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Employee Receives Honorary Doctorate

Community Services’ Quality Assurance Supervisor Roland Williams received an honorary doctorate after delivering a message to the graduating class of 2010 at City College in Fort Lauderdale on July 9.  

Pictured here are Roland Williams (left) and Dr. John Padgett, director of Institutional Advancement at City College.

Williams, an adjunct instructor at the college, was given an honorary doctorate of humane letters in addition to the honor of being the faculty member of the year.  He received the degree for his exceptional achievement, community projects and dedication to inspiring people of all ages to realize their full personal and professional potential. 

As an adjunct professor at City College, new students spend their first quarter with Williams in a course on personal development, and graduating students spend their last quarter with him studying professional strategies.

One of his duties in the Community Services Department is to manage American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants obtained to create and save jobs.

Williams is the author of “Vision and Faith - The Best is Yet to Come” and is a Supreme Court certified arbitrator, family mediator and a member of the Florida Bar Review Committee.  He has received the United States President’s Award for volunteering.  He also received the American Red Cross Public Relations Award for his work as a Red Cross shelter manager for many years.

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Fleet Employees Complete CAFM Certification

Four county Fleet Management employees have recently completed and received their Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) credentials.  This certification is the longest established certification of its type for the fleet management industry.  There is approximately a 20 percent completion rate among candidates. 

Pictured here (l to r):  Fleet Management employees Mario Guzman, Lawrence Anstee, Don Howard and James Kulesa with their Certified Automotive Fleet Manager certificates.

Certification can take up to three years.  Currently, there are only 350 managers in the nation with this certification, and there are approximately another 500 enrolled in the program.  It is the only certification in the fleet management field that awards college credit for successful completion.  Participants can earn 12 hours of credit from participating universities.  Components of the program include asset management, business management, financial management, fleet information management, maintenance management, professional development, risk management and vehicle fuel management.

The employees were acknowledged in the July/August 2010 issue of Fleet Solutions magazine.  Christopher Grunder, also a Fleet Management employee, received his designation a year ago, and Fleet Management Director Doug Weichman received his in 1999.

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Cooperative Extension Workshop:  Farm Your Backyard

Workshop: Farm Your Backyard

When:  Saturday, Sept. 18

Time:  9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where:  Mounts Exhibit Hall A, 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach

Topics:  step-by-step instructions for growing vegetables in your backyard including demonstrations and hands-on activities

Fee:  $35 members; $45 non-members

Register: Call 233-1757 or visit pbcgov.com/coextension.

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Hurricane Preparation Is Cheaper: Consumer Affairs Still Watching for Price Gouging

A silver lining of the poor economy is that getting ready for a hurricane is getting cheaper.

The Consumer Affairs Division has completed its annual price survey of commodities most likely to be needed for a hurricane and sold by small and large local retailers. Of the 65 commodities checked, 42 showed decreases from last year’s commodity survey.

Generators, lanterns and power tools showed year-to-year decreases up to 24 percent. Hotels and storage rental space also showed double digit decreases. Some categories of plywood, roofing felt and other building materials had both increases and decreases in cost. Food items like milk and ice showed overall increases in costs.

While results of the survey provide helpful information for consumers, the main purpose is to provide assistance to Consumer Affairs for the enforcement of the county price gouging ordinance.

The price gouging ordinance makes it illegal for businesses to charge more than the average retail price for consumer goods or services after a declared state of emergency. Consumer Affairs investigators proactively enforce the ordinance and use the survey to determine what the average cost of the various commodities should be.

The Consumer Affairs Division works with their counterparts in Broward and Miami-Dade to track the price of hurricane commodities in all South Florida.

Here is a comparison of the average costs for select commodities:

 

The complete Consumer Affairs commodity report is available at: http://www.pbcgov.com/consumer (click on the "Hurricane Info" tab). For more information call 561-712-6600 (Boca/Delray/Glades call toll free: 1-888-852-7362).

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