National Association of Counties (NACo) Awards 2026
Broward County has received 19 Achievement Awards in 2025 from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for innovative County government programs that strengthen services for residents and are effectively communicated and relevant to the community.
Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation
Broward Arts Data Portal – Public Works and Environmental Services Department's Innovation Unit / Cultural Division
The Broward Arts Data Portal is an interactive, public-facing tool designed to increase access, transparency, and engagement with the County's cultural investments. Specifically, both the Public Art and the Grants Dashboards allow residents, artists, visitors, and policymakers to explore over 400 public artworks and more than 800 cultural grant awards, revealing where art is located, how public funds are invested, and which communities are served.
Civic Education and Public Information
Broward Connects Podcast – Office of Public Communications
Broward Connects is a county produced podcast designed to make government more accessible, transparent, and engaging for residents. The podcast seeks to inform and entertain. Each episode features county experts discussing programs, services, events and community priorities in a conversational, easy to-understand format that is engaging and fun. By meeting residents where they already are—on mobile devices and streaming platforms, the podcast strengthens civic awareness and builds trust in local government.
Mobility Advancement Program Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Application
Broward County's Mobility Advancement Program (MAP) conceptualized immersive, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications to broaden the program's public outreach and civic engagement impact. Research indicated no other county or transit authority had used AR and VR to give a broad and diverse audience a “metaverse" experience of riding public transit. The purpose is to encourage transit ridership by demonstrating the convenience of Broward County Transit's ability to connect to major destinations and other County services and assets (e.g., Parks, Libraries, International Airport and Seaport).
Overcoming Homelessness in Broward – Human Services – Housing Options, Solutions, and Supports Division (HOSS-D)
Overcoming Homelessness in Broward is a video series of interviews with individuals who have overcome homelessness in Broward County. Through sharing their stories of triumph, this video series provides hope for individuals who may be experiencing homelessness, informs the general public of housing and recovery services available in Broward County, and combats the misinformation and stigma associated with homelessness.
South Florida Reef Rangers: A Marine Resources Podcast – Public Works and Environmental Services Department's Natural Resources Division
The Marine Resources Program within the Broward County's Natural Resources Division protects, restores, and enhances the quality, abundance, and diversity of the County's natural resources including coral reefs, manatees, and sea turtles. A need was identified to develop a program to engage the public and connect them to the underwater ecosystems just offshore the County, resources they may never directly experience. South Florida Reef Rangers is an interview style hyper-local podcast where the host interviews marine animals that live in Broward County. Questions such as: “What do you eat?", “Which part of the ocean do you inhabit?", and “What eats you?", are weaved into the discussion in a humorous and lighthearted manner to capture the audience's attention.
Community and Economic Development
Arts Launch Broward – Cultural Division
Arts Launch Broward is a free, one-day event that kicks off Broward County's arts season by connecting residents and visitors with local artists, cultural organizations, and creative businesses. Held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the inaugural event brought together 65 participating organizations and welcomed over 1,600 attendees for live performances, demonstrations, and hands-on artmaking.
Find a Cruise: Helping Cruise Guests Navigate Their Options from Port Everglades
Find a Cruise was created primarily to support the economic impact that the port, its cruise line customers and tourism partners contribute to the area and the state of Florida. The response from the primary audience of cruise guests and hospitality workers has been overwhelmingly positive, resulting in an average of 9,855 views a month for the interactive tool. It's also driving awareness about the variety of sailings that the Broward County port offers.
Interactive Cruise Parking Map: Helping Guests Navigate Port Everglades to Smoothly Begin their Cruise
The Port Everglades Interactive Parking Map was created to improve traffic patterns, close critical information gaps for cruise guests, and support cruise line customers and tourism partners whose operations contribute significantly to the local economy and the State of Florida. Designed primarily for cruise passengers and hospitality workers, the tool enhances the arrival experience by providing clear, accessible parking and terminal guidance. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, culminating in a peak of 15,606 views in November during the current cruise season, demonstrating strong engagement and measurable impact.
County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy, and Sustainability
Broward County Extreme Heat Initiative - Public Works and Environmental Services Department
Broward County launched the Extreme Heat Initiative to address rising heat-related health risks through data-driven analysis, agency partnerships, and community-based interventions. The program mapped surface temperatures countywide and integrated heat and health data to identify neighborhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat. Findings revealed significant underreporting of heat-related illnesses, prompting the “Take the Temperature" campaign to improve medical documentation practices.
Broward Countywide Resilience Plan – Public Works and Environmental Services Department
Broward County developed a comprehensive Countywide Resilience Plan to address increasing flood and extreme heat risks driven by future climate conditions, sea level rise, and urban development. Through extensive technical analysis, community engagement, and interagency coordination, the County created a unified framework to guide infrastructure investment, policy development, and public services for residents, municipalities, and regional partners. Supported by interactive dashboards, scenario planning tools, and a public project tracker, the Plan promotes transparency and informed decision-making while enhancing community preparedness, economic vitality, and long-term infrastructure performance and serving as a replicable model for counties nationwide.
Integrating Resilience: Formulating and Implementing the County Resilience Strategy - Public Works and Environmental Services Department
Broward County's Resilience Strategy cements the County's strong commitment to building a more resilient and future-ready community for its residents, businesses, and visitors. The Strategy fosters coordination across the entire County organization, addresses cross-departmental initiatives holistically, and recognizes essential partners for advancing unified goals and achieving meaningful resilience outcomes. The Strategy provides an innovative framework for the County to proactively mitigate operational, reputational, and financial risks and to respond quickly and effectively as challenges arise. The Strategy is informed by best practices from communities worldwide and thoughtfully integrates pioneering technologies to elevate and bolster the County's level of service.
Manatee Public Data Dashboard - Public Works and Environmental Services Department 's GIS Section
The Manatee Public Data Dashboard centralizes Broward County's community sourced manatee sightings from the I Spy a Manatee mobile app into an interactive, publicly accessible portal for residents, boaters, educators, researchers, and County staff. The dashboard offers map-based visualization, temporal and spatial filtering, media review, and data export, while integrating educational resources and boating speed zone information. By improving transparency, streamlining data stewardship, and enabling data driven outreach, the platform increases community awareness, supports safer boating practices, and provides county staff and external users with curated, actionable observations for increased conservation efforts of Florida's most iconic marine mammal.Port Everglades' West Lake Park Project: Mitigation Through Habitat Creation and Protection West Lake Park – Segment 4
Port Everglades worked with multiple local, state and federal agencies and local environmental businesses to create, restore, protect and enhance more than 81.5 acres, including 22 acres of habitat creation, including seagrass, mangroves, mudflats, tidal pools, and upland hammock. Sixteen former spoil islands (dredged when creating the intracoastal waterway), previously dominated by Australian pines and Brazilian pepper, were scraped down or cleared and replanted with native species to create thriving native ecosystems. West Lake Park Segment 4 is one of the largest habitat mitigation projects of its kind in the region, and a model for how ports can enhance natural resources and support economic growth.
Information Technology
Bid Quote Proposal – Phase II Automated Purchase Order (PO) generation module – Broward County Transit / IT Section
The Broward County Transit Bid Quote Proposal (BCT BQP) application, originally implemented in June 2023 and winner of the 2024 NACO Award, has evolved into a fully integrated, end-to-end procurement automation platform. Developed by the Broward County Transportation Department's Transit Information Technology (BCT IT) Section in collaboration with the Administration Division Materials Management Section (MMS), the program initially modernized and streamlined the vendor bid process for bus parts. In 2025, BCT IT significantly enhanced the system by automating the creation of purchase orders following bid award. This advancement eliminated a previously manual, time-intensive process and fully integrated the BCT BQP application with AssetWorks, BCT's asset management system. As a result, the program now supports the entire lifecycle of bus parts procurement from bid creation and vendor submission to automated purchase order generation and notification ensuring increased efficiency, accuracy, and operational continuity for Broward County Transit's fleet of over 400 buses.
Libraries
Pinwheel Festival - Broward County Library
Broward County Library's Pinwheel Festival is a community event designed to raise awareness of child abuse and provide families with resources and information about parenting and child development. Held at the Davie-Cooper City Branch in Davie, Florida, the festival featured South Florida organizations that offered information on child development, family support, and family wellness, as well as a book giveaway, children's activities, and the event's name and central activity – the planting of pinwheels symbolizing the happy and carefree childhood all children deserve. The library's branch manager successfully engaged partner participation by joining BrowardAWARE, an existing multi-agency campaign addressing family violence. The Friends of the Davie-Cooper City Library supported the initiative and garnered funding from the Broward County Children's Services Council. An estimated 250-300 people attended and 150 pinwheels were planted. The success of this inaugural festival prompted the library to continue the event in 2026.
Freegal Quest - Broward County Library
Broward County Library's (BCL) Freegal Quest was a three-month marketing campaign designed to increase customer awareness and usage of Freegal, a streaming music service available for free to Broward County Library customers. Research conducted by Library Marketing indicated that Freegal was the least recognized and least used of the library's electronic resources. Freegal Quest successfully used a multi-channel approach that included printed materials, social media and digital marketing, outreach, library programming and a video commercial. It also included an employee training program that turned library staff into magical, musical Freegal Wizards. After just three months, the Freegal Quest campaign results were impressive and included a 154% increase in new Freegal users and a 33% increase in number of Freegal songs streamed.
Broward County Library's Pop-up Hollywood Branch Library - Broward County Library
In February 2025, a devastating hit-and-run vehicle crash and subsequent fire rendered Broward County's Hollywood Branch Library unusable. With the nearest neighboring branch also closed for scheduled renovations, a critical service gap emerged in Southeast Broward County. In response, Broward County Library (BCL) launched the Hollywood Pop-Up Library at the David Park Community Center. Operating from September to December 2025, this innovative temporary branch provided 4,000 circulating items, essential literacy programming, and a dedicated location for customers to pick up materials on hold. The program's purpose was to maintain continuity of essential library services during a period of infrastructure crisis. The outcome was a seamless transition for the community, maintaining high engagement levels and providing a lifeline for library customers until the permanent branch reopened on January 3, 2026.
Panthers and Pages: Broward County Library Partners with the Florida Panthers Hockey Team
The Panthers and Pages partnership is a high-impact collaboration between the Florida Panthers Foundation and the Broward County Library (BCL). By leveraging the massive cultural reach of the 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, the program revitalizes literacy outreach, drives library card registration, and creates unique educational experiences for South Florida families. Key initiatives include the Florida Panthers Summer Reading Tour, the "Books 'n' Bears" holiday program for underserved youth, and the launch of a viral, team-branded library card. This partnership bridges the gap between professional sports and public education, positioning the library as a dynamic community hub. With over $65,000 in grant funding and 13,000 new cardholders in a single year, the program proves that "pucks and pages" are a winning combination for 21st-century civic engagement.
Personnel Management, Employment and Training
Jump Start Certificate Program for New Supervisors – Human Resources – Learning and Organizational Development
With over 6,500 individuals employed by Broward County, leadership evolution requires constant attention. The Jump Start Certificate Program is required for all newly hired or promoted supervisors. The program was redesigned in 2024 to create an intentional one-year journey covering management practices, leadership capabilities, and County Core Values. The program is held each quarter with a new cohort group of supervisors, and learning events are offered monthly using a blended learning approach. The enhanced program was launched in January 2025.
