Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Staff recognized with Prudential Productivity Awards from Florida Taxwatch

~Six DEO employee teams honored for saving taxpayer funds~

TALLAHASSEE – Yesterday, six teams from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) were announced as winners of the 2014 Prudential Productivity Awards by Florida Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Florida TaxWatch at the Florida Capitol. The 26th annual awards honor 432 individuals and teams of state employees for creating and implementing innovative solutions and productivity improvements worth $558 million in cost savings, cost avoidances, and increased revenue for state government.

“I am extraordinarily proud of the team at DEO. Our employees work hard for the citizens of Florida every day. We are pleased to have six DEO teams recognized with Davis Productivity Awards,” said DEO Executive Director Jesse Panuccio. “These awards recognize talent, creativity, and dedication and I thank all employees recognized for their efforts to save taxpayer money and serve Floridians.”

Winners from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity include:

• Treasury Offset Program (TOP) Implementation Team – Nancy Salmon, Robin Nichols, Peggy Allen, Diane Minott, Dianna Weston, Patrice Provost, Sondra Timpson, Shawn Brown
• Financial Management Mainframe Replacement Team – Daniel Hedrick, Tim Vause, Carlos Perez, Yousri Ahmad, Lisa Simpson, Stephen Hobbs, Charlene Chen
• Fix (Support) - Brikena Teta, Johnette Hess, Mery Llera, Keyla White, Latisha Franklin, Johanne Johnson, Bruce Anderson
• Fraud Initiative Rules and Rating Engine – John Sacco, Bahram Samani, Bob Bradner, Bob Corder
• Florida Office of Film and Entertainment Marketing Team – Niki Welge, Jessica Kassees, Cissy Proctor, Jennifer Diaz, Rich Smith, Daniel Hedrick, Rentia Barineau
• Hire Florida Grads Campaign - Telly Buckles, Sergio Rodriguez

The Prudential Productivity Awards program recognizes and rewards hard-working state employees who create and implement innovative cost-saving and efficiency improvements. The program, founded and sponsored by the independent, nonprofit, government watchdog research institute, Florida TaxWatch, and co-sponsored by the State of Florida, has been honoring the state's public servants since 1988.

The 2014 awards competition attracted 568 nominations for innovations and productivity improvements worth $558 million in cost savings, cost avoidances, and increased revenue for state government. Over the past 26 years, award winners have posted a total of $8.7 billion in added value for Florida taxpayers and businesses.