Environmental Justice & Public Health Committee Announcements
 The Florida Brownfields Association Honors Three with Excellence Awards
October 26 at the 25th annual Florida Brownfields Conference in Sarasota, the Florida Brownfields AOn ssociation recognized excellence in brownfields redevelopment and environmental justice with three awards.
The Sunrise Award for excellence in redeveloping Florida’s brownfields was presented to Mosaic Development. This award aims to promote, recognize, and celebrate innovative and impactful brownfields redevelopment projects in the state of Florida. Awardees leverage the power of multi-stakeholder partnerships to bring about positive change to brownfield communities, where redevelopment efforts serve as catalysts for social equity, economic growth, and environmental protection. This year, the award recognizes Mosaic Development’s project “Gallery 3100” in St. Petersburg, a nearly 2-acre brownfield in an opportunity zone that was transformed into a 122-unit, class “A” apartment building that includes 17 income-restricted workforce housing units.
Roxanne Amoroso (center), Lead Principle of Mosaic Development, accepts the Sunrise Award. Photo by Cynthia Peurifoy.
The Willa Carson Award for excellence in promoting brownfields-to-healthfields redevelopment was presented to Advent Health. This award is named in honor of Willa Carson, a retired nurse from St. Petersburg, Florida, who helped redevelop a brownfield site into a not-for-profit clinic that provides culturally sensitive quality healthcare for un-insured and underserved children and families. Awardees contribute to environmental and community health, as Ms. Carson has done, by turning Florida’s brownfields into healthfields. This year, the award recognizes Advent Health’s project “Advent Health 24-hour ER” in Port Orange, a 7-acre brownfield that was transformed into an 18,400-square-foot, 24-bed emergency department with medical plaza that generated approximately 40 full-time positions.
Greg Schultz (right) from Cardno now Stantec accepts the Willa Carson Award on behalf of the awardee, Advent Health. Photo by Cynthia Peurifoy.
The Environmental Justice Spirit of Excellence Award for excellence in supporting environmental justice and health equity was presented to Donna Gray-Banks. This award recognizes an individual, organization, or brownfields redevelopment project that collaborates with communities experiencing environmental justice and public health challenges. Awardees demonstrate a strong commitment to equitable community revitalization and to building sustainable partnerships with stakeholders to aid underserved and under-resourced communities in Florida. Donna Gray-Banks, this year’s awardee, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Midtown Community Development Corporation in Daytona Beach and founder and director of the F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival, one of the largest book festivals for minority self-published authors in Florida. Donna served previously as the chair of the FBA’s environmental justice and public health committee, transforming the committee’s reach across the state, and creating a lasting legacy of positive change in many communities.
Belinda Williams-Collins (left) from the City of Deland accepts the Environmental Justice Spirit of Excellence Award on behalf of the awardee, Donna Gray-Banks. Photo by Cynthia Peurifoy.
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