▸ The City of St. Cloud Parks and Recreation Department is building a new Adaptive Sports Program for their residents. The nearest adaptive recreation program is about an hour away. To address that problem, St. Cloud is partnering with Autism Speaks, the Osceola County School Board and the Special Olympics of Central Florida to offer weekly sports and specialty programs. Larger organizations will be recruited soon to coordinate Little League and other team sports. ▸ The City of Waldo has been building back the heart of their community by turning a closed school into Waldo City Square. The space is being used to hold city-hosted events such as car shows and fall festivals as well as job fairs, food giveaways and a drivethru Santa event. City Hall has been relocated to Waldo City Square, which also provides Head Start space to help avoid educational loss. A recently held movie night with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office was a huge success. City Catalyst Grant funding will help Waldo make movie night a regular event for the community and even have the movies connect to other events’ themes. Together, the Florida League of Mayors and Business Watch are committed to finding common-sense solutions and helping strengthen our communities. Both are proud to once again host the City Catalyst Grants Program. Congratulations to the winners! Scott Dudley is the Executive Director of the Florida League of Mayors and also Director of Field Advocacy and Federal Affairs at the Florida League of Cities. Beth Rawlins is President of B u s i n e s s Wa t c h . B usiness Watch connects businesses and local government officials, leaders and managers to open dialogue and work toward common goals. QC
QC
Meet Greg Ross
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PHOTO COURTESY OF BONNIE GAUPP
FEATURE
FLC Second Vice President, Mayor of Cooper City
t the Florida League of Cities (FLC) 2021 Annual Conference, Cooper City Mayor Greg Ross was elected by the membership to serve as the League’s Second Vice President. Ross expressed gratitude to his fellow city officials.
“I truly do thank everyone here for the opportunity. It is such an honor,” he said. “It is a show of confidence in me. I will not let you down. I will not disappoint.” Ross, who grew up in Brooklyn, NY, relocated to Florida in 1977 to attend law school in Fort Lauderdale. After earning his juris doctor, he became Broward County Assistant State Attorney from 1980 until he opened his Fort Lauderdale law practice in 1984. His involvement with city government began in 2002 when he was appointed to the Cooper City Planning and Zoning Board. He served for seven years, including the last year as Chair. From 2006-2012, Ross served as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordinator for the City and Vice-Chair of Broward County CERT Coordinators. Ross was appointed the City’s Special Magistrate in 2009 and elected to the City Commission as Mayor of Cooper City in 2012. Since his election, Ross has dedicated his time, service and leadership in multiple roles. He is an active member of the Broward League of Cities and previously served as President and Secretary. Ross has served on the FLC Board of Directors since 2015 and is Chair of the Federal Action Strike Team Committee. He previously served as a Director on the Florida League of Mayors Board and Vice Chair of FLC’s Urban Administration Legislative Policy Committee. Ross works tirelessly to protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s cities and has been honored with FLC’s Home Rule Hero Award every year since 2015. When asked how it feels to be Second Vice President, Ross said, “Humbled and honored. I look forward to working not only with the Executive Board but with every one of the 411 cities.” QC
FOURTH QUARTER 2021 | QUALITY CITIES 43
