TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --- Fla. House Speaker Marco Rubio plans to take time out from the legislative special session in Tallahassee on Thursday to honor Fla. Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples. The afternoon memorial event will be followed by an evening fundraiser to benefit Rep. Davis' favorite causes.

Clearly, one of those 'favorite cause' beneficiaries ought to be affordable housing. Davis ranked as Florida affordable housing's biggest voice in the legislature, authoring most of the recent affordable housing legislation, including the high-profile CWHIP ('Community Workforce Housing Innovative Pilot Program') grants that will shell out $64 million this year to help finance new ideas.

While some---count us among them---will argue the legislature's efforts have been ineffective at best and more likely counter-productive, Davis earned the appreciation of a whole industry---and thousands of low-income Florida families---for making them considerably less so.

Moreover, he earned the esteem of almost all his colleagues and most who met him for his frankness, fairness and deep-seated sense of honor. We dare you to find anyone who doesn't speak of him in hallowed terms. He was definitely one of the good guys, and he was good at it too---no easy achievement in Tallahassee these days.