2007 Employees of the Year

Each year, a staff member or team from each of the City's full-time employment categories - General, Police, Fire-Rescue and Management - is recognized for examplary service. Employees of the Year for 2007 are:

General Employees of the Year

During a 12-day period in September 2007, the Utilities Department experienced three major underground pipeline disruptions: Two breaches in the raw water line under the heavily traveled roadways of Panther Parkway and Sawgrass Corporate Parkway, and a 12" distribution main rupture at Satin Leaf Drive and Sunrise Boulevard. They were all successfully repaired - with minimal impact on Utilities customers - thanks to the efforts of Utility Field Supervisors Mark Caruso and Frank Verardi.

Officer of the Year

Detective David Krzepek was honored for efforts that led to the arrest of a suspect for Sexual Battery and Occupied Burglary of a Residence. With only a limited suspect description and physical evidence, Detective Krzepek conducted numerous interviews and sifted through previous police reports - ultimately accumulating enough information to secure a search warrant to collect a DNA sample from a potential suspect. The DNA sample was compared to evidence left at the scene and returned a positive match, at which time an arrest was made.

Firefighters of the Year

When Sunrise Fire-Rescue responded to the scene of a minor motor vehicle accident, it seemed like a routine call. But as one of the drivers was inspecting the damage to his car, he suddenly turned blue and became unresponsive - signs of cardiac arrest. Rescue Lt. Chris Shannon, Firefighter Paramedic Tyler Roach and Firefighter Joseph Friedemann, along with the crew from Engine 72, moved quickly to manage this critical incident. The patient regained pulses and a blood pressure en route to the hospital - where he received a positive prognosis.

Management Employee of the Year

Rosemarie Marco was honored for her ongoing commitment and service to the residents of Sunrise. Marco has been a City employee since 1995, when she was hired as the Recreation Supervisor in charge of special events and summer camp. In this role, she streamlined the summer camp hiring process, effectively instituted a more formal training program for summer camp staff, and improved the overall quality of the youth recreation programs and special events.
Since 2003, when Marco was promoted to the Division Director of Special and Community Support Services, she has been responsible for overseeing and enhancing the City's senior programs, mini-bus and medical transportation, and social services. Marco has a long-standing reputation as a dedicated employee. She is creative, a team player and an expert problem solver.