Resolution 25-321 honoring Laura Weeks retirement

30:43Okay. So this one is for Miss Laura Weeks. Ms. Weeks, if you will come up to the podium.

30:53Okay, so this is resolution number 25-321, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, expressing appreciation to Laura Weeks for over 36 years of exceptional service to Pasco County. Whereas Laura Weeks was hired on September 12th, 1988 as a library technician for the Pasco County Libraries Department. And whereas during her career with Pasco County, Laura

31:24has held various positions in the libraries, facilities, and parks and recreation departments, and has spent over 13 years in human resources. And whereas Laura was an integral part of the workforce that helped Pasco County navigate its transition from paper transactions prepared manually or an IBM Selectric Typewriters to the internet web-based digital era with tools that contributed to the minimization of downtime

31:55and the maximization of citizen service. And whereas Laura's work as a secretary supporting Pasco County's geodetic mapping and engineering inspection teams ensured that the foundation for property boundaries, construction, and infrastructure development was maintained and accurately reported. These services are critical to Pasco County's growth management and emergency services for the protection of citizens. And

32:25whereas Laura served as a Senior Secretary, Facilities Records Technician, and Administrative Secretary, supporting Pasco County's Parks and Recreation Department between nineteen ninety seven and twenty twelve, during which time Pasco County grew from 331,026 residents to 469,755 residents, making it one of Florida's fastest-growing counties. And whereas beginning

32:56in 2012 as a personnel technician and ending her career as a senior human resources employment coordinator in 2025, Laura assumed greater responsibility for providing critical personnel services to Pasco County, including conducting background checks, ensuring orderly processing of new hires, and accurately reporting. Reporting personnel actions for Pasco County's almost 1,000 fire rescue personnel. And whereas

33:26Laura's work played a pivotal role in ensuring that county staff have a workplace culture which supports our values of integrity, respect, service excellence, and innovation, and driving our mission to serve our community to create a better future. And whereas the Pasco County Human Resources Department and Board of County Commissioners recognize Laura's outstanding work work ethic, dedication, and dependability in her many job duties, making

33:57her a valuable team member to the citizens of Pasco County. Now therefore be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said Board hereby expresses its deepest appreciation to Laura Weeks for her more than thirty-six years of service to the citizens of Pasco County and congratulates her on her retirement. Done and resolved in regular session with a quorum present in voting this third day of september twenty twenty five.

34:24Approval. Second.

34:25All

34:26in favor.

34:26Aye. Uh Mr. Oakley.

34:30Well, maybe Laura wants to tell us a little bit before I get to talking, so You wanna tell us a little more about yourself and all the things that you learned while you were here and being being in different departments. Yes, he's an H R I think you have better knowledge of how fast works.

34:48What happens there stays? And

34:50there's a few things I want to talk to you, but not in this room about Barbara. It'll be later, so

34:57I am very thankful and very grateful from the bottom of my heart to thank each and every person who would be here all day. I have gained so much knowledge and I have So sorry. And the friendships and the lives I feel that I have impacted. I'm internally grateful. And several people more than several people, wow, how did you stay that Well started

35:27when I was eighteen years old and before you know it I was having a family and I just kept pushing forward. And I I live by four principles that I've learned from people that have um kind of mentored me over the years. Um Do the right thing, even when it's the hardest thing to do. Don't lie. That'll never turn out well.

35:51Be accountable. If you make a mistake, own up to it and do the best you can to fix it. And for me personally, I pray. And I pray a lot. So thank you. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

36:04Well thank thank you for all your service and and I know your knowledge. You can carry it on with you even in retirement that that'll help you along the way and you remember those great times you had and of course you'll also remember some that were maybe not so colorful at times. So but we meet all kinds of people and and in and around government so but you meet a lot of nice people and you're doing a great service and you've been doing a great service for a citizen of Pasco County and we thank you for that. Thank you, Commissioner Oakley.

36:35Commissioner.

36:36Thank you, Chair.

36:36We gotta go fast.

36:38Yeah, Ms. Weeks, thirty-six years folks don't stick around in in positions like that. Joe with forty seven and others, it's just it's just unheard of. So the organizations not just here but any organization that that when folks retire after that period of time You're missed. And when folks stick around for that that long, I think people tend to take those positions and those folks for granted because you're just a mainstay there. You're there, you're reliable, you're

37:08dependable. And so thank you for choosing Pasco County for thirty six years. And you know, we all have our internal customers and our external customers, and there's probably based on your four principles, who knows how many dozens and dozens and dozens of folks you may have left your mark on and maybe impacted their lives and for the better over your time here. So congratulations on the well-earned retirement and I hope those four principles are are somewhere with with somebody that's still in our organization or

37:38out in the world. So thank you for you do thank you for being you. And congratulations.

37:42Thank you,

37:43Commissioner Oakley.

37:44And I just want to say congratulations and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Thank you, Congress. You deserve it after thirty six years. Thank you.

37:52Laura, congratulations. Um I I love the principles. They're they're they're phenomenal. You know, one of one of the things as commissioners we get a lot of pressure, a lot of lot of stuff to get done, and sometimes it gets done right, sometimes not so much, but we can always come back. And I tell you our team at the county I think rebounds to that as well. It's like do the best you can every step of the way. It was like my bet my dad says, you can do a job, do it the best you can. Period. But those those four principles are phenomenal. No surprise that you had a great career just because of that alone. So thank you for that and enjoy your retirement.

38:23Thank you. Laura, I think the only office you missed working in was ours. I'm looking through here. Parks and Recks, GIS, uh HR, um facilities. So um I've I've been in the county for 33 years now, I think. Thirty-three years. So we have seen a lot of growth. My goodness. And um uh I'm just uh thanking you for I it's just amazing when people work at one place that long. I just can't even fathom it.

38:53So thank you for your decades of service. I hope you have some wonderful plans. Coming forward and we wish you the best of luck in your future. Thank you. So yes. Go ahead and then we'll come down for a further.

39:09I don't know if Barbara wants to say anything or not, but uh I guess more just on behalf of the administration, thank you for everything that you've done. I often tell new employees at new higher orientation if you like what you're doing here and you love the environment of Pasco County, we have plenty of opportunities and jobs where you can you can work in the same environment but do something different. So you're a testament to that. Uh just appreciate the the the service and the life that you've dedicated uh here to our county. So just uh thank you for all that.

39:35Thank you, Mr. Cabal. Okay.

39:40Yep, we'll go down for a quick photo.

39:48It'll be right now.

40:06Sorry.

40:14Yeah.

40:17One of the years. Yeah.

40:43Yeah.

41:07That's awesome. Thank you. Yeah.