[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11983]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING TRUETT OTT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM DAVIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 8, 2005

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Truett Ott, 
former Florida State Senator and District Court of Appeals Judge, whose 
passing last month was a great loss to our community.
  Always a dedicated public servant, Truett appropriately began his 
career by serving his country as a pilot in World War II and later as 
an officer at Tampa Bay's MacDill Air Force Base during the Korean War. 
But Truett would become better known for his work in the field of law--
a career which he launched by graduating with honors from the 
University of Florida Law School. He joined Tampa's Carlton Fields law 
firm before founding a firm of his own in 1956.
  Just ten years later, Truett set his mind to running for the State 
Senate and beat an incumbent to win his seat. Among his many notable 
accomplishments in office, Truett was a force behind legislation to 
improve our state's vocational schools and he convinced his colleagues 
to support a law providing judges discretion in sentencing for certain 
first-time drug offenders while increasing penalties for repeat 
offenders and dealers. Truett became known as a uniquely fair but 
independent minded lawmaker--a reputation which he would carry 
throughout his career.
  In 1972, Truett returned to the full-time practice of law, but just 
four years later he chose to run for a seat on Florida's Second 
District Court of Appeal. He not only won the seat, but was reelected 
in 1982 with a nearly 90 percent approval rating in a Florida Bar 
Association poll. When Truett retired from the bench in 1986, he was 
serving as Chief Judge.
  Truett Ott's service to his community did not end at the office door. 
A faithful servant of God, Truett taught Sunday school for 55 years and 
gave back to others through his work with a host of service 
organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, YMCA, United Way, 
Metropolitan Ministries, the Billy Graham Crusade, the Boys Club and 
the Pike County Association.
  Truett Ott was a role model for us all. On behalf of the entire Tampa 
Bay community, I would like to thank him for his service and extend my 
deepest sympathies to his family. His contributions and his character 
will not be forgotten and set high standards for generations to come.

                          ____________________