Department of Public Works

🚀 Exciting news for Tavares! Fire Chief Tavares, Richard Keith, Emceed the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Public Works-Lake Tech facilities! Congressman Daniel Webster, and Director of Legislative Affairs Steven Branting joined forces to celebrate Florida's number one ranking in workforce development! Thanks to $13.5 million in grants, we're making strides in technical education and community growth. Kirby Smith from the Lake County Board of Commissioners is a huge advocate for technical schools, echoing the vision set by Dr. Diane Culpepper, who initiated the partnership between Lake Tech and Tavares in 2018. Mark Lee, a proud Lake Tech auto program graduate, stood as a testament to the success of this collaboration. Mayor Bob Grenier and Commissioner John Drury highlighted the community's unity in supporting this initiative, emphasizing that “a vision without implementation is a hallucination.” Special thanks to James Dillon, Director of Public Works, for his emotional address, alongside Deanna Thomas, in driving this project forward. Together, we’re building a brighter future for our community! 💪 #WorkforceDevelopment #Tavares #LakeTech #CommunityUnity

Excited to share a great win for the City of Tavares in partnership with Lake Technical College as they open the Public Works and Regional Training Center. This 30,000-square-foot project holds the full operations of the Public Works division and is the new training location of Lake Tech’s Diesel Systems Technology programs, offering advanced training and increased opportunities for trainees to gain practical experience. Strengthening our local and regional communities is an intrinsic part of #TeamScorpio, and it's why we continue to #MakeBuildingsforLife so our communities can make Careers for Life. #MakeBuildingsForLife #CommunityCenteredConstruction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/03/2024 CONTACT: James D. Dillon, CGC, CSSYB, ACDBE James.Dillon@tavaresfl.gov / 352.742.6221 TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida League of Cities, the united voice for Florida’s municipal governments, announced that the City of Tavares, Director of Public Works, James D. Dillon, CGC, CSSYB, ACDBE, was recently appointed to serve on the Florida League of Cities 2024-2025 Utilities, Natural Resources, and Public Works Committee, one of the League’s five Legislative Policy Committees.

We can’t wait to welcome you to the future at Lake Technical College’s Transportation Innovation Hub! A new space to inspire and facilitate innovative thinking, creative problem-solving, and the generation of new ideas in transportation. #fltechnicalcolleges

The day was truly remarkable as the City of Tavares - known as America's Seaplane City - witnessed a significant event. Notable figures including Lake Technical College Executive Director DeAnna Thomas, Tavares City Councilman Walter Price, Tavares City Councilman Troy Singer, Lake County Commissioner Kirby Smith, State Representative Keith Truenow, and Senator Dennis Baxley, amongst others, joined together to inter a time capsule. This act serves as a commemoration of the collaborative efforts of all local levels of government in bringing the Tavares and Lake Technical College Innovative Transportation Training Hub to fruition! https://lnkd.in/dryWBx7j

Exciting News! Secretary of Florida Commerce Alex Kelly, Director of Legislative & Cabinet Affairs Stephen Marante, Representatives Keith Truenow and Taylor Yarkosky, along with Executive Director DeAnna Thomas and Tavares Director of Public Works James D. Dillon, CGC, CSSYB, ACDBE, just took a private tour of our brand-new Innovative Transportation Training Hub! Set to open later this month, this state-of-the-art facility promises to be a game-changer in workforce training, equipping students with hands-on experience and real-world skills. Together, they explored how this groundbreaking project will shape the future of workforce training and maximize its impact by sharing resources. Stay tuned for more updates!