Looking for Florida-specific information? The FLC Center for Municipal Research and Innovation’s new State of the Cities report is now available for download! You won’t want to miss this report, featuring results from the 2012 CityStats Survey and trending information on Florida cities and local government issues. With data and statistics from more than 80 percent of Florida municipalities, the State of the Cities report provides a comprehensive look at the current status of our cities. Click here to download a digital copy. Printed copies will be distributed to mayors, key officials and research institutes in the next few weeks. Make sure your city is included in next year’s State of the Cities report by completing the 2013 CityStats Survey! MORE>

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is currently being implemented across the United States. All employers need to pay attention to the new law, and there is much to learn for Florida’s local governments. The League is offering a free webinar on May 16 and several half-day summit workshops at locations throughout the state to provide an overview of the basic provisions of PPACA that will have a direct effect on government employers. These sessions will focus on the requirements all employers will need to address over the months to come while preparing for 2014. Summits will be held May 17 in Crestview, June 14 in Jacksonville, June 20 in Pinellas Park, June 21 in Winter Park and July 11 in Sunrise. MORE>

The demand for wireless Internet, driven by mobile video, has soared. As a result, there has been an explosion of new requests for tower sites and communications services in Florida. Despite recent state and federal legislation, local jurisdictions still have substantial rights to manage towers and rights of way. On Tuesday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m., FLC University is hosting a free webinar that will focus on the applicable law and recent trends regarding the enforcement of rights and responsibilities of local jurisdictions in regulating the rights of way and towers. MORE>

Mark your calendars for the Florida League of Cities 2013 Annual Conference on August 15-17 at the World Center Marriott in Orlando. It will focus on how Florida’s cities make our state a great place to live and work. This year’s conference is packed with workshops that will provide helpful, timely information you can take back to your municipality. It will feature keynote presentations from Franklin D. Deese, mayor of Marshville, N.C., and social media expert Erik Qualman. As part of the Viva Florida 500 year-long commemoration of Florida’s 500th anniversary, this year’s conference will also feature a special presentation from the Florida Humanities Council’s Dreamers and Schemers series. Registration materials will be available in early June. MORE>

As part of Viva Florida 500 statewide initiative, the Florida League of Cities will continue to promote our “History Happened Here” campaign throughout the year to educate residents and visitors about the rich history of Florida’s cities. Historical information previously submitted by cities has been used to populate a clickable map, which is featured on the Viva Florida 500 website. Additionally, the Viva Florida 500 Bulletin Board on the League website includes a variety of information, including a PowerPoint presentation and “History Happened Here” toolkit. Please share your events with us so we can feature them in a special Viva Florida 500 section of Quality Cities magazine! MORE>

Nomination forms for the E. Harris Drew Municipal Official Lifetime Achievement Award have been mailed to all cities (addressed to the attention of the city manager or city clerk). If your city has an elected official who has performed in an outstanding manner and has made an unusual and lasting contribution to the improvement of municipal government, nominate them for the E. Harris Drew Municipal Official Lifetime Achievement Award! Simply download the nomination form and return it to the League by June 7, 2013. All elected municipal officials are eligible for this award, which will be presented during the League’s annual conference, August 15-17, 2013. MORE>

The Florida League of Cities has announced the fifth annual Florida Municipal Achievement Awards Program. In commemoration of Ponce de Leon’s arrival to Florida in 1513, this year’s program will be themed: “History Happened Here: A Celebration of the Great History of Florida Cities.” It will focus on activities designed to celebrate your city’s history – honoring the heritage, people and historical events that make your city unique. The awards program will provide municipalities the opportunity to receive deserved recognition for their efforts in the following categories:1) Teaching Your City’s History and Heritage; 2) Reenactments, Performing Arts, Festivals and Tours; 3) Measured Success: Communicating Your City’s Celebration and 4) Florida’s Natural History: Your Parks and More. Nominations will be due Tuesday, October 15, 2013. MORE>

The Florida League of Cities will soon announce the second annual municipal youth council video competition. The goal of the program is to provide a way for Florida’s youth councils to showcase their ideas, creativity and commitment to their community. This year’s awards program will focus on videos designed to celebrate your city’s history and, more importantly, its future. In commemoration of Juan Ponce de Leon’s arrival to Florida in 1513, this year’s youth video competition is designed to complement the League’s program themed: “History Happened Here: A Celebration of the Great History of Florida Cities.” MORE>

The Florida City and County Management Association’s (FCCMA) Annual Conference will be held May 22-25 at the Hilton Orlando. The theme of this year’s conference is “Loving Your Community – Building Attachment to Florida’s Cities, Towns and Counties.” Attendees can choose from a wide variety of session topics, including Marketing Awareness Campaigns, Community Values, Great Public Places in Florida, The Future of Credentialing, Community Branding and Team Development, On-site Health Centers, Current and Future Water Needs and many more. MORE>

Registration for the Florida Association of City Clerks (FACC) 2013 Summer Conference and Academy is now open! The academy will be held June 9-12 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando. Visit the FACC website for full academy details, including certification credit hours and registration forms. Contact Liane Schrader at (850) 222-9684 or lschrader@flcities.com for more information. MORE>

Registration for the Florida Association of Government Information Systems (FLGISA) 2013 Annual Conference is now open! The conference will be held July 16-19 at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. The conference is open to all local government technology professionals that want to learn more about technology issues. MORE>

The U.S. Department of Justice is now accepting applications for two grant programs: COPS Hiring Program and Community Policing Development. Community Policing Development (CHP) is a competitive grant program that provides funding directly to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies having primary law enforcement authority for the hiring or re-hiring of additional officers to impact their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. Community Policing Development (CPD) funds are used to advance the practice of community policing in law enforcement agencies through training and technical assistance, the development and documentation of innovative community policing strategies, applied research, guidebooks, and best practices that are national in scope. MORE>

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently announced the availability of $474 million for a fifth round of the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) competitive grant program to fund surface transportation projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region or metropolitan area. Projects eligible for TIGER grants include highways and bridges, public transportation, passenger and freight rail transportation, and marine port infrastructure investments. MORE>

The Florida Military Family and Community Covenant, Inc. (FMFCC) is a not-for-profit whose mission is to recruit a ground swell of civilian support across the State of Florida to support our military families and veterans. The FMFCC has asked the Florida League of Cities to partner in getting the word out to Florida’s cities. We are encouraging our membership to place this item on an agenda for consideration and adoption of a resolution in support of Florida Military Family and Community Covenant. MORE>