Media Release

The Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) will present two “President’s Awards” on Friday, May 26, 2006 at their annual conference, which will be held May 24-27, in Panama City Beach, Florida. One of the awards will be presented to Alachua County Commission Chairman Lee Pinkoson.

The “President’s Award,” so named because it is given at the discretion of the FCCMA president, is not given every year; it is used to recognize an elected city or county official who has shown strong, consistent and public support of the Council-Manager and Commission-Manager form of government in Florida. Over the past decade, the “President’s Award” has been given to mayors, council members, commissioners, and commission chairpersons in recognition of their respective support. It is the highest award given by the FCCMA.

According to the FCCMA, Chairman Pinkoson was selected for the award because of his stalwart support of professional local public management during his tenure on the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners. In Alachua County, the county and several of the cities have this form of government. Chairman Pinkoson is serving his first term, which began in November of 2002 and ends in November of 2006.

The other recipient of the award will be Mayor Canfield of Palm Coast, FL.

In speaking of the awards, FCCMA President William R. Whitson, assistant city manager of Port Orange, FL, remarked, “It is a distinct honor to present two awards during my year as president—and a great pleasure. As the association for professional public management in Florida, we are especially proud to recognize our bosses for their support; not only of our profession, but also their support of the work done by professional management staff across the state. It is important that we recognize our elected officials for this commitment to our profession, and in this way, encourage other elected officials to gain a better understanding of the valued partnership that managers and elected officials have throughout Florida. We can be very proud of Mayor Canfield and Chairman Pinkoson for their belief in what we do.”

The FCCMA is one of the largest state associations for city and county managers, deputies, assistants and other professional management staff. Founded in 1946, the Association will celebrate its 60th anniversary at the annual conference. The Association provides professional development, helps members promote the ICMA Code of Ethics, holds conferences and forums for members, and provides information about the form of government and the profession. The FCCMA works closely with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and in ICMA’s voluntary credentialing program for its members, Florida leads the world in the number of credentialed managers, with 117. The FCCMA has over 520 current members, representing over 200 municipalities and 36 counties.