Longboat Key’s town staff gather for employee appreciation luncheon

Bayfront Park Recreation Center was filled with laughter and fun all afternoon on June 23. Employees from all departments for the town of Longboat Key got together for a luncheon celebrating all the hard work they have done over the year.

The annual employee appreciation luncheon was an effort to help the town's staff mingle and get to know each other better outside of their own departments. Staff was present from the Police Department, Fire Rescue Department, Public Works, the accounting department, the Town Commission, Planning and Zoning, I.T., and many other departments.

“These are the folks that are driving over the bridge in season when the traffic’s crazy,” said Town Manager Howard Tipton. “They are driving over the bridge when there is a hurricane coming and we are trying to get the town prepared, they are driving over the bridge after the storm to help us clear things up and keep everybody safe. They do a lot of stuff behind the scenes to make this place a wonderful place to live.”

Carolyn Brown, support service director, planned the event and said that it was incredible to see everyone have a great time and partake in camaraderie with their colleagues. 

Over barbecue, people chatted with co-workers while they ate and participated in bonding activities such as lawn games, raffles, a dunk tank, contests, a town crossword competition and even reciting the town’s vision from memory. 

New commissioner Debbie Murphy explained how crucial it is to acknowledge every role that makes the town run, no matter how small. “This is music to my ears. Because where I grew up, we have lots of these things with our employees,” said Murphy. “So, I really feel very strongly that it's important that we tell everybody who works here that they matter, they're important and we thank them for what they do. And this is an opportunity to do that.”