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Sarasota News Leader June 28, 2013 Page 62 COMMISSIONER PATTERSON WINS PRESIDENTIAL ADVOCATE AWARD Sarasota County District 4 Commissioner Nora Patterson has been named the recipient of the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) 2013 Presidential Advocate Award, the organization has announced. The award was presented to Patterson on Wednesday, June 26, during FAC's Annual Conference and Educational Exposition, being held at Marriott Tampa Waterside Hotel in Tampa. "The Presidential Advocacy Award is given annually to those county commissioners from around the state who have shown exceptional leadership in partnering with FAC to advance the counties' legislative agenda," a news release says. Patterson was honored for her leadership during the most recent legislative session in Tallahassee, the release notes. Working with the Sarasota County Legislative Delegation, she advocated on behalf of county home rule to allow smoking bans in public spaces and sought to keep the Legislature from passing a state law that would take precedence over county fertilizer ordinances designed to protect local water quality. Patterson was elected to the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners in 1998 following two terms on the Sarasota City Commission. During her career in public service Patterson has served on numerous boards and commit- Commissioner Nora Patterson. Photo by Rachel Hackney tees including the Sarasota County Tourist Development Council — which she chairs — the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Airport Advisory Board, the West Coast Inland Navigational District, the Peace River Authority and the Tampa Bay Regional Transportation Authority. In addition, she serves on the Florida Association of Counties Board of Directors. A native of New York City, Patterson attended Duke University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a postgraduate degree in educational psychology from the University of Florida. She and her husband John moved to Sarasota in 1970. The Sarasota News Leader No-Nonsense Reporting