Awards and Scholarships

Each year, FCCMA recognizes leaders in the profession that have demonstrated professionalism and service within the field of public administration. Nominated and selected by their peers, award recipients are all recognized during the annual conference. The 2022 Annual Conference will be held at the Renaissance June 1-4, 2022. The award nominations will open in October.

The deadline to submit the 2022 award nominations is January 14, 2022. Nominees for each award must submit a completed application, cover letter and any supporting materials for these awards. For questions, contact Carol Russell at crussell@flcities.com.

Award Categories

The Richard (Dick) Simmons Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to an exemplary individual who has served the profession or the Association with steadfast dedication, innovation and the highest standard of excellence. This award is a memorial to Dick Simmons – pioneer in the profession, past FCCMA president, range rider emeritus and a 60+ year FCCMA member. To be eligible for consideration for this prestigious award, an individual must be nominated by a voting member of the FCCMA and meet the following criteria:

• A minimum of 30 years working in local government, with at least 20 years at the level of assistant city/county manager or higher;
• A member of ICMA and FCCMA, in good standing;
• Demonstrated member of ICMA and commensurate state management association(s) for at least 20 years;
• Demonstrated contributions made to state management associations over their career; and/or
• Contributions made over one’s lifetime in the likeness of Richard (Dick) Simmons.

Richard Simmons Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

The Michael J. Roberto Award for Career Development recognizes an FCCMA member who has made a significant contribution to the development of new talent in professional local government management (internships, mentoring, etc.). This award is a memorial to Mike Roberto, a past president of the FCCMA, and a recognized leader in the development of public management careers.

Michael J Roberto Award for Career Development Recipients

The Professional Management Matters Award recognizes an outstanding and long-term local government administrator who has fostered representative democracy by enhancing the effectiveness of local elected officials and by consistently initiating creative and successful programs. Nominees must be endorsed by a past or present elected official.

Professional Management Excellence Award Recipients

The Assistant for Excellence in Leadership Award is awarded to an FCCMA member who has significantly demonstrated excellence in leadership while serving as an assistant (regardless of title) to a chief local government administrator or department head. Nominees must be full-time employees and endorsed by their chief administrative officer.

Assistant for Excellence in Leadership Award Recipients

The FCCMA Who’s Who Under 40 program recognizes local government leaders in Florida under the age of 40 for their personal and professional excellence. Those selected are among the industry’s top emerging talent and will be an integral part of the FCCMA and local government administration for years to come.

The recipients will not only have a great aptitude for local government work, but they will possess and uphold the ethical principles of the profession, the FCCMA and the ICMA. Each nominee must be an FCCMA member with a minimum of two years in good standing, as well as be a current local government employee. The application includes questions for both the nominees and nominators. Specific examples are required, with the optional recommendation letters strongly encouraged.

NOMINEE GUIDELINES

• • Nominee must be between 18 and 39 years of age as of May 31.
  • Nominee must be employed in local government.
  • Nominee must be a Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) member in good standing for at least two years.
  • Nominee must exemplify the tenets of the ICMA code of ethics.
  • Nominee must be current with the required ethics training prior to nomination being received by FCCMA.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

• • Nominee and Nominator information
  • Application Questionnaire
  • Nominee’s Resume
  • One letter of recommendation

• If self-nominated, the letter must come from a supervisor or peer at the director level or above

Are you currently earning a degree in public administration and committed to pursuing a career in local government management? Check out these exclusive scholarship opportunities. The 2022 Scholarship application will open in October.

FCCMA is committed to supporting students pursuing education and careers in Public Administration. We offer up to four academic-based scholarships: the B. Harold Farmer Scholarship ($5,000), the Raymond C. Sittig Scholarship ($5,000), and two Aspiring Professional Manager Scholarships ($2,500 each). Recipients are chosen based on students’ ability to demonstrate their understanding and support of local government management and the principals on which each of these Scholarships were founded.

B. Harold Farmer Scholarship is given in honor and memory of B. Harold Farmer, a FCCMA past president, who served as a mentor for many Florida city and county managers. Mr. Farmer served as a city manager for nearly 25 years and was instrumental to the creation of Florida’s Alliance for Innovation. This scholarship honors Mr. Farmer’s commitment to professional local government management and the use of innovation to deliver services to Florida residents.

B. Harold Farmer Past Recipients

The Raymond C. Sittig Scholarship, initiated in 2014, is given in honor and memory of Raymond C. Sittig, long-time executive director of the Florida League of Cities (FLC) and champion of Home Rule powers. Ray came to Florida to become a city manager but instead of working for one city he was a champion for all cities. He served as the FLC executive director for 25 years. In 1978, Ray agreed to be the FCCMA’s administrator out of respect for the profession and his desire to build a strong relationship between the FCCMA and the FLC.

Raymond C Sittig Scholarship Past Recipients

Initiated in 2018, the Aspiring Professional Manager Scholarships are given to help individual students with a strong commitment to pursuing a career in local government management offset educational expenses.

Aspiring Professional Manager Scholarship Recipients

All academic scholarship recipients will receive conference registration, hotel and $300 to cover travel and other expenses to attend the FCCMA Annual Conference June 1-4, 2022 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld where they will be recognized for their achievements and given the opportunity to network with 200+ professional managers from across the state. The scholarships also include a one-year complimentary membership to the FCCMA and to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

ELIGIBILITY
Students must be enrolled during the summer or fall of 2022 and be pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in an accredited program that is administered through a campus in Florida with the intent of becoming a city or county manager. Students may be enrolled in an online accredited program as long as they live in Florida and work in a Florida city or county government. Qualifying students must submit a completed application. The application must include a personal statement summarizing why he or she is interested in city and county government management, career goals and financial need and planned use of the scholarship funds; official transcripts, resume and two letters of recommendation to be considered for these awards. Please contact Carol Russell at crussell@flcities.com if you have any questions.

Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on March 1, 2022. Finalists will be invited for oral interviews to be held in Orlando tentatively scheduled for April 1, 2022. Official transcripts can be sent to:

2022 FCCMA Scholarship Program
P.O. Box 1757
Tallahassee, FL 32302-1757

Want to advance your local government management career? You may be eligible to join us for free at the 2022 Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) Annual Conference. Applications for the 2022 Emerging Leaders Scholarship will open in October.

FCCMA offers an Emerging Leaders Conference Scholarship to public administration students and entry-level city and county management staff interested in continuing their academic and professional development as local government administrators. Participating in the FCCMA annual conference provides emerging leaders with continuing education and networking opportunities with 200+ professional managers from across the state.

This year, one of the scholarships will be awarded to a qualifying veteran.

The scholarship includes complimentary registration to the annual conference and hotel accommodations, plus a one-year complimentary membership to the FCCMA. Scholarship recipients will be honored and recognized during the conference. The scholarship is awarded to individuals once per lifetime. The conference will be held June 1-4, 2022 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld.

Scholarships will be awarded to public administration students and entry-level professionals (budget analysts, management analysts, interns and assistants) on the basis of commitment to city/county management, career goals, affiliation with FCCMA and financial need based on salary or the organization’s ability to support the cost to attend the annual conference

Applicants must submit a completed application, resume, professional endorsement and personal statement detailing why receiving assistance is important by March 2, 2022, to be considered for this award. For questions regarding the scholarship, contact Carol Russell at crussell@flcities.com.

Emerging Leaders Scholarship Past Recipients