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NEWS RELEASE
City Hall
1565 First Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
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For Immediate Release: August 15, 2008
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| MAYOR
RECEIVES
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
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Sarasota,
FL: Mayor Lou Ann Palmer was honored in  Tampa this morning
by the Florida League of Cities with its highest honor: the “E.
Harris Drew” Municipal Official Lifetime Achievement
Award. The prestigious award recognizes a local elected official
in Florida who has made a lasting and worthwhile contribution
to their
community. Mayor Palmer is celebrating 35 years of public
service for the City of Sarasota. The award was
bestowed during the FLC’s annual conference with hundreds
of local government officials from across the state in attendance.
To view unedited video from the award ceremony click
here. |
The
FLC considers many criteria for the award, including: total
years of elected service; public offices held; programs initiated;
and accomplishments.
Included in Mayor Palmer’s extensive
public service career:
• 1973 - 1981 Planning Board Member
• 1982 - 1991 City Commissioner (served 3 one-year terms
as Mayor)
• 1995 - 1996 Charter Review Committee Member
• 1995 - 2000 Planning Board Member
• 2001 - Present City Commissioner (served 3 one-year terms
as Mayor)
During her time in public service, the
City of Sarasota experienced unprecedented growth. She
worked to create
the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA), and was devoted
to bringing major development projects such as the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel to the downtown. Mayor Palmer played
a key role in
the revitalization of Main Street, and the development
of Payne Park, which includes one of the state’s
most popular skateboard facilities.
She has been a visionary, assisting with the creation
of the Downtown Master Plan, the Parks Master Plan, the
Cultural Center Plan, and the initiation of a Neighborhood
Department. She was involved with the complete revision
of the City’s Zoning Code. All combined, these initiatives
helped foster a desirable downtown, attracting residents
and developers including upcoming plans for a Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel.
Long before being green became popular, Mayor Palmer supported
a recycling ordinance, and she helped found the Keep Sarasota
Beautiful program.
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She has served on a multitude of community boards including:
•
Doctor’s Hospital Board of Directors
• Tourist Development Council
• Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program
• Sarasota Keys Rotary Club
• Board of Trustees of Hospice of Southwest Florida
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Mayor Palmer retired from the Sarasota public education
system, after teaching for 31 years. She taught at Sarasota
High School, the very building where was graduated, and the
same historic structure she fought to preserve years later.
To read Mayor Palmer’s complete bio, click
here.
After spending more than three decades devoted to public
service, Mayor Palmer announced last spring she will not
seek re-election when her current term expires in April 2009.
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