The historic areas that were once the hub of activity in New Smyrna Beach began to suffer when businesses moved to other parts of the community. Storefronts were vacated and properties fell into disrepair. A collaborative marketing process between local partners gave rise to revitalization of this historical district.

Cutler Bay is all too familiar with natural disasters. When Hurricane Andrew raged through South Florida in 1992, much of the city was swept away by the tidal surge. The town is now better prepared. That's because the town manager and public works director recognized the need for emergency response vehicles that could make it through the floods to carry supplies to residents in need.

The situation could not have been much worse. When John Stunson was appointed city manager of Oakland Park, FL in 2001 the city was near bankruptcy. A seasoned professional, Stunson stepped up and began by injecting transparency and a sense of collaboration into the process, that lead the city to make a comeback.

In 2007, St. Lucie County, FL, had one of the highest home foreclosure rates in the country. The county was financially sound so, rather than wait for federal stimulus money to trickle down, county commissioners decided to stimulate the local economy by earmarking funds for \"shovel-ready” capital projects.

A professional local government manager supports the vision and policy goals of elected officials. If the city council feels that the manager or the city staff is not working in tandem with them, tension develops within city hall, plans get derailed, and the whole community suffers. A city manager can fix these problems and lead to a effective city.

The city of Evans has offered youth recreation programs since 1984, using all volunteer coaches. The city serves a diverse low-income population and many families can't afford sports equipment for their kids to practice.

According to a new report released by the Department of Energy, changes in climate create diverse challenges across the U.S. energy system. The report examines current and potential future impacts of a changing climate and extreme weather on the energy sector at the regional level. An overview of environmental conditions are provided for 9 regions covering the continental U.S. plus Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. 

To help reduce its capital budget costs, Merced County initially partnered with Siemens Industry, Inc., in 2001 on a county-wide lighting and major mechanical energy performance project. Through the improvements that were implemented, the county achieved 120% of its guaranteed energy savings.