Marla Martin, Communications Manager, or Jeff Zipper, Vice President of Communications 407/438-1400, ext. 2326 or 2314

Here Come the Judges: Who Will Win FAR’s $5,000 State Scholarship Awards?

ORLANDO, Fla., July 18, 2008 – Winning another $5,000 in scholarship awards from the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) can pay for a lot of college tuition fees and textbooks. That’s the good news three recent Florida high school graduates are waiting to hear – an announcement that they are the state winners of FAR’s 2007-2008 Scholarship/Essay Contest for High School Seniors.

FAR recently recognized 36 first-, second- and third-place district winners for their award-winning essays describing “How Does a Realtor Professional Benefit the Community?” Each first-place district winner received a $5,000 scholarship prize, part of a total of $106,000 in scholarship funding handed out by FAR this year. The top district winners now compete to win three state FAR scholarship awards of $5,000 each – with that prize, those three outstanding students will receive a total of $10,000 from FAR to help pay for their college education. FAR also recognized the second-place winners in each district with a $1,500 scholarship, while the third-place winners each received a $500 scholarship.

Community leaders, Realtors, educators and top business executives from across Florida currently are judging the state-level competition. The three state winners will be announced as part of FAR’s 92nd annual Convention and Trade Expo, set for Sept. 24-28, 2008, at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa in Lake Buena Vista near Orlando.

The distinguished panel of judges who volunteered their time and expertise to participate in FAR’s scholarship program include: FAR 2008 President Chuck Bonfiglio, a Realtor from Broward County; FAR 2008 President Elect Cynthia Shelton, an Orlando Realtor; Cathy Whatley, 2003 president of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and a Jacksonville Realtor; Matey Veissi, a member of the Florida Real Estate Commission and a Miami Realtor; Dr. Wayne Archer, director of the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Real Estate Research Center and a professor in business administration/real estate studies; Frank Ryll, director of the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Community Development Partnership and former president of the state chamber; Anjali Fluker, real estate reporter for the Orlando Business Journal; and Dr. Sid Rosenberg, professor of real estate at North Florida University.

The Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), the voice for real estate in Florida, provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 125,000 members in 67 boards/associations.