Board awards ceremony also honors Community Action Board, Sunshine Line, and Communications & Digital Media's Graphics team
During the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners April Quarterly Awards Ceremony, the Board recognized Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Office of Emergency Management's volunteer Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services/Ham Radio Operator team for earning numerous awards from the American Radio Relay League's 24-Hour "Field Day" Exercise. Joe Flack, President of the Kings Point Amateur Radio Club, was one of the recipients.
Also known as RACES, the volunteer team provides auxiliary communications for Hillsborough County's Office of Emergency Management and coordinates operations with local clubs and amateur radio operators. Ham radio operators, also known as HAMS, are federally licensed and internationally recognized to use short- and long-range radio frequencies, enabling them to communicate around the world. To prepare for emergency operations, the RACES/HAMS team participated in American Radio Relay League's 24-Hour "Field Day" Exercise, which is designed for organizations to practice operations in less-than-ideal situations, such as after a disaster. The County Core RACES team scored first place in the state and third place nationally, while the Kings Point team achieved second in the state and 12th nationally.
Other recognitions presented during the awards ceremony included:
- Graphic Design USA's American Graphic Design Award to Communications & Digital Media's Graphics Team
- University of South Florida (USF) Center for Urban Transportation Research's 2025 New Voice in Transportation Award to Sunshine Line's Manager of Operations Leslye McNeil
- A proclamation declaring May 2026 as Community Action Month
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