HOLMES BEACH – In honor of the city’s 75th anniversary, Mayor Judy Titsworth and Digital and Media Strategist Matt McDonough created the new sea turtle-themed city flag that now proudly flies over city hall.
Assisted by Code Enforcement Chief James “JT” Thomas and Code Enforcement Officer Nate Brown, Titsworth and McDonough presented the flag prototype to city commissioners on April 8. The following morning, Thomas and Brown raised the flag that now hangs below the American flag on the city hall flagpole.
Titsworth said the sea turtle theme coincides with the city’s efforts to protect wildlife and to preserve and enhance water quality – efforts that include the city’s Ad Hoc Clean Water Committee and the city’s Islanders4CleanWater promotional campaign.
Titsworth said the flag also symbolizes the city’s resilience in the wake of the back-to-back hurricanes that struck the city and the Island last fall.
Titsworth said the flag was intentionally designed with no words and no city seal and the turtle insignia is simple enough for kids to draw at school. Titsworth said she and McDonough also spent a lot of time choosing the exact shade of navy blue to use for the flag.
“I just think this is beautiful,” Commissioner Dan Diggins said.
The rest of the commission concurred and expressed support for what may be the city’s first-ever city flag.
“This is perfect. We hit a home run,” Commissioner Terry Schaefer said when praising McDonough for the flag design and the many other promotional efforts he engages in on the city’s behalf.
Titsworth said smaller, pole-mounted signs will be produced for people to fly at their homes and even smaller hand-held flags on a stick will be produced and handed out during parades and city events.
Titsworth also floated the idea of the hosting an old-fashioned carnival later this year in celebration of the city’s 75th anniversary.
“Back when I was a child, we had an old-fashioned carnival at the field. Wouldn’t that be neat?” she said.
She also said she’d like to find some volunteers to reenact a city-themed play last performed 25 years ago. She said the city has the script and just needs somebody to take the idea and run with it.
