The Lee County Board of County Commissioners selected Tim Gardner as the recipient of the Paulette Burton Citizen of the Year Award for 2015. The award announced Tuesday March 1st, 2016 at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of County Commissioners is granted to the citizen who has provided outstanding civic contributions to Lee County government.

Tim was a youth sports advocate and volunteer in North Fort Myers who died last year in a car accident at the age of 47. Dusty, Tim's brother accepted the award on his behalf.

Gloria Raso Tate, a former Cape Coral city council member and Alice Washington, a Charleston Park community activist who died in September were honored as finalists for the award.

The Burton Citizen of the Year award was created in 1991 in honor of Mrs. Burton, who died tragically in an automobile accident. Mrs. Burton, a long time Sanibel resident and government watchdog, spent many years serving as a voice of the people to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners as well as playing an active role in Sanibel politics. 

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