Florida Senate - 2010 (NP) SR 2844 By Senator Dockery 15-04421-10 20102844__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing the outstanding leadership of 3 Mike Bullock, director of the Florida Park Service, 4 and wishing him all the best on the occasion of his 5 retirement. 6 7 WHEREAS, Mike Bullock will retire in 2010 as a 38-year 8 veteran of Florida’s award-winning state park system, and 9 WHEREAS, Mike Bullock has served as director of the 10 Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Recreation 11 and Parks, also known as the Florida Park Service, since July 12 2003, and previously served as the assistant director from 1996 13 to 2003, and 14 WHEREAS, Mike Bullock has diligently supported the mission 15 of the Florida Park Service to provide resource-based recreation 16 while preserving, interpreting, and restoring natural and 17 cultural resources, and 18 WHEREAS, Mike Bullock has helped the Florida Park Service 19 achieve great recognition during his tenure, including the 20 distinction of being the first and only two-time national Gold 21 Medal winner for having the nation’s best park system, an honor 22 awarded by the National Recreation and Park Association, and 23 WHEREAS, Mike Bullock has demonstrated outstanding 24 dedication to the residents of and visitors to Florida by 25 maintaining Florida’s 160 state parks, as well as exhibiting a 26 consistent commitment to provide a secure and positive working 27 environment for the more than 1,000 Florida Park Service staff 28 members and more than 6,000 volunteers, and 29 WHEREAS, Mike Bullock serves as an advocate for nature 30 based recreation in Florida State Parks by participating in the 31 National Recreation and Park Association, the Florida Recreation 32 and Park Association, the National Association of State Park 33 Directors, the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation 34 Liaison Officers, and VISIT FLORIDA, as well as the Friends of 35 Florida State Parks, Inc., and the Florida Park Service Alumni 36 Association, and 37 WHEREAS, Mike Bullock was honored in 2008 by his alma 38 mater, the University of Florida, as a “Distinguished Alumnus” 39 of the university’s Department of Landscape Architecture, and 40 WHEREAS, under Mike Bullock’s leadership, Florida’s state 41 parks contributed nearly $5 billion to local economies 42 throughout the state, served nearly 128 million visitors, and 43 earned more than $273 million in revenue, NOW, THEREFORE, 44 45 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 46 47 That the members of the Senate recognize the outstanding 48 achievements of Mike Bullock during his tenure as director of 49 the Florida Park Service and express appreciation on the part of 50 all Floridians for his leadership and vision. 51 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with 52 the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Mike Bullock as 53 a tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.