Three County Commissioners joined their counterparts from the 67 other Florida counties for the Florida Association of Counties 74th Annual Conference and Educational Expedition.



Gail Garrard, Donnie Hamlin, and Earnest Jones all traveled to Orlando last week to participate in the continuing education classes for the County Commissioners Voluntary Certification Program. All three Commissioners have been involved in this program for several years and have all been certified by the Florida Association of Counties.



A conference such as this one allows the Commissioners to meet with others around the State to learn more about budgeting, state funding, and ways to generate larger revenues throughout the counties. The Conference is also where the new Board of Directors are installed and a new President is elected. Several Conference Keynote Speakers were brought in to talk about some of the issues facing all counties because of state and Federal Funding. One celebrity guest was the Lt. Governor of Florida, Toni Jennings.



The Association of Counties is a way for the voice of every county to be heard and represented. The Association sponsors several events every year where Commissioners are urged to join them on Capital Hill and make sure that all issues can either be resolved or discussed. Commissioner Gail Garrard said, “The only way for our voices to be heard is to show up, let them know who we are and where we are from. This conference gives us the chance to join others around the state and learn more about the Offices we are running.”