Thank you for not making me hit that thing any more times than that.

That was I appreciate you guys.

So good morning.

All right, let's call this meeting to order.

Madam Clerk, if you could do a roll call, please.

Mr.

Engelking?

Mrs.

Frank is requesting an excused abstinence.

Mr.

Howard?

Here.

Mr.

Smith.

Here.

Mr.

Weed.

Here.

Vice Mayor Bolt.

Here.

Mayor Petrona.

And I'm here as well.

So we will stand for the invocation of the pledge today can be led by Vice Mayor Bolt.

Our father, grant us wisdom and understanding so that we may work together for the common good of our community, keeping our hearts and minds open to the thoughts and perspectives of others that we may serve with steadfast purpose.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

So I'm gonna go individually with the recognitions, and then as you're you're done with yours, if you guys want to leave so that there's plenty of room for other folks to be here and come into the room for their recognition that they're here to attend, that would be very courteous of you.

So we will start with um recognition of Master Municipal Clerk designation for Mercedes Bersilla.

So if I could get the deputy clerk along with the FACC Southwest District uh director, Clerk Scotty Lynn, and then if we could get James Clinch to join me up front, yes, I am a little bit more.

Currently, only 9.76% or 1,504 of the 15,405 members of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks have attained this Master Municipal Designation.

At this time, of the 611 members of the Florida Association of City Clerks, only 22.9% or 140 members have reached the MMC designation.

To achieve the Master Municipal Clerk designation, the first step is becoming a certified municipal clerk through the completion of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, approved municipal clerks institute program.

These are some really big words.

Conducted by the John State Daily, John Scott Daily Florida Institute of Government, Florida State University in Tallahassee.

This program provides 120 student to instructor contact hours of in-depth courses in managerial and leadership skills, social and interpersonal concerns, and technical training needed to deal with changes taking place in government today.

The government or sorry, the program aids municipal clerks in improving job performance and recognizes the professionalism of the municipal clerk's office.

Completion of a recognized career development academy or a backlurette degree in a public administration or related field, responsible experience in local government, and participation in conferences, meetings, and educational seminars are required to earn smartly print two-sided.

The prestigious city certified municipal clerk designation.

However, true professionals never want to rest on their success, but instead keep reaching higher.

The Master Municipal Clerk Academy was established to further professional education of city clerks and to meet the challenges of the office.

Academy members must demonstrate they have actively engaged in educational and professional participation that keeps them current with the changing events in the local government scene.

Academy members seeking to earn their master municipal clerk designation are required to attain 168 hours in advanced education with 80% coursework in public administration and 20% in electives and attain 20 per points in professional and social contributions to include attendance at professional meetings, conferences, and hours and awards received for specific individual achievements.

This is quite a task considering the daily demands of the clerk's office.

In light of the speed and drastic nature of changes these days, lifelong learning is not only desirable, it is necessary to keep pace with the growing demands and changing needs of the citizens we serve.

Your city can take immense pride in Miss Barcia's educational achievement accomplishments and achievement of this milestone.

Finally, on behalf of the Florida Association of City Clerks, President, Board of Directors, and its members, the Florida Association of City Clerks Professional Education Committee, and the Southwest District.

We are also very proud of you.

Mercedes, commit yourself to lifelong learning, display your plaque, and wear your pen with pride as an example of your dedication and professionalism.

Please join me in congratulating Marcedes Mercedes Barcia, MMC, on her impressive accomplishment as one of the newest municipal master municipal clerks.

Well done, my friend.

Well, thank you, Scotty Lynn.

Um, I have the honor of presenting on behalf of the city today for Mercedes, and Kelly Michaels could not be here, regrettably, but it is uh my treat because I've gotten to work with Mercedes for many years, and I can tell you she is a committed and dedicated employee.

A lot of people don't know how closely the city clerk's office works with the city manager's office.

We are communicating every single day.

We're dealing with every single situation crisis deadline that comes up, and Mercedes is somebody who I can go to any time I need something, almost any hour or day of the week, and it gets done, and that is incredibly valuable not only to me personally but to our our organization and to the city.

So thank you, Mercedes.

Um it is with great pleasure that Kelly and I congratulate you on your recent accomplishment of the MMC clerk designation.

Um, very prestigious, and this is not your uh your first stop here.

You got your certified municipal clerk status in August of 2023, which is a three-year program conducted by the Florida Institute of Government at Florida State University.

This prestigious program provides an in-depth course in managerial and leadership skills and technical training needed to be effective in the ever-changing landscape of local government.