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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING SAND IN MY SHOES AWARD RECIPIENT TONY ARGIZ
______
HON. DONNA E. SHALALA
of florida
in the house of representatives
Monday, February 11, 2019
Ms. SHALALA. Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of Tony Argiz,
recipient of this year's prestigious Sand in My Shoes Award from the
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Tony Argiz is an exemplary community
leader and illustrates the ``sand in my shoes'' tenet of life that sets
Miami apart as a fantastic place to live and work.
The Sand in My Shoes Award takes its name from a letter Damon Runyon
wrote to his friend Bill, a Hollywood movie producer, detailing why he
had opted to stay in South Florida rather than return to California to
write a movie script. He wrote:
``The truth of the matter is, Bill, we've got sand in our
shoes. It's pretty difficult to explain that to anyone who
doesn't know what it means. It means a land covered with
sunlight . . . warm and soft. It means white and pink houses,
with red and blue and green roofs . . . . It means palm trees
whispering mysteriously and tall melaleucas nodding their
plumed heads to every breeze. It means big fat porpoises
playing in Biscayne Bay and gaunt pelicans patrolling the sky
at dusk, and folks fishing from bridges all day. . . . It
means Hialeah and stately avenues of giant palms and pink
flamingo, black swan and wild duck. . . . Turquoise blue
waters of the ocean lapping white beaches and always the sun
shining down in kindly warmth. . . . It means Bimini where
the big game fish lurk and the nearby Keys where the ghosts
of bearded old buccaneers still guard their buried treasure.
. . .''
Originally from Cuba, Tony Argiz came to the United States with
Operation Pedro Pan. He lived at a Catholic boarding school in Tampa
until his parents came over, five years later. He credits his early
years in Florida with giving him the hunger for education, for hard
work, and for success. He later attended Florida International
University on a baseball scholarship, an experience that taught him the
value of teamwork.
Today, Tony is Chairman and CEO of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra,
LLC, one of the top 40 accounting firms in the nation. In 1986, he was
appointed to Florida's Board of Accountancy, which he later chaired. He
has served on the American Institute of CPAs Nominations Committee and
on the PCP Executive Committee and its Technical Issues Committee. He
is also a leader among South Florida nonprofit organizations, as
chairman of the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation and of Facts About
Cuban Exiles.
I am pleased to recognize the contributions of my friend Tony to the
greater Miami area and to celebrate his extraordinary achievements as a
community leader.
____________________