First, Economic Development Coordinator Karisa Rojas-Norton was nominated because she has "defined what a business ombudsman's role is throughout Tampa Bay." It was also noted in her nomination that she "goes well beyond assisting the business community and works across many departments on numerous projects - including the recently released video by the Marketing Division 'Largo's 2019 Is Worth Celebrating!' and working with the Engineering Department on the presentation for the WBD Corridor Open House program. Any time Karisa is asked to help out on a project you can expect to receive a 110% effort on making sure that the completed project is one that makes Largo shine."
Next, Largo Police Officer Albin Soto is the Largo Police Department's mental health liaison. Numerous emails and letters have been received from clients and family members regarding the impact that Ofc. Soto has made on them. He and his partner have also been selected for the Community Hero's Award from the Tampa Bay Bold Goal Health Collaborative and were selected to be on the panel at the Pinellas Substance Use and Mental Health Action Forum.
Also, Environmental Services Treatment Plant Shift Supervisor David Winkler was nominated for going above and beyond after the retirement of the Plant Manager. David was complimented for leading the operations team, meeting with vendors, going to meetings, taking care of paperwork, and other plant manager duties and it was noted that "there was no change in standards, quality, or integrity and they all worked together under his leadership."
Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Bryan Rivera was nominated for his "smile and can-do attitude" and because he is "always available to assist and even tries when he is not the person in charge of the tasks. Bryan does not say "you need to call..." instead he handles it with a smile and puts the right person in contact with you."
Lastly, Recreation, Parks and Arts Assistant Director Krista Pincince has made significant contributions to both her department and the City as a whole. She helps lead training for supervisors as well as managers, leads the City's employee family shelter during emergencies and has served on various project teams. In addition, "she has a deep understanding of the recreation division which she oversees, provides guidance and support to the program managers, maintains excellent communication and spends a significant amount of time 'in the field' working with staff to achieve continuous process improvement."
You can view photos of the recognition ceremony, or watch video of the recognition online at Largo.com/LiveTV.
