Voting Starts for Providencia Awards

AWARD FINALISTS: From left: Loggerhead Marinelife Center,
Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island and Rosemary Square

(PRESS RELEASE)_WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (April 12, 2021) – Discover The Palm Beaches, the official tourism marketing agency for Palm Beach County, announced today the start of the online public voting process to select the recipient of the esteemed 29th Providencia Award. The award is given to a local business, organization or individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary contribution to the vitality and prosperity of The Palm Beaches as a desirable tourist destination.

As part of the selection process, the community is invited to cast their vote for the winner of the Providencia Award beginning April 12, 2021 through April 26, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. through this link:
https://palmbeachpost.gannettcontests.com/29th-Providencia-Awards/.

This year’s three finalists are: Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island and
Rosemary Square.

“The Providencia Award has become a time-honored tradition and way to celebrate outstanding entities or individual contributors in our local tourism community,” said Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO for
Discover The Palm Beaches. “Our diverse destination of eclectic attractions, accommodations and
community retailers shine through in this year’s nominees, representing a leading marine life and ocean
conservation center, a luxury resort and refreshed park-like mixed-due entertainment neighborhood. We’re humbled to have these industry partners as key elements of what makes The Palm Beaches an ideal place to visit, work and live. Please join me in congratulating the nominees and show your support by voting,” said Pesquera.

The Providencia Award is named after the Spanish ship that sank off Palm Beach's coast in 1878. Its crew
salvaged the cargo of 20,000 Trinidad coconuts and sold them to local residents, who planted them along
the waterfront, eventually inspiring the town's name. This year’s winner will be announced during a Travel
Rally Day + Providencia Award ceremony at the Lake Worth Beach Casino Building on May 7, 2021 at 9
a.m.

“We’re delighted to serve as a partner in the long-standing tradition of these awards, giving the community a platform to vote,” said Chadi Irani, Market Leader of The Palm Beach Post and LOCALiQ. “It’s exciting to be part of the interactive process and support key players in the tourism industry, one that is so vital to our destination.”

​Following the initial application process, a committee of local tourism representatives selected the three
finalists. Each nominee demonstrated excellence in contributing to the growth of the local tourism industry, implementing innovative marketing, public relations and social media initiatives; and creating awareness of The Palm Beaches as a premier tourist destination.

Some highlights of the finalists’ exceptional contributions to Palm Beach County’s tourism industry include:

Loggerhead Marinelife Center

Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea turtle research, rehabilitation and
educational institution that promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on threatened
and endangered sea turtles. The Center features an on-site hospital, research laboratory,
educational exhibits and aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, which hosts worldclass angling and sightseeing. Situated on one of the world’s most important sea turtle nesting
beaches, LMC is open daily and annually hosts over 350,000 guests free-of-charge, though it
accepts donations. The Center works with 187 local and international organizations across six
continents to form partnerships and share initiatives and best practices that are core to its mission
of sea turtle and ocean conservation. The Center has launched its capital expansion campaign,
designed to accelerate and amplify LMC’s conservation and education impact. When complete, the
facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and unique experiences for guests and scientific
partners.

Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island

In March 2020, Florida closed to tourists and residents were asked to hunker down. According to
VISIT Florida, at the same time, total hotel revenue in Florida dropped 77.6% over the year before.
Instead of closing, Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa tapped a new customer
base, while joining the community’s ongoing battle against COVID-19. Palm Beach Marriott Singer
Island Beach Resort & Spa has stayed open continuously throughout the ongoing pandemic. In the
early days of the outbreak, the resort quickly activated special rates for health care workers and
first responders on the front lines of the pandemic. While travel essentially came to a screeching
halt and Palm Beach County’s beaches closed, Palm Beach Marriott created daily messages of
hope and inspiration on their beach using lounge chairs and umbrellas. The messages were visible
via the resort’s live beach cam and social media channels. The messages thanked first
responders, teachers, truckers, and the travel and hospitality industry, while other messages let
states hardest hit by the pandemic, including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, know that
the resort was standing with them. As travel resumed, Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach
Resort & Spa was the first hotel in Palm Beach County to offer on-site COVID-19 testing for its
guests.

Rosemary Square

Since its reimagination in 2019, Rosemary Square has transformed into a welcoming and
refreshing well-connected neighborhood that is committed to collaborating with artists, chefs,
creatives and entrepreneurs culminating in a beloved live, work and visit destination. The 72-acre
park-like neighborhood is best known for its refreshing and tropical outdoor spaces, large-scale
community events and celebrations, brand activations and pop-ups in collaboration with local and
national businesses and organizations. With more than 1,000 outdoor dining seats, 100,000 square
feet of premier home goods plus new restaurants that span more than 16,000 square feet, robust
selection of new retail openings and world-class art, Rosemary Square’s investments continued to
attract tourists and provide a must-visit location for the community and travelers alike.

Learn more about The Palm Beaches at www.ThePalmBeaches.com or follow along on social media via
@PalmBeachesFL.