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Jacksonville Realtor® Named 2006 Realtor® of Year; FAR Honors Award Winners at Convention

Russell Grooms, 2004 president of the Florida Association
of Realtors® and the 2006 Realtor® of the Year for FAR.

ORLANDO, Fla., September 2006 -- Russell Grooms, the 2004 president of the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) and a member of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, has been named FAR's 2006 Realtor® of the Year. The award -- one of several -- was presented last week at FAR's 90th annual Convention & Trade Expo at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Florida.

Upon accepting the award from FAR President Mike Dooley, Grooms said, "I've done a lot of thinking about leadership since my year as president. It was a humbling experience. Leadership is a huge responsibility -- it's not a chore. It's about action, and it's not about position. But what is most important to me: Leadership doesn't build character, it reveals it. I don't know what to say other than 'thank you.'"

FAR has presented both the Realtor of the Year and Associate Realtor of the Year awards for about 50 years. Winners are honored as the greatest individual lifetime contributors to their local board, community, FAR and the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Since joining his local association more than 33 years ago, Grooms has served in every leadership capacity available, including as president and multiple listing service president. He has been recognized by his local peers as "Realtor of the Year" three times  -- a feat no other member has achieved. He also received the association's "Circle of Honor" award in 1998 for his many years of dedicated service to the local community, state and real estate profession. And in 2004, he received the most prestigious award given by the local association, its "Presidential Lifetime Service Award," which is not given every year.

On the state level, Grooms has been an FAR director for more than 20 years. He has served on and chaired numerous FAR committees and was FAR's District 1 Vice President in 1998. He has filled the state association's leadership posts of treasurer and president-elect. Then in 2004, Grooms became president of FAR, taking the reins during a year filled with changes and challenges: most notably, the devastation caused by four hurricanes striking Florida. He worked diligently to help members rebuild their lives and their businesses and was instrumental in re-establishing FAR's Disaster Relief Fund, which raised more than $1.3 million for recovery efforts. Grooms is the current chairman of the trustees for the Disaster Relief Fund.

Grooms' contributions to his community include volunteering with numerous civic and business organizations; however, as an avid sportsman, he is very involved with causes that support the conservation of natural resources, He is an active member of Ducks Unlimited, a group that encourages the preservation of land and water resources to provide needed habitat for duck, goose and bird populations throughout the world. Grooms also supports the Coastal Conservation Association, formerly known as the Florida Conservation Association. This organization is dedicated to the conservation and protection of the state's marine resources. And for many years, he has served in an appointed position on the Florida BAR Grievance Committee, which investigates complaints against attorneys and makes formal recommendations for appropriate action.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth "Liz" Paul, a member of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, received the 2006 Associate Realtor of the Year Award. Paul has served her local association in almost every capacity, including chairing committees, on the board of directors and as an officer. She was the association's president in 1998, successfully merging two Realtor organizations into one. Paul is active in the local Women's Council of Realtors, including as a past president and member of the year. She has received the local association's Realtor of the Year and its Humanitarian of the Year awards. On the state level, Paul has been an FAR director for many years and served as FAR's District 5 Vice President. On the national level, she is a director for NAR and a member of its Communications Committee. In the community, Paul's heart belongs to the Southwest Florida Children's Advocacy Center, which works with abused children and other survivors of abuse, offering therapy, parenting education, offender programs, prevention programs and other services designed to help the healing process. She has devoted many volunteer hours to this organization, including serving as president of its board of directors.

Receiving the Realtor Achievement Award for this year is Pat Fitzgerald, a member of the Jupiter-Tequesta-Hobe Sound Association of Realtors. This award covers the previous three years' contributions to the community, local, state and national Realtor associations. Consider just some of her community achievements: She has long been active with local Habitat for Humanity efforts and volunteers with the North County Entertainment Council, which encourages area filmmaking and other entertainment endeavors. Fitzgerald currently is president-elect of Executive Women of the Palm Beaches, which provides scholarships to underprivileged women in the community, and also participated in Leadership Palm Beach County, raising more than $25,000 for Opportunity Inc., a daycare center for underprivileged children.

Then, of course, there's her involvement with her Realtor organizations. On the local level, she has been on virtually every committee, as well as serving as president for her association. She also is active with the local Women's Council of Realtors chapter, including serving as a past president and member of the year for WCR. Fitzgerald is the current chairman for FAR's Public Policy Committee and is a member of the Strategic Visioning Committee, NAR Directors and Professional Standards Forum. She has been FAR's District 3 Vice President and served as chairman of the Realtor Image Task Force that established FAR's scholarship program. On the national level, Fitzgerald is chairman of NAR's Communications Committee, an NAR director and a member of its Multiple Listing Issues & Policy Committee and Resort Real Estate Committee.

Additionally, FAR honored two Realtors as co-winners of the 2006 Humanitarian of the Year Award: Charles "Chuck" Bonfiglio of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale and Steve Chitwood of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. For more than 22 years, Bonfiglio has been dedicated to Easter Seals, a community-based nonprofit health and human services agency that provides medical rehabilitation and vocational services to people with physical, neurological and communication disabilities. Bonfiglio gives time as well as money to his cause, and also recruits his management team to volunteer. In the past three years, he has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for Easter Seals of Broward County. Ask him why he does it, and he says, simply: "It's for the kids. They are the ones who have so many obstacles to overcome and gain so much from the work of the staff of Easter Seals." In addition to his work with Easter Seals, Bonfiglio also is a member of the Cattleman's Club, dedicated to the development of a "Mariner's Club" for the Boys and Girls Club. He serves on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club, contributes funding to Catholic Charities and is a member of the Prestige Club, which provides educational programs for children.

Steve Chitwood was recognized for "Art in Architecture," the innovative affordable housing program he developed and brought to ORRA four years ago. The program removes the stigma of unattractive design and boxy structures that often typifies affordable housing. By incorporating architecturally significant changes to affordable housing design, communities no longer steer such developments to specifically designated sections of town; instead, the homes can be included into any neighborhood. Chitwood recruited architects, builders, banks, local governments and Realtors as partners in the program. To date, two "Art in Architecture" projects have been completed -- the Holden Heights project in unincorporated Orange County and 10 more homes as part of the Canton Park Redevelopment Initiative in Winter Park. A third project will break ground this fall, with plans to build 60 townhouses on eight lots in the Holden Heights community. Chitwood also is a member of the Central Florida Affordable Housing Round Table, a board member of Orange County's Lake Sue Development and serves on Orange County's Housing and Neighborhood Development Services.

Winning FAR's Newcomer Award for 2006 is Hope Carina Andrews, a member of the Osceola County Association of Realtors. This is the third time that FAR has given this award. The Newcomer Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has entered the Realtor profession within the past three years or less, and during that time has made notable contributions to the local and state associations, as well as to his or her community. Andrews supports the Osceola association as its current vice president, along with serving on numerous committees. In her first year as a Realtor member, she was vice-chair of the local organization's candidate screening committee, on the Realtor Political Action Committee (RPAC) and the international committee. Andrews also has chaired the president's Habitat for Humanity fundraiser, raising more than $20,000 to build a Habitat Home in St. Cloud. She is a member of FAR's Public Policy Committee and serves on FAR's board of directors. In the community, Andrews is a graduate of the 2004 Osceola County Leadership program, belongs to the Kissimmee and St. Cloud chambers of commerce and is active with her church and her son's school.

Other FAR award winners this year follow:

Board Achievement Awards: Small Board, New Smyrna Beach Board of Realtors; Medium Board, Venice Area Board of Realtors; Large Board, Space Coast Association of Realtors; and Mega Board, Pinellas Suncoast Association of Realtors.

Education -- Overall Program Achievement: Small Board, Marathon & Lower Keys Association of Realtors; Medium Board, Realtors Association of Citrus County; Large Board, Space Coast Association of Realtors; and Mega Board, Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

Education -- Single Program Achievement: Medium Board, Bonita Springs-Estero Association of Realtors, for its "A Step by Step Overview: From Contract to Closing the Sale"; Large Board, Manatee Association of Realtors, for its "Technologies for Realtors -- First Steps"; and, Mega Board, Realtor Association of Greater Miami & the Beach, for its "9th International Real East Congress."

Education -- Individual Achievement: Cyn Ewald Zellner, Osceola County Association of Realtors.

Graduate Realtor Institute Scholastic Achievement Award: Co-winners, Jack Fritz,  Greater Tampa Association of Realtors, and Howard Shelnutt, Emerald Coast Association of Realtors.

Florida Realtor Magazine Editorial Excellence Awards: "How to Serve the Senior Market," Maria S. Wells, Realtor Association of Martin County; and "How to Cultivate Overseas Buyers," Lesley Dolby, Orlando Regional Realtor Association; and, Best Article, "How to Transform Seminars into Sales," Gabor A. Presser, Greater Tampa Association of Realtors.

Residential Environmental ENVY Award: Verandah, a master-planned community being developed by The Bonita Bay Group on almost 1,500 acres along the Orange River in Fort Myers. Judges praised Verandah for the efforts taken to preserve the area's natural elements, such as setting aside nearly 70 percent of its land for open spaces including nature preserves, parks, lakes and a conservation buffer for the riverfront. In addition, judges noted that the project was the state's "pioneer" in demonstrating how a community can be planned and developed following environmentally sustainable and green building practices. Verandah also received Florida's first green development designation from the Florida Green Building Coalition, which recognizes the community's commitment to responsible site development, natural resource and wildlife conservation, and green building practices.

The Florida Association of Realtors®, the voice for real estate in Florida, provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its more than 155,000 members in 68 boards/associations. FAR's Media Center Web site is available at http://media.living.net.

© 2006 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®