Task force seeks Town Council approval to formalize the ‘Murph’ award and award process

Members of the Marine and Environmental Resource Task Force discussed clarifying and formalizing the committee’s internal recognition, known informally as the ‘Murph’ award.

Task force member Bill Alkoff reported that town records held by the town clerk did not show how the award originated or its formal authority. He proposed that the award be formalized as the “Marine and Environmental Resource Task Force award” (abbreviated Murph) and that the council be asked to approve its use of the Fort Myers Beach logo on acrylic awards.

Chair David Nussbaum said he will request council approval at the October meeting to use the town logo and to make the award an officially recognized town award; he suggested the panel adopt a short nomination worksheet similar to the Mulholland award process and to clarify whether committee members or town employees are eligible. Members discussed that recognizing volunteers who do unseen work is the award’s spirit and that committee members who perform work beyond their volunteer role could be eligible.

Next steps: The chair and vice chair will include a formal request to Town Council on the October report asking for official recognition and logo permission. The committee also discussed developing nomination criteria and a worksheet to document nominees.