Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, unveiled his committee assignments Tuesday, assignments that will shape the course of Florida government for the next two years.

“As I have mentioned many times these past few weeks, it is my vision to have the Florida Senate be a member-driven body,” wrote Haridopolos in a memo. “To that end I asked Sen. Dennis Jones and Sen. Nan Rich to ask each of you to share with me your committee choices in priority order (top 10). I have strived to give members their top choices. As you already know, every Democrat will be the vice chair of their No. 1 choice -- with the exception of one Democrat who will get his second and third choices because his top choice conflicted with that of one of his fellow members, and two Democrats who will chair standing committees.

“We are all elected representatives of the citizens of this great state so I believe we should all have the opportunity to serve on committees that interest each of us and best serve the voters,” added Haridopolos. “It is clear that the selections are a reflection of what your constituents are interested in and as well as what each of you individually can bring in the way of insight, experience, and in many cases real-world expertise. Individual members, I believe, are the best judges of where their time and energies should be directed. I personally never liked getting assigned to a committee I had little interest in.”

Haridopolos noted that he will make appointments to the various appropriations committees in early December.

“It is my hope that you find this new approach to committee appointments both fair and refreshing,” closed Haridopolos. “This is my attempt to give each of you a tangible sign that I want us all to get along and work together to address the needs and concerns facing our citizens and our state.”

Agriculture

While Republicans hold a four-to-three advantage on the Agriculture Committee, Democrats hold its top two positions as Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando will serve as chair and Sen. Larcenia Bullard of Miami will be the vice chair. The other Republican members are Sen. J.D. Alexander of Lake Wales; Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah; Sen. Alan Hays of Umatilla; and Sen. David Simmons of Orlando. Freshman Democrat Sen. Bill Montford of Tallahassee will also serve on the committee.

Communications, Energy and Public Utilities

Freshman Republican Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto of Wellington will chair the Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee. She’ll lead eight other Republicans while her vice chair, Sen. Chris Smith of West Palm Beach, will lead three other Democrats. Republicans include Sen. Thad Altman of Melbourne; Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff of Fort Lauderdale; Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla of Miami; Sen. Greg Evers of Baker; Sen. Mike Fasano of New Port Richey; Sen. Anitere Flores of Miami; Sen. Evelyn Lynn of Daytona Beach; and Sen. Joe Negron of Palm City. Smith will lead Sen. Arthenia Joyner of Tampa; Sen. Gwen Margolis of North Miami Beach; and Sen. Maria Sachs of Delray Beach.

Community Affairs

Republicans have a healthy advantage on the Community Affairs Committee. Senate President Pro Tem Mike Bennett of Bradenton will lead six other Republicans: Sen. Jim Norman of Tampa who will serve as vice chair; Sen. Paula Dockery of Lakeland; Sen. Garrett Richter of Naples; Sen. Ronda Storms of Brandon; and two senators from Jacksonville -- John Thrasher and Stephen Wise. The two Democrats on the committee are Sen. Tony Hill of Jacksonville and Sen. Jeremy Ring of Margate.

Environmental Preservation and Conservation