Resolution 23188 honoring Billy E. Brown

38:42M okay so nothing else on what is anyone else from the public want to speak to the anything to the County Commissioner Yeah Okay, we'll close public comment and very happily move to a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners honoring Billy Brown for his dedication and service to the citizens of Pasco County. Mr. Brown? Why don't you come forward? In my if you can?

39:06Resolution number 23188, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, honoring Billy E. Brown for his dedication and service to the citizens of Pasco County. Whereas Billy E. Brown, a lifelong resident of Pasco County, attended Pasco High School and served in the United States Coast Guard and Korean War. And whereas Billy E. Brown began working with the Wittacoochie River Electric Cooperative on October 16, 1956,

39:37when the cooperative served only 2,996 members and employed 40 people. Today, WREC is the largest, third largest electric cooperative in the nation, serving over 250,000 members. And whereas during his tenure, the cooperative weathered both rewarding and tough times. In 1985, he formed a for-profit entity named Iranco and brought thousands of jobs to the cooperative

40:07service. service area and built two industrial parks, one Pasco Center and one Hernando Center. The cooperative also formed the WREC CARES Operation Roundup Program and provides financial assistance to families who have suffered a catastrophic event. And whereas Billy E. Brown founded the WREC Educational Foundation, which awards 110 college scholarships valued at $12,000 each to high school

40:38seniors on an Annual basis. To date, the foundation has awarded 2,414 scholarships valued at over $18.5 million. And whereas Billy E. Brown is not only a well-respected leader at the local, state, and federal levels, but also a vocal advocate for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and is responsible. Many outstanding awards, including the Association's Regional

41:08Award for Outstanding Service. The Association's Paul Revere Award the association's president's award. the Association's Cooperative Purpose Award The Association's William E. Matson Democracy Award. the Association's National Community Investment Service Award. the Dade City Chamber of Commerce Richard Tombrick Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2022 Pasco County Economic Development Council

41:38Leadership Award. And whereas Billy E. Brown has served on the Seminole Electric Cooperative's Board of Trustees for more than 48 years and on the Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Association and served with various not-for-profits such as Rotary and United Way. And whereas Billy E. Brown retired from the Wittagucchee River Electric Cooperative in April 2005. twenty-three after sixty-seven years of loyal and dedicated

42:08service. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, the said board hereby honors Billy E. Brown for his dedication and service to the citizens of Pasco County and congratulates him on his retirement, done and resolved in regular session with Quorum President Voting this fifth day of September, 2023.

42:30Move approval. All in favor say aye. Aye aye. Aye. Mr. Brown.

42:37Thank you very much. You can't imagine what A joyous and rewarding experience as that has been for me. to work for the co-op, its Board of Trustees. It's members. and a highly loyal and dedicated group of employees. with unusual talents for 67 years. Early on as manager Of the cooperative There

43:07was an extreme downturn in the economy in Florida. Construction was our only industry then. And when it came to a halt, we saw many people losing their jobs. their incomes and the ability to provide for their families. We decided then that we wanted to be more than just another utility supplying quality electric service. We

43:37wanted to do some things to improve the quality of life in the people of our service area. And thought that we probably had was one of a few that had the wherewithal to do those kind of things. We presented the proposal to our Board of Trustees. They unanimously approved it. The net result is all the great things the cooperative has done in

44:08the later years.

44:12It's also been my pleasure to work with this Board of Commissioners. and those before you to be helpful in projects presented by the county that was to the benefit of the people of Pasco County. My home county lifetime home county. And I thank you very much. We thank you.

44:46Okay, yeah.

44:51What what was some super

44:56Mr. Brown, we want our photo.

45:03Yeah they he can move back up. Mr

45:05Brown, we're gonna bring up for a picture, but look we want to talk for a minute. So while you're sitting there we'll look we'll just wanna make some comments to I'll greet you our new company is.

45:13Uh Commissioner Oakley. Uh Mr. Brown you've been um an icon in our community and I can say for a fact you've been a true friend to me and my family for many, many years. Uh my father and all all my family that was been here in this community and worked so tirelessly to make this community better. And I appreciate everything you've done toward making it a better community for all of us to live in. Jobs are always been important. When I graduated from

45:43high school, same as when you graduated from high school, If you weren't involved in citrus here in this community, you didn't have a job to come back to. You had to go find a job somewhere else. Well that's changing. And part of that is due to what you've done with WREC and URADCA and spent the time in your life and even Lakuchi. is gonna shine in the near future because we've already got two businesses there and another business coming there. and it's just

46:13gonna make it back to what it used to be. It's gonna be a bigger community in the future and it's gonna offer services, schooling, and everything in that neighborhood, which we lost a lot of it when uh Comers shut down. They shut down sixty four years ago. And that Lakouchi area has been really hurt ever since then. They um and eighty years ago they actually were one of the largest communities here

46:43in Pasco County and we're gonna bring them back and give them the services and a beautiful place to live and work in that same community. And Mr Brown's done a lot in that that effect for as Boys and Girls Club be up very instrumental in helping get them going and and different things in that community that actually is gonna make it be what it's gonna be here in the near future. Because it's its vision for the future is is very nice.

47:14We're going to bring jobs in. That's what he he kind of tried to do with Eradco and did that in several areas. But we want those jobs to be in Pasco County and not some other county. And we want people to live and work here in our county and play in our county. So all the things we stand for as a board and And what we want best for our community will actually start up in that Lakouche area in the near future. So we thank you for all you've done. I appreciate your friendship.

47:45Uh

47:45Commissioner Weightman?

47:46Thank you. Well Mr. Brown I sit here as a proud co-op kid. Uh my dad just retired after 45 years and three months of of service with the co-op and Brian Holmes, his dad, my aide, hit Danny retired, his dad, Danny Holmes retired 39 years, 39 years with a co-op. And because of you and this co-op, it provided life. It provided a way for my dad and other families to have a family uh and and and live a life here in Pasco County that otherwise might not

48:16have been. So I owe a great deal of my success because of what the co-op provided to my family through the years and the and the jobs that it created. And uh I honestly don't believe my brother, sister and I would be where we are today if it weren't were the foundation of the co-op and what it brought to our county, what it brought to Dade City and to so many, so many folks here. So thank you, thank you for your service and uh thank you for your investment in Pasco County. Commissioner

48:42Starkey.

48:43Well, Mr. Brown is an icon and um even though you're retiring I'm sure that we are going to um feel your presence in in this community still. I think I've known you for about twenty years now, so that's um a real honor for me to have um had interactions with you and your wonderful staff and your company and uh What a legacy you have left, especially for those in Makuchi

49:15in in that area of this county. And uh I'm just really proud to know you and my goodness, you have had a long career. A very long career, so good for you. Thank you so much for all you've done.

49:28Okay. Mr. Brown, I like to say too, um what you've done for this county has been amazing. Um as you said, not just a regular co-op. Um You know, when you when you look at you know, t taking a uh setting up the URADCO and to to build a course like Lake Chavita, that complex to bring that back to life, uh one Pasco Center. And all the economic development motions that you make to make sure that as we're looking at things as a commission, we've had several conversations through the years about well if you do this, we're gonna be affected by that. This

49:59would be better if you tried it this way. That type of back and forth cooperation helped this commission and previous many many other commissions too make the right decisions every every step of the way. And it was always easy to do because I knew if you were saying it, it was true. And if it was your push towards together, it was for the betterment of the county. So it made it real easy to work with you. Your team leadership is is uh is amazing. The workers are are fantastic. Um I've got relatives that work for you too. I've got uh kids I know that have benefited

50:29from the scholarship you've done, which has been absolutely amazing. And when we needed you most, as far as let's say for the hurricane that just went through this past week. Um you know, I talked about looking at shutting the water down. We're gonna have more conversation in the future about shutting electric down for that area, just when that storm's coming in, so it's easy to fix and take it down. But your crew at a moment's notice was out there summoned and your crew was out there shutting the water down, making it safer for

50:59Yeah. And that didn't even end there, but later on, when the businesses went over the next day Your team's out there working through the night. And the Sheriff's Office out there guiding them through, protecting them as well, to making sure the businesses were able to open up. And I think every business that wanted to open up was open up the next day. That's the type of thing for economic development participation and like you say, uh constituent service for your economics uh your service has been phenomenal. in taking care of your customers has been is tremendous.

51:29And anybody as a With Lacucci customer for all my years in Pasco County, I've been lucky enough to be with with Lakucci so I've got to see it direct as well. Uh very, very f few do we every t every ten there's a strong all the strong we've ever had. I w I lose power maybe for seconds, if that, depending all the intellectual stuff that goes in on house, but the you know the service you've done is just tremendous and your whole team It's gonna carry on for many years to come. If you could, I know you get a big entourage here with you, but if we could trouble you, could you come to the center here? We want to have you sit right here and have everybody

51:59stand around you, uh so we can take a nice picture. And my board stay around. Yeah, the board will stay the board will stay up here, but if if we could help him get to the center here, bring everybody else around him to really take a nice picture.

52:14So everybody from With Gucci from Mr. Brown, please come forward. Come up right in here.

52:24Come on, Ronnie, let's go. Ronnie D sticks. Bring everybody up.

52:34Yeah.

52:43Then we have the team. Delicate.

52:50Like people go to work.

53:04Okay. Oh my goodness.

53:06We could take some people back and forth

53:08who wants to come.

53:27Mr. Brown sure sure is not how to fill up a room.

53:33If anyone if anyone wants to come on this side. Just slide down.

53:38Slide down.

53:42Okay.

53:42Folks here first and then this camera, then this will be the third one. So right here. Okay, one more here.

53:50This might be the most of that.

53:53We got that everyone. And then the third.

54:00Yeah,

54:08Do you want the commissioners in it or I'll take it? Oh no, that's fine. No, that's right.

54:14Whatever you want, whatever you want, what will you?

54:32Perfect. Right, right,

54:33fair.

54:41Congratulations.

55:33Sweetness. Yeah, it's what it is. Yeah.

55:40It was

55:41extraordinary. Yeah. It was a good G.