BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County has received 17 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo), the most Broward County has ever received, for innovative government programs that enhance quality of life for residents.

Broward County, the second largest county in Florida and the 17th largest county in the nation, is recognized this year for programs and services that promote environmental resiliency, use technology to provide real-time information and improve access to decision-making data, educate members of the community on quality of life issues involving natural resources, assist residents to further advance in education and careers, showcase culture and diversity, generate positive discussion about mobility, provide transportation needs, assist sexual assault survivors and help animals Countywide.

Agency award winners are:

• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) won two awards for hosting the inaugural World Diversity Week recognizing and celebrating the cultural backgrounds of the airport community, and for launching an airport-wide asset and work management mobility solution for real-time communication and technology that provides FLL leaders with a consolidated view of airport activities.
• Natural Resources Division received two awards for developing a science program for students to participate in the analysis of air pollution data and learn about the main causes of air pollution, and for a public reporting system to identify smoking vehicles, helping Broward County reach its new net zero emissions goal.
• Resilient Environment Department won two awards for two public web-based pages for extreme heat distribution and the forecasted increase in temperature, and a web-based crowdsourcing tool to collect photos and observations from members of the public about the frequency and extent of flooding due to either rainfall or high tides.
• Mobility Advancement Program (MAP Broward) won one award for conducting a mobility public survey and forming community focus groups to understand and be responsive to community needs, while educating them about the 30-year mobility program that will transform the transportation landscape in Broward County.
• Office of Economic and Small Business Development won one award for creating a conversation series providing resources available for women, women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses and share helpful personal and professional insights and tips for success.
• Equity and Community Investment Section won one award for developing the University Student Practicum Program providing students with meaningful clinical learning experiences within Human Services agencies in Broward County.
• Resilient Environment Department's Innovation Unit won two awards for developing a technology-based interactive dashboard allowing Broward County agencies to be better managed, more efficient and more cost-effective, and for creating self-service business intelligence dashboards to aid the County in its response to and recovery from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Animal Care Division won one award for its engagement of 31 municipalities, the Seminole Tribe and the Broward's Sheriff's Office in a systematic training program focused on a unified response that resulted in a successful multi-organizational rescue response to a home containing more than 60 starving dogs living in horrific conditions.
• Nancy J. Cotterman Center won one award for implementing a medication program in which survivors of sexual assault and victims of child sexual abuse have access to medication at no cost.
• Enterprise Technology Services won one award for implementing a network improving communication speeds and data privacy for the multiple business lines of local government in a cost-efficient model.
• Broward County Library won two awards for its initiative, BCL to Go - Workforce Ready, assisting job seekers in underserved areas of Broward County that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for its program series, Ready for College, designed to assist high school students in navigating the college application process and improve their college-preparation skills.
• Broward County Transit won one award for implementing a program that subsidizes rides for late shift commuters who are not able to utilize bus service during the late night or early morning hours.

The award-winning programs are all services of the Broward County Commission. Read more about the awards here.

Nationally, NACo awards are given in 18 categories that reflect the vast, comprehensive services counties provide, including arts, culture and historic preservation, children and youth, criminal justice and public safety, community and economic development, information technology, health, county resiliency and more.