Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran

House Speaker Designation Ceremony Remarks

Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Thank you Mr. Speaker, members, distinguished guests, family and friends.
Members, thank you for this honor and your trust.
I stand before you humbled, motivated and blessed. Blessed because of so many
people in my life who have taken the time to mentor and support me. But, especially
because of two people who are not here today.
Both my parents grew up during the Great Depression. My mother was born in
Darjeeling, India, to parents who managed a tea plantation. While just a child, my
mother and her siblings were put on a boat that sailed from India to England, so that
they could attend better schools and have a better life. When World War II broke
out, my mother joined the Womens Auxiliary Air Force or the WAAF.
She endured the German Blitz and survived the Battle of Britain. She would often
regale us with stories of the air horns going off and people running for shelters, as
the Germans dropped bomb after relentless bomb on London.
My mom was very passionate. I get that from her. As students in school, all of us
knew that when asked, what was the cause of all the problems in the world, the
correct answer was always the Germans and the French.
My mom would say, you see the Statue of Liberty? Its Lady Liberty and she has her
arm held high holding the torch. It was a gift from the French. But, if the French
wanted to send us something that was truly reflective of their culture, then they
would have sent us a statue with both arms held high.
[Sorry Representative Brodeur, but thats what my mom was like.]
My dad had a different path, but an equally difficult start to his life. Tragically and
unexpectedly, when he was only 2 years old, his father died. From that point
forward, my dad spent the bulk of his childhood way too many days, and way too
many nights in orphanages and foster homes.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He won a purple heart
and a bronze star. When we were children, he would tell us he chased Rommel all
over North Africa. My dad never knew his own father, but as one, he poured his
heart and soul into the five of us. He was a remarkable man.

My parents were part of the greatest generation a tough, resilient breed of person
shaped in the fire of economic depression and global war. They persevered. They
never gave up or settled for less. They lived lives worth fighting for full of beauty
and self-sacrifice.
I did absolutely nothing to make them my parents. Gods grace gave me these role
models and it has touched every aspect of my life. From them, I was blessed with
faith; I was blessed to be raised in a close-knit family with four siblings who are still
my best friends today. Through their example, I met and married a beautiful and
talented woman. I, too, have a large family of six wonderful children who have
brought me joy every moment of their lives. And, I learned to have so many
mentors, friends, and colleagues who have taught me things about the world and
myself.
Thats my story, but it isnt unique. Every member in this chamber has their own
story, full of detail and worthy of retelling. All of us are blessed with loved ones who
have supported us and enriched our lives. Without them, none of us would be here.
But, the question before us today, at this ceremony, is how do we honor the legacy of
those that sacrificed so much so we could have this unique opportunity to serve?
Yes, we honor them with thoughtful service. We honor them by building a better
future. We honor them by serving justly and without fear of consequence. Most
importantly, we honor them with truth. For truth is our best way to create a focused
path forward. But, the tough part about the truth is that it is hard to share and even
harder to accept.
So, here it is we are the only nation on earth founded on the power of an
extraordinary idea that all of us were created equal and endowed by our Creator
with unalienable rights. And yet, at this moment in history, the only thing everyone
seems to agree on liberals, moderates or conservatives is that something has
gone terribly, terribly wrong. This failure of our political system isnt confined to
any one level of government or any one political party. Its everywhere. Sure, we all
know its a Washington problem. But, its also an Albany problem and a Springfield
problem and, yes, a Tallahassee problem. And, its why the people are so incredibly
frustrated.
Every election they go out and vote hoping for better; and every year they see those
they entrust with their support say one thing during a campaign and do another
thing once elected. They see us desiring higher office from the moment we walk
through those hallowed doors. They see us seeking lucrative jobs, jobs which we
would never have gotten but for our service. They see us pandering to the press.
They see us avoiding tough decisions. They see us caving to the special interests.
And, Members, THAT is the truth. The enemy is not the special interests; the enemy
is not the press; the enemy is not any of that stuff. The enemy has always been and
will always be us!
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Now, I know thats a tough pill to swallow. But, if we face this truth head on
something amazing happens: It unleashes hope. The hope that the time we spend
away from our families isnt wasted. The hope that, yes, we can make a difference.
The hope that a government that seeks truth and justice can prevail.
Because, the great news is this: Were the ones in control of the enemy. We can shun
self-interest. We can lead from principles. We can forge and fight for our
philosophy.
I would never tell anyone Republican or Democrat what you should believe. But,
I am asking you to believe in something and be true to those beliefs. The greatest
weapon we have against the corruption of this process is the clarity of our
convictions. If we know what we believe if our inner compass remains fixed at
true north and we have real courage then we can never be moved by anyone or
anything.
And, I know this as sure as I know anything. We can win. Because I know you. I
know your hearts. I know your vision. I know that you are willing to fight. This is a
rare group. A group determined to make a difference. A group determined to make
our time count.
So, where do we begin?
We have to start by cleaning up our own House.
We must close the revolving door between the Legislature and the lobby corps. We
need to restore the distance between those who seek to influence the laws and those
of us who make the laws. We do that by passing a constitutional amendment that
bans any state elected official from lobbying the legislative or executive branch for a
period of six years, not two.
We must change the lobbyist registration rules by requiring every lobbyist to
disclose which bills, which amendments and which appropriations they are trying to
influence. Other states require such disclosure, its time Florida does too. In a free,
democratic and open society, every citizen has the right to petition their
government, but no one has a right to do so in secret.
We must send a clear signal that public service is not a path to personal financial
gain. We must end the practice of legislators padding their pensions. We
accomplish this by banning elected officials from taking jobs in government, unless
elected by the people, for a period of six years after they leave office.
We must build an absolute firewall between our private lives and the influence of
special interests whether real or perceived. We must remove temptation and ban
special interests from hiring legislators. Period. No legislator will be able to take a
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job while in office with any company or group that receives any funding from the
state, directly or indirectly.
When the political process is more accountable to the people, then, and only then,
can we really begin to positively transform the lives of the people in our state.
And, when I talk about improving the lives of the people of Florida Im not talking
about just our constituents. Im not talking about just Republicans. If we are going
to govern with moral authority, then we must transform Florida into a place of
opportunity that lifts everyone starting with the poorest of the poor. We must
build a state where achievement is unencumbered by race, class or ethnicity.
I am tired of watching conservatives concede the issue of compassion. Entangling
people in massive government programs that provide substandard quality is not
compassion. Expecting less from people who are capable of doing so much more is
not compassion.
As conservatives, we understand that individual freedom remains the most
compassionate, the most empowering and most uplifting idea in human history.
Consider this: We know that the single most important way to end income
inequality, is to ensure each and every child attends a great school with great
teachers. And yet, a decades-long, one-size-fits-all school system run by bureaucrats
has failed to deliver on the promise of an opportunity for all. Separate but unequal
may no longer be the law, but it is all too often the reality. A world-class education
should not remain only within the reach of the wealthy.
Here in Florida, we have made some remarkable progress fighting against this
terrible story of institutionalized degradation and moral failing. But, it isnt enough.
77 percent of African American students and 71 percent of Hispanic students are on
free and reduced lunch. They cannot afford to sit and wait while we slowly inch our
way forward.
We should not retreat from our belief that every child can learn and that every child
matters. We must fully fund the right of all parents to choose what school best
meets their childs needs regardless of whether its public or private, religious or
secular, or homeschool or virtual school. Thats how we open the doors to a brilliant
future for every child in Florida no matter what zip code they live in or how much
money their family makes.
And, its not just our educational institutions that need to change. We must not be
afraid to ask more of our public institutions.
For example, the judicial branch has been an institution reluctant to change or
modernize. We need to shake up the status quo and introduce new energy and
purpose into our judicial system. We can do this by enacting 12-year term limits for
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all judges. No public office be it state representative, Governor or judge should

be for life.
We must be true to our responsibility to protect the public from criminals. But, in
our zeal to ensure that justice is swift, we must also ensure that it is fair. We must
put the proper metrics and safeguards in place to guarantee that justice in this state
is never governed by the color of a persons skin or the size of their wallet.
Finally, we must develop and deliver health care solutions that are worthy of the
people. Its as much about opportunity in health care, as it is in education. Wealthy
families would never send their children to a failing school, yet poor families have
no choice. By the same token, our fellow citizens who are struggling to make ends
meet should never settle for a standard of care that wealthy families would never
stand for.
Yet, that is what we do. We leave our most vulnerable citizens to fend for themselves
because we are too busy refereeing fights between special interest groups deciding
who gets the biggest slice of the pie. Sessions come and go, and yet, our laws remain
filled with antiquated statutes written to protect profits, not patients. We
appropriate billions of dollars to hospitals that cant master the simple task of fixing
and charging a set price for their services. And, there are zero consequences in the
marketplace if they dont.
As a result, we are quickly moving to a two-tiered health care system one for the
richest of the rich and one for everyone else. Its time people realized that
conservatives arent against health care for poor people, were against giving them
poorly run government health care.
Our one and only priority will be this: a real free-market, patient-driven system that
is affordable, accessible and accountable.
And, I have a message for our friends in the Senate: On these issues, we will dance.
We will dance today. We will dance tomorrow. We will dance forever.
I started this speech with my story, and now, I want to end it by telling you someone
elses.
In 1952, the voters of Panama City elected to the Florida House of Representatives a
lab tech with a chemical company. His name was Jack Mashburn. He was just 22
years old. After his election, Jacks father gave him one piece of advice: He told his
son, always do what is right, regardless of the consequences. I will always be proud
of you no matter the outcome but you, you just choose to do right.
Jack was young and talented. He was from the right part of the state. He was a Blue
Dog Democrat with a huge political future. All he had to do was play by the rules of
the system, and the world, this world, would be his oyster.
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But, during his first session, while working on preserving St. Andrews State Park,
Jack learned something that surprised him. He discovered that for the most part
from Brownsville, Texas, all along the Gulf of Mexico Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama, and, yes, all around the great State of Florida.there was hardly a single
grain of beach sand that an African American was allowed to walk on without being
arrested.
And, then 22-year old freshman, Jack Mashburn, did something extraordinary he
decided to change that.
Immediately, he was threatened. He was told by his local businessmen hed only
serve one term. He was told he was jeopardizing his future. He was told to stand
down or else.
But, Jack couldnt be intimidated and he couldnt be bought. He stood his ground
and he changed that law.
And, true to their word, his opponents back home took him out in the next election.
He served one single term in office.
Jacks story is important because it is a test of character. Not Jacks character, but
our character. Because, either you hear that story as a cautionary tale, or you hear it
how I hear it as a story of a person who put principle over politics. Who
understood that what is wrong must be put right, AND that change cant wait for a
more convenient time.
Do you know how many of us have served in this chamber members who were
Rules Chairs or Budget Chairs or, yes, even Speakers with their portraits on the wall
who during their entire legislative careers never did anything as brave or
meaningful as that 22-year-old kid who served one term and never chaired a single
committee?
Members, I am happy to tell you that not only is Jack Mashburn still with us, but that
hes actually with us here today. Please join me in welcoming back to the Florida
House after 62 years, Representative Jack Mashburn. Sir, we are so honored to have
you with us today.
Members, the crux of everything Ive said today has been said before far more
eloquently. Our founding fathers wrestled with how to create a long-lasting
democracy when the reality is that those in charge of leading it, all of us, are flawed
and left to our own devices, all too often, we will seek self-interest. So, they
designed a government that would protect against that we call them Checks and
Balances and the Separation of Powers. And, because they owned that one reality,
that one truth, because they identified the enemy and were willing to fight it they
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built what we know is the greatest governmental experiment in the history of the
world.
Members, amazing accomplishments for the people of Florida are within our reach.
Look at Jack Mashburn. 22 years old. In the Deep South. Two years before Brown v.
Board of Education and 12 years before the Civil Rights Act. Its an amazing,
inspirational story.
Right now even as I speak, right here in this chamber, there are skeptics and critics,
who in their heads are saying that drumbeat of, Ive heard this before. Good Luck. It
is what it is and youre never going to change it.
Members, theyre wrong. They are wrong! We can serve a purpose greater than
ourselves. We can sacrifice our own interests. We can stand and fight, regardless of
the cost, regardless of the consequences, regardless of the opposition.
Let us prove we are not the enemies of this story but the heroes. And, let our true
legacy be this: We told the truth and we fought for justice. And, maybe, just maybe,
long into the future, someone will ask one of you to come back to this chamber so
they can tell your heroic story.
Thank you.