President's Message

Members,

As I conclude my presidency, I want to extend my sincere appreciation to all the board members and staff who have made my term extremely rewarding and enjoyable. This society is driven largely by dedicated volunteers, supported by a core staff in Tallahassee who keep everything running smoothly. Without their efforts, FSMS would struggle.

I would like to personally thank Justin Ortiz for his work with The Florida Surveyor, Mrs. Cathy Campanile for her help with all matters great and small, and Mrs. Rebecca Porter for “herding the cats”—including myself—and keeping us moving in the right direction.

This year, as in years past, presented several legal challenges. With the leadership of our outstanding lobbyist, David Daniel of SBM Partners, along with our exceptional Legal and Legislative team, we were once again able to navigate these challenges successfully.

The Workforce Development Program, led by Katie Britt and Lou Campanile, has made significant strides. Katie is currently working on updating the curriculum and is coordinating with the St. Lucie County School System.

I would also like to congratulate Angela Bailey for leading the effort to establish the “Women Surveyors of Florida” group. This is an important step toward fostering greater inclusiveness within our profession. The inaugural meeting will be held at this year’s conference.

A Historic Survey Records Working Group has recently been established 

through the efforts of Katie Britt, Howard Ehmke, Rick Pryce, an d Brian Murphy. The goal of this group is to preserve historic records that might otherwise be lost or discarded over time. This initiative provides an excellent opportunity for private practitioners nearing retirement to ensure their records are preserved, as well as for governmental organizations to safeguard valuable historical data. While still in its early stages, the group is gaining momentum and promises to be a valuable asset to our profession.

The new Strategic Plan has been finalized and will be presented for a vote at the conference. I am extremely excited about the innovative ideas it contains and the direction FSMS is heading. More details will be shared soon.

Mr. Brion Yancy will assume the role of president following our conference. I have known Brion for over a decade and am confident that the society will be in excellent hands moving forward.

As a reminder, annual conference will be held July 29 through August 1 at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry. Rooms are filling quickly, so I encourage you to register for classes and reserve your accommodations as soon as possible.

As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I am still looking for Brevard Chapter members. It has come to my attention that the Space Coast Chapter has quietly gone dormant. I recently had the honor of hearing from Mr. Bill Powell, past Brevard County Surveyor, former State Representative, and one of the chapter’s founders. He spoke very fondly of the chapter. I would like to hear from more of you in the Brevard area so we can explore revitalizing this once-proud chapter.

As I have always emphasized, your thoughts are important to me, and I welcome your comments and suggestions. While I am stepping down as president of this great society, I fully intend to remain involved and serve in any capacity that I can. Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].

Respectfully submitted,

Robert N. Johnson, PSM, CFM

 Previous 2026 Messages
January 2026
February 2026
March 2026
April 2026
May 2026