FLORIDA BUSINESS INSIGHT by  Jacquelyn Horkan, editor
	Great contest follows, and much learned dust Involves the combatants. William Cowper
The garden of flowers blanketing the chambers on opening day of session. It’s among the traditions of this day of ritual, one oft criticized by journalists who find evidence of sneaky special interest kowtowing in the bouquets, garlands, and trinkets showered on lawmakers. But it is from innocence that this tradition arises. On April 7, 1903 , a brilliant spring day, the Florida Legislature convened in its sparkling new quarters. A $75,000 renovation to the 1845 Capitol had expanded the building, added a splendid dome to the roof, and completely refurbished the interior. All present were pleased with the results, including Rep. Lambert M. Ware of Washington County , the Legislature’s lone Republican. There was one problem, however: a noticeably unpleasant odor wafting from the new linoleum flooring supplied, naturally, by the lowest bidder. To the rescue came the Women’s Club of Tallahassee. They prepared large bouquets of fresh cut flowers for each legislator’s desk, burying the smell of the linoleum with the heady perfume of roses.
And thus, thanks to the precedent they set, we can be sure that, for one day at least, the Legislature will be wrapped in a sweet odor.

 

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