by Lynn Tipton
The FCCMA Annual Conference was held May 28-31, 2014 at the Orlando Hilton. More than 200 people attended the conference. The theme was “Building Trust and Confidence in Local Government.”
Thursday’s Opening General Session began with a welcome from President Russ Blackburn followed by the presentation of colors by the Kissimmee Honor Guard, Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem sung by Terry Stewart and the Invocation offered by Lee Garner, Chattahoochee City Manager, District 1 Director and Host Committee Chair. Lee highlighted District 1 by showing a video of NW Florida. Kissimmee Mayor Pro-Tem Wanda Rentas welcomed the attendees to the area and thanked members for their commitment to public service. President Blackburn recognized Panama City Manager Ken Hammons, who was awarded the inaugural Dick Simmons Lifetime Achievement Award; Ken thanked the members and proudly wore his medallion.
Commander Kirk Lippold was the keynote speaker for the Opening General Session. He was commander of the USS Cole, which was attacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists. Lippold shared his five pillars of leadership: integrity, vision, personal responsibility and accountability, trust and invest, and professional confidence. He showed how using these leadership traits helped him and his crew work their way through the crisis and save the ship.
Former Senator Bob Graham and Former Congressman Lou Frey were the featured speakers in the Friday General Session. They spoke about Florida’s poor civic health (ranked as 46th of the 50 states) and the need for increased civic education, more community involvement and greater citizen involvement in government.
Other highlights of the conference included Dr. Mike Abels, former city manager and UCF instructor speaking at the Career Development Luncheon and Bill Horne, city manager of Clearwater, speaking at the Inspirational Breakfast. FCCMA offered a wide array of break-out sessions focused on the conference theme. A “Good Ideas Center” held booths and products from over 80 vendors and sponsors. Initial evaluations have all indicated that the sessions and exhibits were great.
Pat Williams, Orlando Magic Senior Vice President and author of 90 books on leadership and teamwork closed the conference at the Saturday morning breakfast with a very stirring call to the essential elements of successful teams.
If you were unable to attend this year’s conference, FCCMA hopes you will be able to come to next year’s conference, May 27-30 at Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando near Universal Studios.
