Florida Banking February 2024

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

OPENING A NEW ERA WITH RENEWED FOCUS ON MEMBERS, PARTNERS

BY KATHY KRANINGER, FBA PRESIDENT AND CEO

D ear Esteemed Members and Partners, With great enthusiasm and humility, I draft my first Florida Banking magazine message as your new CEO at the start of this new year. It is a new day in Tallahassee! For me, change is exciting, full of promise and opportunity with a twinge of fear. I hope that all of you are excited for FBA’s future and what we can accomplish together through this transition and beyond! While change is inevitable, our foremost priority remains constant — to serve you, our valued members. Over the past several months, you have shared that you rely on the FBA for advocacy, networking, education and services, with Florida-based advocacy as the primary driver and Washington, D.C. as a second. Florida Legislative Session Given that top billing, I’ll start with the current Florida legislative session where the FBA team is immersed in the action! As of Day Two, our top priorities this session are: • Countering Chair Rommel’s ESG 2.0 Access to Financial Institution Customer Accounts; • Promoting a legislative solution for IOTA interest rates; • Fighting expansion of credit unions into taking public deposits; and • Working through a bill that affects directors on bank boards. Hundreds of bills have been filed, dozens have impacts and potential impacts on banks and trusts, and certain pieces of moving legislation can become vehicles for other items that become top priority issues. Definitely watch for Calls to Action and Capitol Insights so you can engage as needed — your participation makes the difference! As the film character Jerry McGuire famously said, “Help me help you.” Your engagement is essential to our collective

success — whether it is to guide our efforts on your behalf or to participate in advocacy and attend events. Key Events Ahead Of course, we are also staying abreast of activity in Washington, D.C., where the burden of uncoordinated, overly complex regulatory changes continues to grow. In terms of events for your calendar: Last chance to join Congressman Byron Donalds in Naples on February 12; Meet FED Governor Michelle Bowman in Miami on February 27 and in Tampa on the 28th; The 68th Annual DC Fly-In is March 18-20 with a fantastic line-up planned! New to the agenda — a Florida House reception for the Florida Delegation. FBA Chair Jose Cueto will be highlighting our education programs ahead, though I will note the Consumer Compliance Conference in Orlando March 26-28 , where I’ll be speaking. We will be adding some local banker visits and events to that week. Stay tuned! Communications Speaking of staying tuned, you should notice some changes in our communication channels and cadence. We are releasing short, timely videos; removing those who decline an event from event emails; and looking to create more tailored communications. This is a significant focus for the association — getting you the timely information you need in the way you want to receive it. That is a tall order in these times of information overload, but you have my commitment to continued improvement. Strategic Plan And, of course, communication must be driven by our mission and strategy. To best position us for the future and take advantage of the transition, the FBA has launched a strategic planning effort. Before I hear

6 — FLORIDA BANKING THE VOICE OF FLORIDA BANKING