Resident Jose Oliva is new Speaker of Fla. House

State Representative Jose Oliva (R-Miami Lakes) was sworn in as the new Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives on November 20 during the first day of the organizing session in Tallahassee.
“I have been a Republican my entire adult life and I can’t tell you how honored I am,” he said.
Oliva praised former Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran and other Republican leaders for a job well done in the past four years.
“During the last four years, you have navigated the Republican Party in an amazing way, “ he said. “You’ve overseen us return to the White House, you defended a Senate seat, we won another one and we kept the governor’s mansion. And you did it under some difficult circumstances.”
He also thanked former minority leaders for working hard on behalf of the Republican Party with a shoe string budget.
“Your legacy will never be forgotten,” he said.
Though the event was partisan, Oliva said lawmakers must understand who they are and “our mission, which is extremely important.”
“I don’t have to tell you that Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president, you all know that,” he said. “But what we should remember is that he willingly tore the country ascender in order that all people would live to be free. It was the greatest risk undertaking since independence.”
The following are excerpts from his welcoming speech:
Here’s Oliva’s entire speech to the Florida Legislature, which drew standing ovations from his fellow Republicans:
”Members, it was a spirited and contentious election cycle, but the campaigns are over and we turn our attention to governing. In each of your desks i have placed a blank journal. It is my hope that when your time here is done, it will be filled with an account of your struggles, your challenges and your triumphs. Above all, i hope it will tell of your restraint.
“Members, the powers now entrusted in you are capable of doing great good, they are equally capable of causing great harm. I ask that you judiciously budget your time in favor of searching over acting. For it is only when you have properly searched that you may properly act. And if your search is thorough and sincere, it will reveal to you that more often than not, it was a well-intended person in your capacity who worsened the matter.
“An open and honest search will expose that the power which stood between you and the outcome you most wanted for your state was your power.
“And so our work begins. In this chamber the people’s representatives will debate the way forward. A majority with the obligation to lead and a minority with the right to participate and dissent. Let us remember to honor and respect this institution and one another. And let our debate lean on the strength of our argument rather than the volume of our voice."