Our last Meet the Minds luncheon with Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran sold out in four days. It sold out quickly for many reasons, including the state controversy over Enterprise Florida, Visit Florida and business incentives.

It was easy to vilify the Speaker if you disagreed with him. The sound bites and back-and-forth barbs in the press between Governor Rick Scott and Speaker Corcoran has become a weekly occurrence which now includes professionally produced videos. We watch it all like a TV show and remove ourselves from the real-life implications. Some of the controversy has even bled down to the local level here in Sarasota County.