FLORIDA MUNICIPAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

The winners of the Florida League of Cities 2025 Florida Municipal Achievement Awards Program have been announced! See details on the winning submissions below. 

The Florida Municipal Achievement Awards Program provides municipalities the opportunity to receive deserved recognition for outstanding and innovative efforts in the following categories:

• Economic Advancement Award - This award focuses on a city program that supports, highlights or partners with a city’s local business community to improve the economic well-being of a city.

• Environmental Stewardship Award - This award focuses on a city program that promotes environmental sustainability, improves and protects environmental conditions or provides environmental education and outreach programs within a city.

• Local Action Award - This award will be given to a city for a specific, single citywide effort that successfully addresses a local need.

• Public Engagement Award - This award focuses on a city program that builds a more vital, participative community. The program develops civic awareness, increases education and knowledge of local government functions or promotes active participation among residents, businesses and visitors.

Contact Eryn Russell for more information.  

The Economic Advancement Award recognizes a municipal program that strengthens the local economy. The City of Jacksonville’s Small and Emerging Business (JSEB) Certification Program supports local emerging businesses by connecting them with capital, education, and contracting opportunities. To ensure equitable access to resources, JSEB has facilitated more than 50 outreach events across all 19 districts of Jacksonville. Over the past two years, the number of JSEB-certified businesses has doubled, with participating companies earning more than $106 million in city contracts. The program’s five-pillar approach, focused on legislation, education, community, capital, and contracts, offers a replicable model for economic development.

The Environmental Stewardship Award celebrates environmental leadership and sustainability. The Village of Pinecrest’s award-winning sustainability initiatives include a free community composting program that has diverted over 90,000 pounds of food waste from landfills, a USDA-funded Everglades Earth Cycle project in partnership with the Miccosukee Tribe, and Floating Flower Islands that naturally filter pollution in local waterways. These programs combine environmental innovation with community engagement, offering a model for cities of all sizes and proving that measurable and adaptable environmental solutions can emerge from small municipalities to create regional impact.

The Local Action Award honors a single, citywide effort that meets a specific local need. Following a devastating hurricane season, the City of Oldsmar created the Oldsmar Support Services Alliance to coordinate relief among local nonprofits, churches, businesses, and volunteers. The Alliance mobilized over 430 volunteers, served nearly 12,000 meals, and provided direct support to nearly 5,000 households. This collaborative response has since been adopted into the city’s emergency operations plan as a model for future disaster resilience and is scalable for cities of any size.