Florida Senator Charlie Dean.

The annual state legislative delegation meeting the morning of November 9 ended with a heartfelt farewell from Florida Senator Charlie Dean to his constituents in Baker County.

“I’m a realist. I now the real deal is that I won’t be back in your area. But I’ve never served a finer community,” he said, pausing to gather his emotions.

Baker County is expected to be carved out of Sen. Dean’s District 3 during the once-a-decade redistricting process now underway in Tallahassee.

The district, which stretches as far north as Baker and Hamilton counties and as far south as Citrus and Marion counties, is about 25,000 over the ideal population needed to keep roughly the same number of people in each of the state’s 40 senate districts.

Baker County’s population, according to 2010 US Census data used for redistricting purposes, is about 27,000.

Before a group of nearly 20 attendees at the delegation meeting held in the county commission's chambers, the one-term Republican senator spoke about how much he respected the county and its commitment to helping Floridians with mental illness through Northeast Florida State Hospital.

“It takes commitment from you and this community to do what you do for the State of Florida with the state hospital,” Sen. Dean said. “It’s second to none. Wherever I end up going, as long as I’m voting, you got one.”

See next week’s edition for full coverage of the hour-long delegation meeting, including the legislative priorities voiced by The Arc North Florida Director Bobbie Lake, ElderSource board member Pat Collier, Baker County Commission chairman Michael Crews and Baker County Tea Party member Jay Jacobs.