The Firefly Group Wins Prestigious Award for Martin County Land Conservation Campaign
Stuart, Fla. – The Firefly Group, a Stuart-based marketing and public relations firm, was glowing with pride as they took center stage at the 2025 Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Golden Image Awards, earning three honors – including the prestigious Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award – for their work on the Martin County Forever half-cent sales tax referendum campaign.
The Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award is the top award of the entire competition, recognizing the most exceptional and impactful public relations campaign of the year in Florida. More than 100 entries were submitted statewide, with Firefly earning the top honor as well as a Golden Image Award as the leading entry in the public affairs category and a Judges’ Award for delivering an impressive return on investment.
The Martin County Forever campaign aimed to pass a half-cent sales tax in the November 2024 general election that would raise more than $180 million over 10 years to buy and preserve 43,000 acres of critically sensitive natural lands. Martin County has a long and proud history of environmental preservation, but after a half-cent sales tax for land acquisition expired in 2011, two attempts to renew it failed. Mistrust in government, unclear messaging, and limited outreach kept voters from voting “yes” again.
To change that outcome, a devoted group of concerned citizens formed the Martin County Forever Committee with the goal of securing voter approval when the measure was placed on the ballot in 2024. The committee turned to Firefly to develop a grassroots, community-powered campaign built on trust, pride, and Martin County’s local legacy of land conservation.
Firefly led a strategic, research-driven public education effort, crafting key messages focused on transparency, fiscal responsibility, and protection of natural resources. The campaign’s core message “Vote Yes to Buy the Land” was delivered through digital and traditional ads, direct mail, social media, news coverage, and grassroots outreach. It earned strong community support, resulting in 63% voter approval in November 2024 and creating a funding mechanism to acquire and preserve vital natural areas in Martin County.
“We were honored to partner with the Martin County Forever Committee on this mission to, quite literally, preserve our little piece of paradise,” explained Stacy Weller Ranieri, president, founder, and Chief Illuminator of the Firefly Group. “To then be recognized by our peers across Florida for a campaign that was a true passion project for our Firefly team is deeply humbling,” said Ranieri.
Jim Snedeker, Chairperson of the Martin County Forever Committee, praised the firm’s work: “Firefly’s recognition with this prestigious award is so well deserved. Stacy and her ‘fireflies’ combined their creativity, strategic skills and storytelling capabilities to help us effectively connect with voters and unite the community around the common goal of buying the land before it was gone forever. The campaign was about protecting the natural character of Martin County and our quality of life for generations to come, and Firefly played a vital role in making that happen.”
For more information about the Firefly Group, visit fireflyforyou.com.
About The Firefly Group
The Firefly Group is a marketing and public relations firm serving businesses, non-profit organizations, landowners and government agencies. Recognized with nearly 100 awards since its founding in 2003, The Firefly Group focuses on providing comprehensive, strategic and creative solutions for it clients through effective storytelling, branding and communications. Connect with The Firefly Group at facebook.com/TheFireflyGroup, instagram.com/fireflygrouppr and linkedin.com/company/the-firefly-group/. For more information visit www.fireflyforyou.com, call 772-287-5272 or email info@fireflyforyou.com.
About the Dick Pope All-Florida Golden Image Award
The Dick Pope All-Florida Golden Image Award is the highest honor of the Florida Public Relations Association’s annual Golden Image Awards. It is presented to the single best entry in the “Public Relations Programs” division, recognizing the most outstanding and impactful public relations campaign of the year in Florida.
Named for Richard D. “Dick” Pope, Sr.—founder of Cypress Gardens, PR pioneer, and FPRA co-founder—the award honors innovation, strategic planning, and exceptional execution. among all public relations programs submitted to the competition. Winning it signifies not only meeting the high standards of a Golden Image Award but surpassing all others as the year’s top public relations achievement in the state.
Suggested Photo Caption:
FPRA Vice President of Golden Image Chris Graham, MBA, APR, CPRC (pictured left) and FPRA President Julie Frey, APR, CPRC (pictured right) present the Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award to the Firefly Group President, Founder, and Chief Illuminator Stacy Weller Ranieri and Senior Vice President Nancy McCarthy, APR, at the Florida Public Relations Association Gala annual gala.