Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home was honored Thursday by Florida TaxWatch and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera for its work in saving tax money over the past year.
The Prudential Productivity Awards were given to 432 individuals and state employee teams for creating and implementing innovative solutions and productivity improvements, which last year created $558 million in cost savings, cost avoidances and increased revenue for state government.
“Florida is proud to use the Prudential Productivity Awards to recognize our employees with ingenuity who make the public sector more efficient for all Floridians,” Lopez-Cantera said, in a release. “Our state employees continue to provide innovative solutions that save Florida families’ hard-earned money, and make the Sunshine State a great place to live, work, and build their dreams.”
The nursing home, located at 6919 Parkway Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes — just off Ehren Cutoff – received a certificate for its efforts. It honored the team there of Marlies Sarrett, Sue Guthrie, Lyn Bodemann, Barbara Boudreau, Jackie Gorgen, Lucy Scibek and Joanne Burley.
The Prudential Productivity Awards program recognizes and rewards hard-working state employees who create and implement innovative cost-saving and efficiency improvements, Florida TaxWatch said. The program has honored the state’s public servants since 1988.
“The Prudential Productivity Awards is a nationally unique program that brings the private sector together to honor the most productive and innovative employees in Florida state government,” said Dominic Calabro, Florida TaxWatch’s president and chief executive, in a release. “Each of the award winners are commended for their commitment to reducing costs for Florida’s hard-working taxpayers while dramatically improving the services that each Floridian depends on.”
The program also strives to encourage state agencies to work together to replicate the savings across state government. Since 1989, thousands of individuals, teams, work units and partnerships have produced $8.7 billion worth of added value as a direct result of award winners’ achievements and the replication of those achievements.
Over the program’s 26-year history, Florida TaxWatch has discovered more inter-agency cooperation and increased teamwork amongst award winners to bring savings to Floridians, the group said.
Recipients of the 195 cash and plaque awards will be honored during five statewide ceremonies beginning June 4 at Florida State University in Tallahassee, and then later in Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami, before wrapping up in Tampa on June 13.
