Mayor Schneier, Commissioner Bishop win awards for advocacy efforts

Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier and Commissioner BJ Bishop were awarded Home Rule Hero Awards from the Florida League of Cities. 

The league is “the united voice for Florida’s municipalities,” its website says.

Home rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference.

Awards were presented at Thursday’s ManaSota League of Cities meeting at Longboat Key Town Hall. 

Schneier and Bishop were awarded a  2023 Home Rule Hero Award for their hard work and advocacy efforts during the 2023 legislative session. Both Schneier and Bishop worked tirelessly throughout the session to promote local voices making local choices, protect the home rule powers of Florida’s municipalities and advance the league’s legislative agenda.

“The league and its legislative team appreciate the individual advocacy efforts undertaken by municipal officials throughout the state,” FLC Chief of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook said in a news release. “Home rule heroes are some of our biggest advocates for protecting local decision-making. These league members stand out for their high level of participation, knowledge, and effectiveness. This year’s home rule heroes continuously advocated for their communities throughout the 2023 legislative session.”

The town was the only jurisdiction that had two of its officials selected for the award. Other recipients included: 

• City of Sarasota Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch
• City of North Port Commissioner Debby McDowell
• City of Venice Mayor Nick Pachota 
• City of Holmes Beach Vice Mayor Terry Schaefer

“Our city officials use their voices to raise up critical issues before our State legislators,” FLC President Jolien Caraballo said in the release. “Mayor Ken Schneier and Commissioner BJ Bishop from Longboat Key are two outstanding role models for how that work gets done.”

Recipients are local government officials either elected or appointed who consistently responded to the league’s requests to reach out to members of the state legislature to help provide local perspective on issues facing them. 

Both Schneier and Bishop have had successful careers in governmental and political roles. 

Bishop served for over 15 years on the town’s Planning and Zoning Board; the majority of that time was as chair of the board. Prior to moving to Longboat Key, she served as mayor, vice mayor and council member in Leesburg, Virginia. 

“Working on behalf of the citizens of Longboat Key with our federal and state elected officials has been a humbling experience,” Bishop said in the release. “These officials are greatly appreciative of personal experiences and knowledge of issues as they impact our community.”

Schneier is in his third term as mayor of Longboat Key and has worked to ensure Longboat Key’s voice is heard on subjects important to the town and its constituents. 

“It is a true honor to be named an FLC home rule hero, especially this year as the advocacy team had great success in turning away most of the proposals designed to weaken local government and render it less effective,” Schneier said in the release. “We will continue to press for decisions to be made by the government closest to the people.”