Good morning. My name is Timmi Finnerty. I am a Woodstock baby. Woodstock happened in 1969. My parents ran away to be together at Woodstock, then came me. As a child of the Woodstock era, I grew up with many obstacles. My parents were very poor. I didn't have the opportunities that many other kids had. We lived in the country and farmed our own food. As I grew older, I dreamed of having a normal life like my friends. I graduated high school and wanted to go to college so badly but I could not afford it. Instead, I married a farmer. For 21 years, I worked two or three jobs at a time while paying the bills to raise my family. When I turned 40, I battled cancer. This aggressive cancer changed my whole outlook on life. I was working myself to death to care for everyone, sacrificing my hopes and dreams. My life is only going to change if I make that change. So I registered for college. As a low income mother, I was able to get some funding to help with the expense. But I have incurred a large amount of student loans to pick up the balance. At 51, I am almost done with law school, with only six classes left. A $16,000 expense out of my own pocket. I am excited to see light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to obtain a career that I will only have to work one job instead of 3. I have seen how my choices affected my son's goals. He is now registering for college so he won't be a statistic in the poor farming community. By me setting a standard of becoming educated, my son saw the impacts and wanted to follow. My education leading to a better job will help me to afford for my son to college. That is my dream.

Good morning. My name is Timmi Finnerty. I am a single mother who is not only putting myself through college, but also my son. I work three jobs to assume the burden. I worked for the United States Postal Service for almost 118 years (oops, grammatical error but it seems like 118 years.) 18 years of fast paced, diverse personalities, workplace hostility, union grievances, and express lines for complaints was very stressful. The term "postal" was deemed specifically for this stress. I retired early and chose to pursue a dream career in making a positive impact to the environment. My primary full time job now is Supervising the Apiary Division for the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture is essential to our survival. Without beekeepers, human survival would deteriorate in 4 years. Not only do I supervise and ensure agricultural compliance, I educate and advocate for beekeepers. Part of my job requires me to go out in the field with the inspectors and assist. Many people are scared of honey bees so I try to teach others how to stay calm around them so they don't get stung. A good healthy honey bee hive is pleasant to work around. Keeping them healthy and ensuring they have food and water resources keeps them happy. When honey bees are sick from pests or diseases, lack nutrients and essential food and water to survive, or have become Africanized, they can very defensive and tend to sting more. I have learned so much about beekeeping and successful management of hives that I enjoy sharing that knowledge with others so they can also experience being a part of the agricultural farming community. Residential areas, in addition to agricultural land, are permitted to have honey bee colonies. Florida has regulations in Chapter 586 and Rule 5B-54 that provide beekeepers with how to comply. With this being said, I became very interested in beekeeping. The natural healing properties of bee venom, honey, and honeycomb, intrigued me. Beekeepers state how therapeutic beekeeping is. Since I have started beekeeping, I have become so excited about checking my hives each week. To see my hives prosper, take honey off, and pollenate local vegetation, I know what I am doing is making a positive impact to our environment. My second job is a Realtor. This job helps me pay for college. My third job is also relaxing. I look forward to it all week. I give kayak and paddleboard tours at the Fort Pierce Inlet every Saturday morning. While guiding these tours, I teach my guests about the environment, while showing them whatever appears that day. We have seen manatees, dolphins, stingrays, sharks, jellyfish, pufferfish, and so much more. I gave up a stressful career that paid a lot of money, to work for less educating and advocating for the environment while gaining a hobby that also made a positive impact to the environment. Bee Kind, Timmi Finnerty