Here at Hotspots, we are so proud to have kept a secret from our boss. This year, Hotspots Media Group Publisher Peter Clark will receive the Broward County Sheriff’s Special Recognition Award. As of Press time Peter doesn’t know he’s getting the award…
Peter Clark and Hotspots Media Group Recognized by Broward’s Top Cop
Here at Hotspots, we are so proud to have kept a secret from our boss. This year, Hotspots Media Group Publisher Peter Clark will receive the Broward County Sheriff’s Special Recognition Award. As of Press time Peter doesn’t know he’s getting the award, he will find out at our Holiday Celebration on December 6, and getting this article past him has been no easy feat.
Anytime a company and its leader are recognized by their peers it is an occasion to be celebrated, but this award, which will be presented to Clark at the BSO’s Awards Ceremony on December 13, is extra special for several reasons. Each year, The Special Recognition Award is given to very few individuals, and Peter was chosen because it was under his leadership as publisher that Hotspots Media Group raised and donated more than $650,000 that went directly to Florida’s LGBT community. So many community organizations benefit from Mr. Clarks dedication that he was nominated for the award by Captain Richard Wierzbicki, who stated in his nomination letter: “Although he could easily rest on his accomplishments as the owner/publisher of the Hotspots Media Group, Peter Clark has made it his mission to help nonprofit agencies that provide critical and life-saving services to the LGBT community and the Broward County community at large.”
Another reason this award is such a major accomplishment is because it truly symbolizes just how far the LGBT community has come in main stream society, just in the past 10 years. It’s incredible to think that most schools in Florida now have clubs like the GSA for LGBT youth. It is directly because of Clarks support of organizations like SunServe that young gays and lesbians are growing up without the stigma that was cast upon our community for so long. Broward County has a plethora of civic organizations that are dedicated to our community, so Ft. Lauderdale is now home to some 150 gay owned businesses, making South Florida one of the premier vacation destinations for gays and lesbians from across the country. Many of the accomplishments of the LGBT community would not be possible if it were not for the relationships forged through business leaders like Peter, who was a founding member of the Rainbow Business Coalition in Broward, a sponsor of gay pride celebrations all across Florida, and a champion of the Gay and Lesbian Business Exchange, the LGBT wing of the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.
Peter Clark’s tireless dedication to Florida has improved life for us all. If not for his work in the LGBT community, the positive changes we have seen in attitudes and in the success of LGBT businesses would not be possible. We here at Hotspots could not be more proud of our boss, and our friend. It is a distinct pleasure to be able to work for someone who, although he has a business to run, lets you know, in no uncertain terms, that he has your best interest in mind, not just the bottom line. Congratulations Peter. You definitely deserve it.
