The Florida League of Cities (FLC), celebrating its 100th anniversary as the united voice for Florida’s municipal governments, recently recognized both Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer and Deputy City Manager George Brown, with a 2022 Home Rule Hero Award for their hard work and advocacy efforts during the 2022 Legislative Session. They both worked tirelessly throughout session to promote local voices making local choices, protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s municipalities and advance the League’s legislative agenda.
“On behalf of the League and its legislative team, we’re very proud to present this year’s Home Rule Hero Awards to a deserving group of municipal leaders,” said FLC Director of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook. “We had a record number of Home Rule Heroes this year, which shows the dedication and impact of local officials on behalf of their residents and businesses in protecting local decision-making. These local officials were constantly engaged and actively advocating for their communities throughout the 2022 Legislative Session. They’re heroes for Home Rule and we thank them for their efforts.”
Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials, both elected and nonelected, who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue.
"As President of the Florida League of Mayors, I'm honored to work with fellow mayors and local elected officials to defend the principle of home rule to ensure Tallahassee does not interfere on purely local issues best left to local leaders and residents,” said Mayor Scott Singer. “I'm grateful that our lobbying efforts prevented some of the impact from laws that would have limited local choice and raised our taxes, but we need to defend against further encroachments by Tallahassee."
“Local government is closest to the people of Florida. Each community is unique in its vision, mission, and needs, and decisions about local issues need to be made at the local level. That is Home Rule.
It is important that we make our local voice heard in Tallahassee, and the Florida League of Cities assists us in that effort,” commented Deputy City Manager, George Brown.
Mayor Singer was elected as Mayor in 2018 and re-elected in 2020. He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in government and received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He owns several small businesses and works as a lawyer and mediator in resolving business disputes.
Deputy City Manager George Brown‘s service with the City began in 1977. His commitment to the community and local government has been invaluable and has included active participation in the International City Management Association, the Florida City and County Management Association, and the Florida League of Cities, where he has been a strong advocate of Home Rule for cities.
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