Council Member, Former Mayor Honored With Home Rule Hero Awards

Press release from the City of Temple Terrace:

May 26 2020

Temple Terrace, FL) – The Florida League of Cities (FLC) recently recognized City Council Member Cheri Donohue and former Mayor Mel Jurado with 2020 Home Rule Hero Awards. The women were among the more than 100 municipal officials statewide who earned the prestigious award for their tireless efforts to advance the League’s legislative agenda and help protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s cities during the 2020 legislative session.

Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems through and by local decision makers with minimal state interference. The Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials – both elected and nonelected – who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the legislature and help give a local perspective to an issue.

“The dedication and effort of these local officials during the 2020 legislative session was extraordinary,” said FLC Legislative Director Scott Dudley. “These are some of our biggest advocates for municipal issues, and they’re shining examples of local advocacy in action. On behalf of the League and its legislative team, we’re proud to recognize each and every one of them and thank them for their service.”

“As I moved from being a long-time citizen to an elected official, I tried to put into practice the importance of listening to what my fellow residents felt, understood and did or did not want from their City," said Donohue. "As a member of the governmental body closest to the people, I try to share those sentiments with each State legislator I contact. Home Rule gives each City the ability to govern as it works best for their citizens. Thank you to the Florida League of Cities for keeping us tuned into new rules that may affect us so that we can educate our officials in Tallahassee to the impact those changes could have on cities like Temple Terrace.”

Donohue was re-elected to City Council in 2018. She is a retired executive director of the Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce and longtime community volunteer who has lived in Temple Terrace since 1976.

Jurado served as Mayor of the City of Temple Terrace from 2018 through earlier this month, when she resigned her office.

This press release was produced by the City of Temple Terrace. The views expressed here are the author’s own.