Seventh Annual Florida Communities of Excellence Awards to Kick-Off October 15

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL--(Marketwired - Sep 4, 2014) - The Florida Communities of Excellence Awards announced that its seventh annual program will kick-off with the call for submissions on October 15. Communities have until midnight on January 31, 2015 to submit entries in any of the 13 categories that cover all aspects of a community life and the operations of the community.

Since being founded in 2009, the Florida Communities of Excellence Awards have grown every year, including 30% growth last year, with 100 communities and 10 sponsors participating for the first time. The Awards were created by Becker & Poliakoff law firm and the Florida Community Association Journal to recognize the achievement of volunteer boards and professional managers at condos, HOAs and Coops across the state.

There is no fee to enter the Awards and the entire submission process is done online. The winners will be announced on Friday, May 15, 2015 at the Conference & Awards event at the Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston, Florida. Winners are chosen from smaller communities (up to 400 units) and larger communities by a panel of independent experts, including representative of leading state and local government departments and agencies.

The Awards also announced the formation of an Advisory Council made up of sponsors, judges, and industry leaders:

• Jane Bracken, vice president relation market manager, BB&T Association Services
• Leo Delgado, president, Converged Services, Inc.
• James Donnelly, CEO & president, Castle Group
• Jeff Hardy, founder, TOPS Software
• James Hart, president, Sentry Management
• Deirdre Irwin, St. John's River Water Management District
• Paul Kaplan, managing director, KW Property Management & Consulting
• Lisa Magill, Community Association Law Practice, Becker & Poliakoff
• Janet McMillan, director of sales & marketing, ADT-Devcon
• Jim McMurry, publishing director, Florida Community Association Journal
• Tim O'Keefe, president, South Region, FirstService Residential
• Gina Rossi, director of national sales, Associa

At the event itself, in addition to the popular "Managers of Excellence" luncheon, this year there will be a dedicated awards ceremony focused on the winning communities, followed by a gala cocktail party.

Also new for 2015 is a special "Community Video Showcase" with the best examples of community videos as selected by a panel of professionals.

About The Florida Communities of Excellence Awards

The Florida Communities of Excellence Awards is a unique recognition program that shines a spotlight on the positive and productive initiatives taking place in condominiums, homeowners associations and cooperatives across Florida. Now in its seventh year, the independently judged program enables the top communities in the state to promote their accomplishments and raise their profiles while documenting their success and enabling others to learn from their examples. For information about the Awards, including a complete list of categories, please visit www.communitiesofexcellence.net