI’s interns and other students and young professionals in Tallahassee. In 2008, the Institute also created a civics education initiative for young people across the state. Since the program’s inception, JMI has reached over 600,000 students in a variety of ways. In a partnership with the News in Education Program at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, JMI Resident Fellow Bill Mattox created unique curriculum guides. While the Celebrate Freedom guide is focused on founding principles and distributed to tens of thousands of students during Florida’s “Celebrate Freedom Week” in September, the All About the Benjamins guide is focused on economics and savings and distributed during Florida’s “Thrift Week” in January. In both 2012 and 2013, JMI led the effort to secure a proclamation from Governor Rick Scott and the entire

Cabinet to proclaim the week of Benjamin Franklin’s birthday (January 17) as Thrift Week in Florida. The Institute also regularly brings guest speakers and historical re-enactors portraying James Madison, Ben Franklin, and Patrick Henry, to schools and programs around the state to foster a discussion about our nation’s founding principles and ideas that promote thrift. The Institute also brings these programs to college campuses. At Florida Atlantic University, JMI Senior Fellow and FAU professor of political science Marshall DeRosa regularly leads an “American Cause” seminar series each semester for college students. JMI hosts “Madison Movie Nights,” a pro-liberty themed film series at Florida State University as well. The Institute seems perfectly positioned to be the promoter of civics education initiatives in our state – with a namesake like James Madison, its access to the state’s top policy makers and elected officials, and its willingness to partner with organizations like the American Legion Boys State and the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State, the Florida History Fair, Youth Leadership Tallahassee, the Florida Parent Educators Association, and with student groups and professors at colleges and universities across the state. And perhaps there’s one more secret ingredient. “We believe part of the reason our educational outreach to high school and college students has been so successful is because we give our college-age interns an active role in planning the events,” said Mattox.

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At left, JMI Resident Fellow Bill Mattox moderates a Constitutional debate between re-enactors portraying Ben Franklin (back left), Patrick Henry (back right), and James Madison (not pictured).

Above, Florida CFO Jeff Atwater (right) presents a “Thrift Week Proclamation,” signed by the Governor and the entire Cabinet, to JMI President Bob McClure. Pictured on the left: JMI brings speakers to the Boys State and Girls State programs in Tallahassee and provides curriculum guides like All About the Benjamins to hundreds of thousands of students around the state.

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Pictured on the right: High school students receive copies of Common Sense Economics, authored by JMI Senior Fellow James Gwartney, at a Milton Friedman Day celebration. Bottom right, some of JMI’s Summer 2012 interns on the front steps of JMI’s new headquarters at The Columns.

Moment 23 JMI’s Partnership with the State Policy Network When JMI began its work in 1987, it was one of the first of only a few state-focused think tanks in the country. Today, there are 62 organizations associated with the State Policy Network (SPN) representing all 50 states. SPN originated in 1986 as the Madison Group, an informal confederation of the state think tanks and their supporters named after the Madison Hotel in Washington, DC, where they first met. In 1992, SPN was established as an independent 501(c)(3) educational organization providing services to its membership — the state-focused, free market think tanks and their national think tank partners. At that time, the goal was to encourage cooperation and collaboration among the fledgling state think tanks, maintain a basic schedule of meetings, and provide advisory services – as needed — during its first five years of operations. During the formation of SPN in 1992, JMI was one of twelve state think tanks that joined the association, of which it proudly remains a member today. As President of JMI at the time, John Cooper not only helped the growth of the State Policy Network, but also served as its first President, in conjunction with his position at JMI. “The Presidents of the various state think tanks wanted to coordinate with each other, but we also wanted it to be under the radar so we would not be a

target of the national media.” said Cooper. “JMI was a leader when these various think tanks tried to do more coordination.” In fact, JMI led the effort to have a book series published by various think tanks around the country. Beginning with the first book, What Everyone Should Know About Economics and Prosperity, authored by JMI Senior Fellow James Gwartney, JMI organized the cover artwork and then tailored the message on the inside cover of each book to reflect the logo, mission statement, and other pertinent information about each individual organization. “The book became an advertising piece for each of the state think tanks involved,” said Cooper. “JMI reached out to over 30 groups at the time and about 17 or 18 participated in the project.” With such an intertwined history, it is thus appropriate that SPN held its 20th anniversary meeting in Florida, with JMI serving as the state think tank co-host. It was the largest meeting in the history of SPN, with more than 600 attendees from almost every state in the union gathering at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island in November 2012. The visionary legacy of Dr. J. Stanley Marshall in starting one of the first state-based think tanks in the country was recognized by the State Policy Network at their annual meeting in St. Louis in the year 2000 when he was honored with the Roe Award – named after the late Thomas A. Roe, Jr., founder of the State Policy Network and former advisor to both President Ronald Reagan and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the SPN meeting in 2012 in Amelia Island, Dr. Marshall was once again recognized for his efforts when JMI hosted a “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” dinner for 500 of the attendees at the annual meeting.

JMI hosts a “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” dinner at the State Policy Network’s 20th Annual Meeting in Amelia Island, November 2012. At left, Shirley and Stan Marshall; at right, JMI board member Robert Gidel with JMI staff.

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Moment 24 JMI Moves to The Columns During the last year of JMI’s first quarter century, the Institute made a big move – literally. Thanks to the vision and commitment of the Institute’s Board of Directors and the leadership of President Bob McClure – JMI found a permanent headquarters close to Florida’s Capitol and large enough to house the Institute’s growing staff. On May 14, 2012, JMI staff officially moved into The Columns, the most historic private residence in downtown Tallahassee, located at 100 North Duval Street. The Institute had purchased the building in 2011 and made the modest renovations needed for a dynamic policy organization. Built in 1830, in the Greek Revival style, The Columns is one of the few buildings in Tallahassee that existed during the lifetime of the Institute’s namesake, James Madison (1751-1836). It also predates Florida’s statehood (1845) by more than a decade. “This stately red brick building, with its four white columns, stands today as a reminder of the faith and determination displayed by our state’s early settlers,” said Mike Wing, Executive Director for the Tallahassee Trust Historic Preservation. “It is only fitting that an organization like The James Madison Institute will be preserving and inhabiting this great piece of Florida history.” Hundreds of donors across Florida also made possible a successful $1.6 million capital campaign, which would not have been started had it not been for two very sizeable lead gifts by board members Charles Hilton and the late K. Earl Durden. Those associated with Publix Super Markets also gave JMI two major gifts — one from Publix Super Markets Charities and another individual gift from two Publix board members, Carol and Barney Barnett. All of these donors, and others, are recognized throughout the building. With the Institute just a few blocks from the State

Capitol, it is already having a stronger impact in Florida’s public policy arena. Numerous elected officials and other policy makers are now walking through JMI’s doors on a regular basis. The Institute has also held a variety of policy briefings at The Columns and has even opened its doors for private citizens and members of the media to attend policy presentations and social gatherings. The Institute also began an “1830 Book Club” for young people roughly between the ages of 18 and 30 to take part in each semester. “We really want our new headquarters at The Columns to be a place where advocates of liberty from all over Florida — and even those from outside Florida — can call home when they find themselves in Tallahassee,” said JMI President Bob McClure. “Our doors are also open to those who need a bit more persuading that economic freedom holds the key to ensuring political freedom and creating prosperity for all. In the spirit of James Madison, this Institute – in our strategically positioned headquarters at The Columns – stands as a guardian of liberty for 19 million Florida residents and the millions more around America and the world who are watching the Sunshine State.”

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Moment 25 Florida Rises Up to Protect Freedom

As The James Madison Institute celebrates its 25th Anniversary, the nation has arrived at a perilous time. While Florida has, for the most part, embraced the free market on many important issues — including property rights, taxes, regulations, health care, and education — never before in our nation’s history has the federal government been so overreaching with its power. Despite what many policy makers in Florida have tried to do to revive our state’s economic situation, many of Florida’s woes are a result of federal overreach and reckless spending on everything from “stimulus” projects to entitlement programs. Due to these growing concerns about the future of our nation and our national debt, Florida continues to fight against many measures passed down from Washington. When members of the Florida Legislature passed a memorial in 2010 to call for a balanced budget amendment for the federal government, JMI President Bob McClure stood with our state’s leaders at a press conference arguing that, “Chronic federal budget deficits and the national debt’s explosive growth have now constituted a problem so serious state governments can no longer stand idly by.” Later in 2010, Florida led the lawsuit against the Patient

Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), otherwise known as “ObamaCare” and JMI stepped in to help thenFlorida Attorney General (and former JMI board member) Bill McCollum. When this case went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, JMI worked with Florida’s current Attorney General Pam Bondi, and filed an amicus brief in support of Florida and 25 other states’ challenge of the PPACA. Also in 2012, Florida lawmakers fought back against costly regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency — and JMI was there to consult with them on the proper course of action to take and ways to spread information about the issue. These are just a few recent examples of how Florida, along with many other states, are fighting back against the burden the federal government continues to place on states and individuals. In most of these cases, lawmakers are using the Tenth Amendment, authored by James Madison, to respond. That amendment reads: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” It seems that 25 years ago, when Dr. Marshall and the other visionaries created, founded, and led an organiza-

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tion focused on Florida and the role of the states — and named that organization after James Madison — they were ahead of their time. But, it was a good thing they were. Today, the role of state think tanks like JMI has become vital in providing intellectual ammunition for lawmakers and private citizens, and in helping to shape an effective message in the battle of ideas. To ensure future success, the Institute is stepping up its coalition work with allies and partners across Florida and the nation — investing in numerous capacities to build a permanent freedom majority. Our nation was founded on ideas and its future will ultimately be determined by the policies that flow from the ideas that win. As JMI celebrates its first quarter century of providing trusted solutions for a better Florida, it seeks to win hearts and minds toward a better understanding of the great human achievement of liberty – which allows people, families, neighborhoods, towns, and cities to prosper and thrive in a free society. At left, with JMI President and other Florida leaders behind him, Florida Governor Rick Scott signs a series of “jobs” bills in 2011, which lowered taxes and reduced regulations for individuals and businesses across Florida. Top right, JMI President Bob McClure and his daughter Clara Frances join coalition partner American Majority at the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach. American Majority sponsored driver Jason Bowles in 2012 in an effort to take the freedom message to NASCAR fans. JMI President Bob McClure with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Florida in Orlando.

In 2010, JMI President Bob McClure stood with leaders of the Florida Legislature to support a balanced budget amendment for the U.S. Constitution.

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The James Madison Institute Trusted Solutions for a Better Florida

Founded in 1987 by Dr. J. Stanley Marshall, The James Madison Institute is a non-partisan policy center dedicated to advancing the free-market principles of limited government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility. President and Chief Executive Officer: J. Robert McClure III, Ph.D.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman: Allan Bense, Panama City Vice Chairman: J. Stanley Marshall, Tallahassee

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Glen Blauch, Naples; Jacob F. Bryan, Jacksonville; Charles Cobb, Coral Gables; Stan Connally, Pensacola; Rebecca Dunn, Palm Beach; George W. Gibbs III, Jacksonville; Robert H. Gidel, Orlando; L. Charles Hilton, Panama City; John Hrabusa, Lakeland; John F. Kirtley, Tampa; Fred Leonhardt, Orlando; Thomas K. Sittema, Orlando; Jeffrey V. Swain, Tallahassee

THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE STAFF

Amar Ali, Communications Assistant; Tanja Clendinen, Executive Assistant to the President; Francisco Gonzalez, Vice President of Advancement; Becky Liner, Executive Vice President; Jill Mattox, Foundation Grants Manager; William R. Mattox, Jr., Resident Fellow; Thomas Perrin, Public Affairs Director; Robert F. Sanchez, Policy Director; Scott Sholl, Editor-in-Chief, Capitol Vanguard; Jenny Stone, Director of Events and Logistics; Valerie Wickboldt, Vice President of Communications THE RESEARCH ADVISORY COUNCIL OF THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE Dr. Susan Aud, Senior Fellow, Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation; Dr. Michael Bond, Professor of Finance, The University of Arizona; Dr. Marshall DeRosa, Professor of Political Science, Florida Atlantic University; Dr. Thomas V. DiBacco, Professor Emeritus, American University; Dr. Dino Falaschetti, Property & Environment Research Center, Bozeman, MT; Dr. James Gwartney, Professor of Economics, Florida State University; Dr. Bradley K. Hobbs, BB&T Professor of Free Enterprise, Florida Gulf Coast University; Dr. Randall Holcombe, Professor of Economics, Florida State University; Dr. Barry Poulson, Professor of Economics, the University of Colorado; J.B. Ruhl, J.D., Professor of Law, Florida State University College of Law; Peter Schweizer, President, Government Accountability Institute and James M. Taylor, J.D., Senior Fellow, The Heartland Institute.

Acknowledgments

The effort to put together this “25 Moments, 25 Years” report on the history of The James Madison Institute was led by JMI Vice President of Advancement, Francisco Gonzalez. However, many other current and former JMI staff, board members, interns, scholars, and others associated with the Institute helped with this effort. A special thank you to: Stanley Marshall, James Gwartney, Randall Holcombe, Lora Holcombe, Allan Bense, John Kirtley, Bob McClure, John Cooper, Ed Moore, Tom Dye, Michael Strader, Susan Christian, Robert Sanchez, Becky Liner, Valerie Wickboldt, Jill Mattox, Bill Mattox, Tanja Clendinen, Amar Ali, Keri Gordon, Joseph Russo, Emily Buckley, Nathan Law, Evan Marcus, Tom Morgan, Chris Caballero, Michael Werner, Keith Leslie, Jennifer Butler and Tracie Sharp. The combined research, interviews, anecdotes, and editing could not have been done without them. Finally, this would not have been possible without the excellent graphic design and the many hours of dedication by Jane Houle of Graphic Edge. Thank you also to Hugh Butler and his excellent printing and production team at Graphateria.

TO CONTACT US By Mail: The Columns

By Phone: In the Tallahassee area; 850-386-3131

100 N. Duval Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301 Our Website: www.jamesmadison.org

Via e-mail: [email protected]

Toll-Free from anywhere; 866-340-3131

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Bill and Rebecca Dunn

Barney Barnett

JMI staff and interns at The Columns in 2011

The Columns 100 North Duval Street Tallahassee, FL 32301 850-386-3131 Phone 850-386-1807 Fax [email protected] www.jamesmadison.org