City officials have announced a new award that seeks to recognize citizens who are making a positive impact in Ocala.
During Tuesday night’s meeting of the Ocala City Council, Mayor Ben Marciano unveiled his new “Citizen of the Month” award, which is now accepting nominations.
“There’s so much negativity. Let’s focus on the good. We have a lot of really awesome citizens that are doing great work,” said Marciano during the meeting, which convened at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).
The mayor and city staff are encouraging the public to nominate any individual who resides in Ocala to be considered for the new honor, which the city is referring to as the “Citizen Recognition Award.”
The mayor says he was inspired to create the award to focus on stories that uplift the community. He says city staff should select the first “Citizen of the Month” in May.
According to the city, nominees must live in Ocala and must “have made a positive impact on the community that may have gone unrecognized.” Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. on the last Monday of each month.
To read the full criteria for the award, or to nominate an Ocala citizen to receive it, visit the Mayor’s Citizen Recognition Award online.