Anna Maria has decided on a winner for its 2023 Citizen(s) of the Year award: the Anna Maria Island Garden Club.
This year’s citizen recognition committee — residents Doug Copeland and Darcie Duncan — unanimously voted Feb. 29 to give the award to the club.
City Commission Chair Mark Short nominated the club for its focus on beautification and environmental education.
The club has helped fund wind sculptures in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach and is working to do the same in Bradenton Beach.
Mayor Dan Murphy, who attended the Feb. 29 meeting, said the club also helped the city by providing advice on pruning and native plants.
Nominees for the award included both island newspapers, The Islander and the Sun, as well as Christine Olson, founder of the To Inform Families First campaign.
Copeland and Duncan praised the nominees but agreed the garden club was the only nominee that qualified as a citizen or citizens of the city.
Copeland noted the newspapers are in Holmes Beach and Olson, who works in Holmes Beach, has no direct ties to the city, so he leaned toward selecting the club for the award.
He called for the city commission to clarify a definition for “citizen(s)” to use in future discussions, since the city does not currently define the term.
Duncan nominated the garden club as her selection for the city’s 2023 Citizens of the Year award.
Copeland seconded the nomination, which the pair approved.
The award will be presented during the city meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
Directions to attend via Zoom can be found on the city’s website, cityofannamaria.com.