Jim Fisher Honored for Saving Taxpayer Funds

Jim Fisher, Esq., of The Hogan Law Firm Won a 2013 Certificate of Commendation for his role in saving taxpayer funds while at the Department of Highway and Motor Vehicles. The award is best known as the Prudential-Davis Productivity Award.

The Prudential-Davis Productivity Awards are made possible through the generosity of Prudential and the vision of the late J.E. Davis and A.D. Davis, co-founders of Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. and co-founders of Florida TaxWatch. Since 1989, the Davis Productivity Awards program has publically recognized and rewarded state employees and work units whose work significantly and measurably increases productivity and promotes innovation to improve the delivery of state services and save money for Florida taxpayers and businesses.

The 2013 awards competition attracted 468 nominations for innovations and productivity improvements worth $514 million in cost savings, cost avoidances and increased revenue for state government. Over the past 25 years, award winners have posted a total of $8.1 billion in added value for Florida taxpayers and businesses. The award is designed to recognize and reward state employees who continue to go above-and-beyond the call of duty.

Beginning in 2011, the state legislature changed provisions of Chapter 112. Prior to 2011, a convicted felon who did not have his civil rights restored was not eligible to obtain an occupational license, including an automobile dealer license. Simply stated, if a person was a convicted felon, without having his/her civil rights restored, he/she was automatically denied an occupational license.  This left a lot of Florida citizens with very limited options when trying to express their entrepreneurial spirit. It was clear that the Florida legislature was attempting help create and grow businesses by getting these folks back to work. It was also clear that many of these convicted felons made-up a significant portion of the population who were either unemployed or under-employed with few options to improve their lot in life.

Jim was the attorney for the dealer licensing section of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and had to implement a new program to investigate and license a large group of individuals who wanted to get into the automobile dealer business.  Jim and his team developed and implemented the “Dealer License Status Check” to determine who may now be eligible for a dealer license, and get back to work.

In fiscal year 2012, 468 individual and team award winners produced innovations and productivity improvements worth $514 million in cost savings, cost avoidances, and increased revenue for state government. I am just glad to have been part of the winning team protecting the tax dollars that our citizens entrust us to use wisely.

Click here to read the full announcement.