Nancy Riley, the 2007 president of the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR) and a member of the Pinellas Suncoast Association of Realtors, has been named FAR’s 2008 Realtor of the Year. The award was presented at FAR’s 92nd annual Convention & Trade Expo at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

FAR has presented both the Realtor of the Year and Associate Realtor of the Year awards for more than 50 years. Winners are honored as the greatest individual lifetime contributors to their local board, community, FAR and the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

For more than two decades, Riley contributed to the success of her local Realtor association and its members, working with almost every committee. She served on the board of directors for both the St. Petersburg Suncoast and Clearwater associations, and was instrumental in the merger of the two organizations into the Pinellas Suncoast Association of Realtors. Prior to the merger, she was president of the Clearwater association in 1999.

At the state level, Riley worked to help educate her colleagues and fellow Florida citizens about the need for property tax and insurance reforms. Appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, she sought input from fellow Realtors around the state on property tax issues. Riley was a leading force behind FAR’s advocacy efforts in 2007, leading up to Florida voters’ passage of Amendment 1 on Jan. 29, 2008.

Prior to being elected FAR president, Riley served as secretary in 2003 and treasurer in 2004. She also chaired or served on most FAR committees, and is a long-time Realtor Political Action Committee (RPAC) supporter. She has been involved with NAR since 1991, serving as a director, vice-chair and chair of its Board Forum and as a member, vice-chair and chairman of its Credentials Committee.

Other FAR award winners at the convention included Susanna Madden of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors who, received the 2008 Associate Realtor of the Year, Nancy Hogan of the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches received the Realtor Achievement Award, Claudette Bruck of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale received the 2008 Humanitarian of the Year Award and Christina Pitchford Perez of the Sarasota Association of Realtors received the Newcomer Award for 2008.