Florida Senate - 2010                                    SR 2748
       
       
       
       By Senators Jones and Atwater
       
       
       
       
       13-02061A-10                                          20102748__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing the outstanding public
    3         service and extraordinary kindness of Senator James E.
    4         “Jim” King, Jr., and designating Room 401 in the
    5         Senate Office Building the “James E. ‘Jim’ King, Jr.,
    6         Committee Room.”
    7  
    8         WHEREAS, James E. “Jim” King, Jr., was born in Brooklyn,
    9  New York on October 30, 1939, and moved with his family to
   10  Florida in 1945, and
   11         WHEREAS, Jim King attended St. Petersburg Junior College,
   12  graduating with an A.A. degree in 1959, and then attended
   13  Florida State University, where he received undergraduate
   14  degrees in 1961 and an M.B.A. in 1962, and
   15         WHEREAS, Jim King remained one of Florida State
   16  University’s most ardent supporters, serving as president of the
   17  Jacksonville Seminole Boosters, Inc., and as a member of the
   18  Board of Directors of the Florida State University Boosters,
   19  Inc., and
   20         WHEREAS, Jim King was elected to the Florida House of
   21  Representatives in 1986, where he quickly won the respect of the
   22  leadership in the then Democratic-controlled House, soon
   23  becoming a respected voice in the debate on key issues,
   24  including health care and insurance reform, and
   25         WHEREAS, Jim King rose through the ranks of the House
   26  Republican leadership, serving as Majority Leader from 1996 to
   27  1998 and, by the time of his election to the Senate in 1999, his
   28  huge heart, quick wit, and passion for his alma mater were well
   29  known to all involved in the legislative process, and
   30         WHEREAS, in the Senate, Senator King quickly ascended to
   31  leadership roles, serving as Majority Leader from 2000 to 2002,
   32  and President of the Florida Senate from 2002 to 2004, and
   33         WHEREAS, Senator King dedicated his entire legislative
   34  career to giving Floridians a better quality of life, raising
   35  awareness on the importance of end-of-life decisions,
   36  championing a quality education system, preserving Florida’s
   37  unique environment by protecting natural resources such as the
   38  St. Johns River, and investing in the state’s future by
   39  initiating biomedical research programs, and
   40         WHEREAS, through his obvious love of people and the warmth
   41  of his humor, Senator King demonstrated that collegiality,
   42  teamwork, and concerted efforts toward common goals could surely
   43  make Florida a better place, and
   44         WHEREAS, Senator King was taken from us unexpectedly and
   45  much too soon on July 26, 2009, after a valiant battle against
   46  pancreatic cancer, NOW, THEREFORE,
   47  
   48  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   49  
   50         That the colleagues and friends of Senator James E. “Jim”
   51  King, Jr., in the Florida Senate do hereby recognize and
   52  celebrate his unparalleled legislative service in the Florida
   53  House of Representatives and the Florida Senate and honor his
   54  legacy of public service.
   55         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in recognition of his
   56  outstanding public service and extraordinary love of Florida and
   57  its people, the Senate designates Room 401 of the Senate Office
   58  Building as the “James E. ‘Jim’ King, Jr., Committee Room.”
   59         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution,
   60  signed by the President of the Senate, with the Seal of the
   61  Senate affixed, be transmitted to Linda Braddock King, widow of
   62  Senator James E. “Jim” King, Jr., as a lasting symbol of the
   63  respect of the members of the Florida Senate and the people of
   64  the State of Florida.