Sometimes, in the middle of the business of the legislative session and all of our other responsibilities, it is hard to gain perspective. So how about a dose of city-friendly perspective? Dr. Scott Paine, former Tampa city councilman and long-time contributor to Quality Cities magazine and to the League’s annual conference programs, serves up a dose of fresh writing through his blog. Enjoy a different take on the things that matter to us. You can also be part of the conversation by e-mailing him, commenting on Facebook or tweeting on Twitter. It's just what the doctor ordered!

Terms limits have changed the face of Florida politics. The Florida League of Cities is offering its 2012 “Institute for Civic Leadership” − a series of workshops designed to train prospective legislative candidates on how to be better, more successful candidates once they run for the Legislature. The first session will be held April 21 from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel. This session is designed to help attendees get their campaign up and running; use social media to get the message out; interview campaign managers and fundraising.

The first “FLC University Course Catalog” has been mailed to each city. It provides information on training opportunities and training partners for Florida League of Cities members for 2012. Updates to the course catalog are available on the League's website (www.flcities.com) under “Events and Training.” For more information, contact the Membership Development Department at 1-(800) 342-8112.

The Florida League of Cities and the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government are proud to bring you the Advanced IEMO April 27-28 at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary and October 26-27 in Cocoa Beach. Begun in 1993, this program is a continuation of the very successful Institute for Elected Municipal Officials (IEMO). Hundreds of mayors, council members and commissioners have participated in this highly rated course. The Advanced IEMO is reserved for participants and graduates of the IEMO, or those elected city officials who have completed one or more terms in office.

A regional ethics summit through the “FLC University” will be held February 17 in Venice. Regional revenue summits will be held February 24 in Altamonte Springs; March 2 in Lake Butler; March 16 in Boca Raton; March 30 in Cape Coral and April 4 in Pinellas Park. Other regional summit topics will include the future of governance in Florida and best practices in citizen engagement. Dates for these events are being set and material will be sent to each city. To find out more, visit www.flcities.com or call Lynn Tipton, Carol Westmoreland or Sharon Berrian at the FLC Tallahassee office at (850) 222-9684.

The Florida League of Cities offers governmental employers an easy-to-administer 401(a) defined-contribution solution to provide employees with retirement benefits. Employers and employees want a high-quality, financially sound program that offers reasonable fees, good investment choices, on-site participant education and hassle-free administration. For governmental employees wanting to defer their own income for retirement, look no further than the 457(b) deferred compensation program administered by the League. The League’s partnership with Vanguard has created a lower-fee retirement savings opportunity for participants. Visit www.flcretirement.com for more information or call Jeremy Button at (850) 701-3625.

Advisory boards are a powerful tool with countless benefits. Are you successfully and efficiently making use of your advisory boards or committees? Are you taking advantage of opportunities to get the most out of your advisory boards or committees? The League offers four-hour advisory board and committee training and will come to you! The training session covers the do's and don'ts of advisory boards and gives examples of how to resolve conflicts and build relationships with advisory board members. This will not only save city dollars, but build support and utilize citizen volunteer time productively.

Why should you care about the Florida Administrative Code (FAC)? The FAC, in part, is a compilation of all administrative regulatory rules of the State of Florida; you could compare them to municipal resolutions or federal regulations. Violation of rules may include penalties for both agencies and members of the public that are regulated by them. Therefore, it is essential to become acquainted with the FAC, know how to find rules and understand the complex process of their creation. This session will include the fundamentals of what the FAC is, where rules come from and how they are made, and how to navigate the FAC’s website. These topics will be followed by a presentation of important FAC rules that affect elections, ethics, notary law and public records.

The National League of Cities (NLC) Congressional City Conference will be held March 10-14 in Washington, D.C. As the 2012 campaign season gets under way, join your fellow city leaders and call on Congress and the administration to support economic recovery and job-creation efforts in communities through federal investment in infrastructure and human capital that establish the building blocks necessary for greater long-term growth. Register by March 7 to secure the advance registration rate of $445 for NLC and associate members, $670 for nonmembers and $350 for first-time attendees. For more information, contact Michelle Lynch at 1-(877) 827-2385 or lynch@nlc.org.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Division of Strategic Business Development is conducting regional workshops to gather insights related to the creation of Florida’s 2012-17 Economic Development Plan. The workshops will be held February 7 in Tallahassee; February 21 in Crestview; February 23 in Jacksonville; February 28 in Maitland; February 29 in Sebring; March 1 in Tampa; March 2 in Gainesville; March 5 in Stuart; March 6 in Fort Meyers and March 7 in Miramar. For more information, visit www.floridajobs.org.

The Florida Bar’s Continuing Legal Education Committee and the City, County and Local Government Law Section will present its annual “Sunshine Law, Public Records and Ethics” seminar in Tallahassee on February 17. This year you can choose to attend in person or by live webcast, and a special discounted registration rate is available for non-lawyer public officials. For more information, contact Ricky Libbert at Rlibbert@flabar.org or (850) 561-5631, or visit http://bit.ly/sZD1pI.