[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 26 (Monday, February 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING SAND IN MY SHOES AWARD RECIPIENT TONY ARGIZ

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DONNA E. SHALALA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 11, 2019

  Ms. SHALALA. Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of Tony Argiz, 
recipient of this year's prestigious Sand in My Shoes Award from the 
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Tony Argiz is an exemplary community 
leader and illustrates the ``sand in my shoes'' tenet of life that sets 
Miami apart as a fantastic place to live and work.
  The Sand in My Shoes Award takes its name from a letter Damon Runyon 
wrote to his friend Bill, a Hollywood movie producer, detailing why he 
had opted to stay in South Florida rather than return to California to 
write a movie script. He wrote:

       ``The truth of the matter is, Bill, we've got sand in our 
     shoes. It's pretty difficult to explain that to anyone who 
     doesn't know what it means. It means a land covered with 
     sunlight . . . warm and soft. It means white and pink houses, 
     with red and blue and green roofs . . . . It means palm trees 
     whispering mysteriously and tall melaleucas nodding their 
     plumed heads to every breeze. It means big fat porpoises 
     playing in Biscayne Bay and gaunt pelicans patrolling the sky 
     at dusk, and folks fishing from bridges all day. . . . It 
     means Hialeah and stately avenues of giant palms and pink 
     flamingo, black swan and wild duck. . . . Turquoise blue 
     waters of the ocean lapping white beaches and always the sun 
     shining down in kindly warmth. . . . It means Bimini where 
     the big game fish lurk and the nearby Keys where the ghosts 
     of bearded old buccaneers still guard their buried treasure. 
     . . .''

  Originally from Cuba, Tony Argiz came to the United States with 
Operation Pedro Pan. He lived at a Catholic boarding school in Tampa 
until his parents came over, five years later. He credits his early 
years in Florida with giving him the hunger for education, for hard 
work, and for success. He later attended Florida International 
University on a baseball scholarship, an experience that taught him the 
value of teamwork.
  Today, Tony is Chairman and CEO of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, 
LLC, one of the top 40 accounting firms in the nation. In 1986, he was 
appointed to Florida's Board of Accountancy, which he later chaired. He 
has served on the American Institute of CPAs Nominations Committee and 
on the PCP Executive Committee and its Technical Issues Committee. He 
is also a leader among South Florida nonprofit organizations, as 
chairman of the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation and of Facts About 
Cuban Exiles.
  I am pleased to recognize the contributions of my friend Tony to the 
greater Miami area and to celebrate his extraordinary achievements as a 
community leader.

                          ____________________