CLERMONT - The packed room of over 200 stood and cheered as Sen. Bill Nelson strode to the podium at the Lake County Democratic Party's September 7 Claude Pepper Dinner.

Nelson was followed by the night’s keynote speaker, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-District 20). Rep. Wasserman Schultz rocked the crowd and the applause came in rising waves as she outlined the Bush administration’s failure to get serious about developing alternative energy sources to relieve America's dependency on risky foreign sources that are unfriendly and unreliable.

Fred McDowell, Chairman of the Lake County Democratic Executive Committee beamed at the  packed room of cheering Democrats and Independents. "Every year this dinner grows bigger and better. The Lake County Democratic Party has taken another great step forward."

This was the party's seventh annual fundraising dinner named in honor of the late Florida statesman Claude Pepper, a long-serving Democratic member of the U.S. House and Senate and a mentor to Senator Bill Nelson. Many fondly remember Pepper for his stand-up fight on behalf of America's seniors and effective government.