Founded to provide a non-partisan forum on current political issues and listen to the views of newsmakers and opinion leaders of the day. Monthly luncheons are scheduled at the convenience of the speaker.
Capital Tiger Bay Invites you to
Florida Senate District 3 Debate
Daryl Parks and Senator Corey Simon
Moderated by Gary Fineout, POLITICO
At a very early age, Daryl Parks learned the value of hard work, family, faith, and taking care of your neighbor. Raised by his hard-working single mother, with the help of his grandmother, who taught him to work hard every day and help those in need, these values they instilled guide Daryl to this day.
This drive helped Daryl become the first in his family to graduate from college, a successful small businessman, and one of the most well-known and successful civil rights attorneys in Florida.
As a student at Florida A&M, Daryl earned two bachelor’s degrees while simultaneously being SGA president and working in fast food as a dishwasher. Daryl then earned his
law degree at Florida State University School of Law.
Following his creed,
“Advocate for the least of thee” Daryl devoted his legal career to standing up for the rights, safety, and prosperity of hard-working people. Over the last 25 years, he has taken on giant corporations and
powerful elites who defraud, abuse,and take advantage of everyday Floridians.
Daryl is running for the Florida Senate to continue fighting for all North Florida families and against political elites who continue to take more of your money, rights, and freedoms.
Corey Jermaine Simon was born on March 2, 1977, in Boynton Beach, Florida. Corey Simon attended Ely
High School in Pompano Beach, Florida. As a senior, he was the Miami Herald’s defensive player of the year, named to the All-USA squad by USA Today, and a Super Prep Dream Team selection. A member of the Florida State Seminoles 1999 BCS National Championship team, Corey went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles after college, the sixth overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, and later won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts.
After his successful football career, Corey devoted himself to philanthropy, creating Corey’s Kids, a nonprofit that provided mentorship to kids within North Florida’s foster care system. He also partnered with Big Bend Community Based Care, coached high school football at Maclay School in Tallahassee and played an active role at a local church.
Governor DeSantis appointed Simon in 2020 to be the CEO of Volunteer Florida, administering AmeriCorps in Florida and connecting Floridians looking to volunteer with organizations that need their help.
In 2022, Florida Senate District 3 elected Simon to the Florida Senate where he now represents thirteen
counties in North Florida to include Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon,
Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla. As a common sense leader, Corey has stood firm to protect individual freedoms and constitutional rights, worked to find solutions for rising housing prices ,
and to unlock our kids’ potential through quality education. Senator Simon was appointed the Chairman of the Education Pre-K-12 committee and serves on the following Senate Committees: Education Pre-K -12, Chair, Agriculture, Appropriations Committee on Education, Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, Education Postsecondary, Fiscal Policy, Regulated Industries, Rules, and the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee Additionally, Simon is the Athlete Alumni Engagement and Development Director for the Florida State University football booster program.
He resides in Tallahassee, FL with his wife, Natasha, and their son, CJ. Senator Corey Simon is up for re-
election to the Florida Senate in 2024.
Gary Fineout came to POLITICO Florida in February 2019 after spending more than two decades
covering Florida politics and government.
He spent the previous seven and a half years working in the Tallahassee bureau of The Associated Press. Prior to that, he has worked for The Miami Herald, The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group, Daytona Beach News-Journal and The Tallahassee Democrat.
Fineout grew up in Florida and is a graduate of Florida State University.
WHEN
Tuesday October 15, 2024; 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE
Donald L. Tucker Civic Center
505 W. Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
We ask members to PLEASE RSVP as soon as you can and NO LATER THAN Monday, October 14th This allows us to plan for seating and service at the event.
Guest fee for this program is $35. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience so we may provide an accurate headcount for food and beverage
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday October 15, 2024
Please contact Debby Kent at debby.kent16@gmail.com or call 850-320-2019, if you have any questions about registration.
Sincerely,
Steve Birtman, President
Capital Tiger Bay Club
Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in our luncheon yesterday, Monday, October 7. We hosted a spirited and enlightening debate with thoughtful questions, an engaged audience, and the shared gratitude of participation from our Board, members, esteemed guests, and featured debate participants.
A big thank you to Moderator Jim Rosica of the Tallahassee Democrat and our candidates Dot Inman-Johnson and Commissioner Curtis Richardson for their civility and pointed questions and responses. Thank you also to our members for submitting their questions for the debate.
The straw poll results are IN!
From our 37 voting members:
Who will you be voting for in the Tallahassee City Commission, Seat 2 race?
Dot Inman-Johnson? 21.6% (8/37)
Commissioner Curtis Richardson? 75.7% (28/37)
Undecided 2.7% (1/37)
ICYMI, some excellent coverage of our event:
Tallahassee Democrat/USA TODAY Network-Florida:
Curtis Richardson vs. Dot Inman-Johnson: Four takeaways from Capital Tiger Bay forum
WFSU
Tallahassee commission candidates trade barbs at Capital Tiger Bay debate
We look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday, 10/15 next week for our final debate in the 2024 General Election Series, Daryl Parks v. Senator Corey Simon and moderated by Gary Fineout of Politico. This is the ONLY debate these two will be having this cycle, and it is a must-see for our members and guests.
See you Tuesday!
Interested in Capital Tiger Bay Club Membership? Click below to view the application form!