Key West’ Historic Seaport garners the Meritorious Achievement Award for Organizational Achievement during the 40th Annual Florida Trust 2018 Florida Preservation Conference.

The City of Key West’ Key West Historic Seaport was honored Friday evening in recognition of Meritorious Performance in the field of Organizational Achievement at the 2018 Florida Preservation Conference hosted by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. The awards ceremony took place in Jacksonville, Florida at the Jessie Ball duPont Center. The awards ceremony was followed by a gala reception that was attended by over 300 guests and some of Florida’s most notable historians and preservationists.

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1978 and is Florida’s nonprofit dedicated to protecting the state’s architectural, historical and archaeological heritage. With a strong focus on advocacy, education and stewardship, the Florida Trust serves as a steward for historic properties throughout Florida and has saved a number of unique and historic state treasures.

The Florida Preservation Awards recognizes individuals, organizations, businesses and agencies that have made a significant impact in preserving Florida’s history. Award categories range from Infill Design and Green Buildings to Archaeology and Preservation Education/Media.

The award is in recognition of the significant achievement in the preservation of Florida’s rich heritage. The City of Key West and the duly appointed Bight Management District Board oversees the preservation and protection of the history and character of the Key West Historic Seaport. The Historic Seaport has supported many industries vital to the economy and overall way of life in the Florida Keys and Key West for more than 200 years. From fishing to tourism, nearly 100 businesses and organizations rely on the Historic Seaport to support their families and livelihood today.

“It is truly an honor to have the Key West Historic Seaport recognized for all of the preservation efforts that have gone into not only protecting its heritage but its evolution over the years as well. Key West is proud of its record of preservation and will continue with more projects in the future,” said Craig Cates, Mayor of Key West.

On behalf of the City of Key West and the Historic Seaport, the award was accepted by Mr. Dana Pollitt and Ms. Julie Ruffolo, members of the Historic Seaport team in charge of promoting, advertising and marketing the Seaport.  

“We are excited and honored to receive this Meritorious Achievement Award for Organizational Achievement on behalf of the City of Key West and the Historic Seaport,” said Dana Pollitt, Partner with ADEPT Public Relations. “The tremendous efforts of City staff led by Port Director Doug Bradshaw and Deputy Port Director Karen Olson along with the expert guidance of the Bight Management District Board has resulted in record fiscal performance of the Historic Seaport. It’s wonderful to receive this historic preservation recognition from such a highly regarded organization like the Florida Trust.

The Historic Seaport has such a rich history and we applaud the City’s efforts to preserve its story while having the foresight to recognize that it could become a top travel destination,” concluded Pollitt.

The Florida Preservation Awards is conducted annually during the Historic Preservation Conference and this year the organization will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Florida Trust. For more information on the Florida Trust, please visit FloridaTrust.org.

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