Employees 'hunt' down clues

EAST COUNTY — Determined Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority employees carried green Publix bags April 30, as they rushed up and down Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

The employees worked in groups, chosen at random, to solve clues and collect items for a scavenger hunt.

“We try to think of things that encourage them to work together to achieve a goal, and we want it to be fun,” said Eva Rey, executive director of the IDA.

Each quarter, IDA hosts an exercise to boost teamwork and creativity. In prior years, the employees have worked together on activities such as maneuvering a tennis ball on a string to put it on a spike.

This quarter, working together to solve clues seemed a good fit.

More than 30 individuals hurried to answer 11 riddles, such as “Faces to the sun, they sit in bed for hours. Your next clue is not inside, but it’s hidden in the —.”

Although Jessica Mears, IDA clerk, and the other members of her team struggled with answering the clue — the garden bench — the group knew flowers were involved.

Mears’ team searched every flowerbed it could find near Main Street, but returned to Lakewood Ranch Town Hall with the clue unsolved.

Participants also sang songs of their choice for 15 seconds, while Director of Operations Ryan Heise recorded their performances. Rey and Executive Assistant Kay DePaolo awarded bonus points to teams that collected items that started with “p” and groups that returned with to-go menus.

Rey and DePaolo selected a winning team by best finish time, most clues found and bonus points.

Although only one team could win, the inaugural event accomplished its goal of bringing the employees together. The employees spent even more time together post-hunt, as they returned the items, such as plants and car parts, they literally dragged into Town Hall.

The Green Team won the scavenger hunt. Its members include: Heather Roseboom; Mike Basilone; Linda Martin; Joanne Burnham; Tony Montalbano; and Dave Volker.   

“This event gets them out of the office,” Heise said. “It adds a little fun to the work week and gets them out of their comfort zones and working as a team.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].