On Tuesday, February 28, 2017 , the Tampa Connection class attended our Government Breakfast at the Tampa Club.  The program kicked off with coffee, breakfast, and an opportunity for our class members to speak one-on-one with some of our local government representatives, including Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagan, Chief Judge Ronald Ficarrotta, 13th Judicial Circuit; City Council Member Mike Suarez, City of Tampa; and Julia Mandell, Former City of Tampa Attorney.  After mingling, the Breakfast Program started with a keynote speech from Commission Hagan and a discussion about the different programs and partnership initiatives between local government agencies and different public/private partnerships.  After the keynote speech, the program continued with a panel discussion with Chief Judge Ficarrotta, City Council Member Mike Suaraz, and Former City Attorney, Julia Mandell.  The class heard from each of the panelists about their role in local government and the importance of the different local governments working together for both county and city projects.  Additionally, the class enjoyed a question and answer session that included topics such as transportation, red light cameras, national events in Tampa, and pending legislative matters. At the end of the program, City Council Member Mike Suarez challenged the Tampa Connection class members to educate themselves on local and national politics and not to react without education.  Specifically, he left the class with this advice: “Dig, think, react…in that order.”  We finished the breakfast with some additional individual discussions with the panelists and a better appreciation for the interworking of our local government.