Boca Raton Mayors Ball Honors Boca Raton Airport Authority with 2023 George Long Award

Pictured above – Bonnie Kaye, Kaye Communications, Jon Kaye, Kaye Communications and Scott Singer, City of Boca Raton Mayor.

In its grand tradition, The Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton (RCDBR) presented its eighth Annual Boca Raton Mayors Ball last Saturday, November 11th at Boca West Country Club.

Each year Boca Raton’s business leaders and community innovators attend this marvelous event that honors the City’s historic iconic milestones and pays homage to all those, past and present, who have helped make Boca Raton the best place to live, work, learn, visit, heal and raise a family. Event proceeds fund the Club’s “Service Above Self” grant program that supports the health and wellness needs of Boca Raton nonprofits.

From left to right: John Gerety, Atlantic Aviation; Jim Nau, Boca Raton Airport Authority Board; Hannah Oakland, Boca Raton Airport; Scott Kohut, Boca Raton Airport; Clara Bennett, Boca Raton Airport; Cheryl Budd, Boca Raton Airport Authority Board, and Bob Tucker, Boca Raton Airport Authority Board Chairman.

The highlight of this year’s gala was the presentation of the George Long Awards – named for the City’s first appointed mayor in 1924 and was presented by club members and Co-Chairs Alex and Jessie Price and Jon and Bonnie Kaye whose firm Kaye Communications PR & Marketing produced the Mayor’s Ball.  This year the Boca Raton Airport Authority was honored in recognition and celebration of their 75th anniversary and their continuing impact in the local community. The Airport contributes $693 million annually to the local economy and the Airport and its tenants collectively employ over 4,843 individuals annually. Furthermore, the Boca Raton Airport Authority has been committed to the community through philanthropic ventures such as scholarships to nurture future aviators.

In addition to the Boca Raton Airport Authority, the Faulk Center for Counseling was also honored for its outstanding nonprofit work, along with philanthropist Marta Batmasian.

“We are immensely proud to have been honored at this year’s Boca Raton Mayors Ball. We have been fortunate to be part of the community for the past 75 years and look forward to soaring to new heights in the future. We would like to thank this year’s Co-Chairs Jon and Bonnie Kaye, Honorary Co-Chairs Alex and Jessie Price, and the gala’s host committee for this wonderful honor,” said Boca Raton Airport, Executive Director, Clara Bennett.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.