Journal Notes—April 2016

by Michael Hamline, Editor/ Published April 2016

If you haven’t done so, you need to save the date for the Communities of Excellence Conference and Awards Gala. The date for this extraordinary event is May 13, 2016, and it will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. This is a celebration of more than 60 communities who have achieved excellence in categories, such as water conservation, energy efficiency, Florida-friendly landscaping^TM, disaster preparedness, safety and security, civic volunteerism and advocacy, communications and community, family friendly programs and initiatives, financial innovation, and “The Comeback Kid.” In addition, according to the Communities of Excellence website, there will be a recognition of communities that have shown innovation by the creation of “a service or solution that others may someday follow.”

To read summaries of the finalists chosen for each of the 10 categories mentioned above, turn to page 10.  It should be noted that, due to space limitations, the brief summaries for each of the finalists contains only a small selection of information that was considered in choosing these communities as potential winners in their respective categories. So what you are reading in their summaries is simply the tip of the iceberg, but we look forward to bringing you more in-depth coverage highlighting the winners in upcoming issues of FLCAJ.

Readers will also notice that this issue has the Readers’ Choice Awards. This special feature can be found by turning to page 41. The Readers’ Choice Awards are presented to service providers that demonstrate through their commitment to the community associations they serve an exemplary level of proficiency, reliability, fairness, and integrity. This is the third year for the Awards, and there were more than 260 nominations, 5,400 votes cast, and 92 service providers recognized as winners or finalists. Many of these service providers have the distinction of being nominated and winning the Awards for their second or third time, which means that they continue to stand out and are being recognized for their excellence.

We look forward this month to highlighting some of the positives that are going on within the industry whether it is the communities or service providers. Enjoy reading about what makes these communities and service providers stand out, and let us hear from you.

Editor