Dan O'Leary is one of the giants in the surplus lines insurancecommunity. As president of Shelly, Middlebrooks, and O'Leary, Inc.,he has headed up one of the most successful firms in the state.Recently, O'Leary's son and daughter obtained their surplus lineslicenses, making Conner and Erin the third generation of O'Leary'sto serve in the company. In January, O'Leary started a two-yearterm as chair of the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office's Boardof Governors. What follows are his first comments on the FSLSA andthe state of the industry as printed in the FSLAO's Advisor.

As I reflect upon this past year, I am proud of theaccomplishments of the FSLA. Challenged with continually improvingservices and creating innovative solutions, the service officeutilized technology to deliver quality, accurate, and timelyservices and products. Of the many achievements accomplished by theservice office in 2005, two of the most notable included therelease of the Surplus Lines Information Portal and the completionof an Emergency Response Vehicle.

The release of the Surplus Lines Information Portal (SLIP), anelectronic web portal, came at the close of 2005. A great deal oftime and effort was expended in the development and implementationof SLIP as a program that will aid member agents in the managementof their surplus lines records.

Lessons learned from prior hurricane seasons lent themselves tothe exploration and development of better catastrophe assistance bythe service office for the surplus lines industry. The purchase ofa custom-designed Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) provided theservice office with the ability to better serve member agents andtheir customers following 2005's Hurricane Wilma.

I also congratulate the 2005 Board of Governors for theirdedication, direction, and the valuable contributions that added tothe success of the service office. I thank our 2005 Chairman, LarryStowe, for his leadership of the FSLSO Board of Governors, whoworked closely with the service office, to further the growth andenhancement of services and products.

I extend my sincere appreciation to Tom Enright, who completedhis tenure with the Board of Governors. He will continue to be arepresentative of this industry through Enright & Wilson, Inc.His efforts contributed to the success of the service office andhis leadership and professionalism will be missed. We welcome SteveFinver of Continental Agency of Florida to the board and lookforward to Steve's experience and knowledge.

I also want to recognize and thank Ed Wojchick who alsocompleted his term on the board last year. Ed will continue tosupport Florida's surplus lines industry as he takes on a newleadership role as president of the Florida Surplus LinesAssociation. R.C. Chaffin of SeaCoast Under-writers, Inc. joinedthe board of governors midyear in 2005 to fill Ed's position, andwill continue to serve on the board; his understanding of theindustry and expertise makes him a welcomed addition.

Finally, I must commend FSLSO Executive Director Gary Pullen andhis staff for their previous successes. They have met the demandsand challenges set before them in order to provide a level ofconsistent service so deserved by our members and Florida's surpluslines insurance industry at large. Together, we will continue topush for quality services and programs, making way for anothersuccessful year for your Florida Surplus Lines Service Office.