[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 53 (Monday, March 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               COMMEMORATING THE RETIREMENT OF BOB EPLING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 27, 2017

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I, along with Representative Ros-
Lehtinen and Representative Curbelo rise to commemorate the retirement 
of Mr. Bob Epling.
   Bob began his career as an assistant bank examiner with the Federal 
Deposit Insurance Corporation in Washington, D.C. From there, he moved 
to South Florida, where he would spend most of the next fifty years. 
Bob worked for several banks in South Florida, and has served as the 
President and CEO of Homestead/Community Bank of Florida for the last 
forty years. Through his work at the bank, he has consistently proven 
himself to be an honorable, ethical man.
   Bob has also been an active member of the South Florida community. 
He has served as the Chairman of the International Hurricane Center for 
the past twenty years, serves on the executive board of the South 
Florida Council of Boy Scouts of America, and is a member of the 
Military Affairs Committee of the Greater Homestead/Florida City 
Chamber of Commerce, among many other activities.
   Bob is also a Senior Advisor to the Orange Bowl Committee, after 
serving as its President in 1993. In his work with the Orange Bowl 
Committee, he was able to break ground on a renovation of the football 
stadium and field at Harris Field Park in Homestead. This project is 
just one example of Bob's continuing commitment to making life better 
for his neighbors in South Florida.
   We have known Bob for several decades, and have been consistently 
impressed with the breadth of his involvement with the community. He 
has been a loyal friend, and is an honest voice who can speak to the 
positive qualities of his community as well as the challenges it faces. 
We congratulate Bob on a remarkable career and a lasting impact made.
   Mr. Speaker, we are honored to pay tribute to Mr. Bob Epling for his 
tremendous service to the South Florida community, and we ask our 
colleagues to join us in recognizing this remarkable individual.

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