Aug 18, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      

Contact: Paul Valenti, Office of Equal Opportunity
              (239) 335-2179
  
LEE COUNTY OFFICE OF  EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EARNS FEDERAL RECOGNITION

FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 18, 2005) - Lee County's Office of Equal Opportunity (LCOEO) has been designated as a "certified, designated" fair employment practices agency by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The designation means the LCOEO's investigative findings in employment discrimination cases will be accepted by the federal agency without individual, case-by-case substantial reviews by the EEOC.

"What this means is Lee County will no longer have to expend time and county resources demonstrating to the federal government that the determinations made by the LCOEO are thorough, well documented, and factually and legally sound," said Paul Valenti, the county's Equal Opportunity Manager.  "With this new designation, the EEOC assumes this to be the case."

"The designation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the LCOEO's staff, particularly analysts Jack Barden and Mary Ellen Harrigan, who helped put together the program and procedures now recognized by the EEOC," said Valenti.

The LCOEO is the local equivalent to Florida's Commission on Human Relations.

The office:

• Investigates housing discrimination complaints on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
  
• Investigates employment discrimination complaints on behalf of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  
• Strives to stop discrimination before it starts by increasing awareness in the community about discrimination laws.
  
• Hosts training conferences and conducts individual workshops for organizations.

The office has four full-time employees and a $493,000 annual budget.

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