BROWARD COUNTY, FL - The County has received 18 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for innovative and effective government programs that enhance the quality of life for residents. This includes Best in Category for Broward County Transit’s Paratransit Rider’s Choice pilot program.

The County was recognized three times for programs promoting community and economic development, three times for using new technology and innovation to advance energy goals and environmental stewardship, and three times for identifying, assessing and controlling risks in various areas. Other award-winning categories include children and youth, criminal justice and public safety, health, civic engagement, information technology, human services, and arts culture and historic preservation. The award-winning programs are all services of the Broward County Commission. 

 CATEGORY: Transportation (Best in Category)

• Broward County Transit
  • Paratransit Rider’s Choice Pilot Program - The Rider’s Choice Pilot program was a three-year pilot program. The Board of County Commissioners made the program permanent January 2021 for its newly enhanced transportation service for persons with physical, cognitive, emotional, visual, or other disabilities allowing customers to call a local taxi company or transportation network provider of their choice from a list of firms that can accept the County’s payment card. The program is cost-neutral and provides work for local transportation companies.

 CATEGORY: Community and Economic Development (Three Awards)

• Cultural Division
  • Business Skills for the Modern Creator - Two months after the pandemic shuttered the arts and culture sector across the nation, the County’s Cultural Division launched Business Skills for the Modern Creator -- a free, virtual bi-weekly professional development seminar taught by industry professionals to provide people with the skills needed to become more agile and business-savvy in the changing economy. Over three months, participants learned how to create successful business and marketing plans, boost sales, expand their customer base and build successful partnerships. In total, the series was viewed by more than 6,000 individuals on Facebook and YouTube.
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
  • FLLy Safer, FLLy Smarter, FLLy Better Public Confidence Campaign - Aviation launched its FLLy Safer, FLLy Smarter, FLLy Better public confidence campaign at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) on June 1, 2020. The campaign highlighted operational changes at FLL during COVID-19 to restore consumer confidence in travel. The initiatives incorporated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to help deter the pandemic’s spread and visually showcased the steps the airport took to create a safer and smarter facility for travelers and employees.
• Office of Economic and Small Business Development
  • The Broward County Way – A Reference Guide to International Protocol - In October 2020, the Office of Economic and Small Business Development created a reference and pocket guide designed to provide procedures and best practices for elected officials regarding international protocol when organizing or participating in international missions and ceremonial functions. The documents also serve as training tools for elected officials and County staff via one-on-one training sessions and webinars.

 CATEGORY: County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy & Sustainability (Three Awards)

• Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division
  • Boosting the Success of the Broward Solar Co-op - A $1.9 million investment program that provides incentives for County residents to transition to solar power by providing a discounted group price and free technical support while the federal tax credit was available. In 2019, more than 220 residents signed up, and 55 projects were completed through the co-op. By going solar, homeowners saved thousands of dollars and helped support the implementation of the County’s goal of increasing renewable energy use and reducing emissions to mitigate climate change.
  • Future Conditions Map Series: 100-Year Flood Elevation Map - The County is taking a resilient approach to planning as a result of climate change and sea-level rise. This program is the second in the series and intended to improve standards for flood protection resulting from increased precipitation, saturated soil conditions and land-use changes. The results of this project serve as a regulatory basis for establishing future minimum floor elevations for new buildings and major redevelopments in the County.
• Port Everglades
  • Southport Turning Notch Coral Relocation (STNE) - The STNE project creates five new cargo spaces and lengthens the existing turn-around area for container ships. The project is expected to generate millions in local and state tax revenue, while also maintaining excellence in environmental stewardship. The County is solely funding the removal, relocation and monitoring of the vulnerable coral colonies which are threatened by predatory parrotfish. This program demonstrates the organization’s simultaneous dedication to the local environmental and economic vitality.

 CATEGORY: Risk and Emergency Management (Three Awards)

• Risk Management Division
  • Content Value Capturing Program – This program is a digital application that captures and itemizes the value of contents located in more than 100 County-owned buildings and structures. The value of the contents and electronic data processing equipment constitute a significant portion of the County’s overall Total Insured Values and insurance premiums paid annually by the County. Utilizing the new application in conjunction with a new property inspection program implemented in 2020, the Risk Management Division saved Broward County thousands of dollars by reducing property insurance premiums in 2021.
  • Safety Twenty20 - Risk Management developed a training and awareness program to help minimize the number of slips, trips and falls in County buildings and/or on County premises. Upon request from the County Administration to improve the safety culture and reduce the number of incidents, Risk Management proactively contacted the County agencies with the highest number of incidents per year and requested they encourage all employees to participate in the new online training/awareness class.
• Port Everglades
  • No Sail Order Repatriation Plan - When the CDC issued a “No Sail” order for cruises in March 2020, twenty-seven cruise ships were at sea and had difficulty dealing with a lack of repatriation options for passengers. The Unified Command developed plans to repatriate the passengers of Holland America cruise ships with the goal of not overburdening local resources. The Port used its Continuity of Operations Plan to be innovative in coming up with a solution that was not a common practice due to the threat of COVID-19.

CATEGORY: Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation (Two Awards)

• Port Everglades
  • Harbormaster Tower Mural - The vividly-colored, nine-story mural was painted on the Port’s iconic Harbormaster Tower by Ernesto Maranje showcasing Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds and the American White Ibis, which are native birds to the County and convey an environmentally impactful message. The mural not only represents the connection between art and the community, but it also demonstrates the Port’s dedication to environmental stewardship. This mural is visible to visitors, workers, thousands of boaters who pass by daily, and residents who live within view of the Port.
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
  • In-Flight Public Art Mural on the North Runway’s Jet Blast Deflector - The Airport partnered with Cultural Division in 2019 to unveil an eye-catching mural, believed to be the first-of-its-kind on a newly-opened and rehabilitated runway. Marine and wildlife artist Peter Agardy created the 445-foot long by six-foot-high mural on the corrugated metal panel of the jet blast deflector which protects it from the exhaust blast as aircraft prepare for takeoff. Agardy’s portrayal reflects flight in nature and its juxtaposition with modern air travel. The artwork also includes Florida’s iconic sailfish, a school of flying fish, an egret in flight, and city skylines.

 CATEGORY: Information Technology

• Broward County Transit
  • Document and Memorandum Manager (DMM) Application - The DMM is a robust web-based application that improves the timeliness, accuracy and consistency for managers tracking and administering disciplinary measures for an extremely large, primarily unionized labor force. The software is linked to the Department’s accident/incident database, which stores information and documentation related to all accidents and/or incidents that have taken place within the agency, as well as the Department’s employee roster.

 CATEGORY: Human Services

• Animal Care and Adoption
  • Animal Care Doghouse Program – The program helps residents who are on the verge of giving up their pet due to major life-changing situations such as eviction, job loss, divorce and illness. The program provides basic help needed to properly care for their pets at home. The service provides food, medical care and/or proper sheltering for at-risk pets.

CATEGORY: Civic Education and Public Information

• Planning and Development Management Division
  • Crowdsource Data and Code Enforcement - Code enforcement transitioned to a shared responsibility between County government and its 31 municipalities addressing County-wide enforcement of COVID-19 emergency orders. This allowed the public to contact the County directly with concerns and in turn, track the results of their requests for service via a public-facing GIS dashboard. This project exemplifies intergovernmental collaboration, public crowdsourcing and the use of innovative technologies to share and analyze data with constituents and decision-makers.

CATEGORY: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
  • Pack the Fun, Not the Gun – Safety First Campaign - In October 2019, Aviation joined forces with local and federal law enforcement partners to launch a public awareness campaign to remind travelers it is illegal to enter a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) passenger screening checkpoint with a weapon. The intent was to convey a clear message that weapons and airports don’t mix.

CATEGORY: Health

• Broward Addiction and Recovery Center (BARC)
  • The BARC 23-Hour Triage Hold Bay - BARC developed an innovative service for persons 18 years and older affected by substance abuse. The service provides medical care and monitoring for up to 23 hours while waiting for space to open up in the inpatient detoxification unit or until the patient is stable enough for release. The program saves resources in transport, emergency department visits and potentially saves many lives.

CATEGORY: Libraries

• Broward County Libraries
  • Broward County Library’s Response to COVID-19: Using Data to Make a Difference - When the pandemic shut down buildings across the County, Libraries responded immediately by going virtual and transitioning into an online “branch,” providing outstanding customer service when the community needed it most. By expanding digital resources, offering online programs and enhancing customer communications through a targeted marketing campaign, Libraries not only ensured customers received seamless services, but there was also a surge of new digital card registrations, a rise in usage of the Library’s e-resources, and a dramatic increase in usage of the Library’s programming on its YouTube channel.

About the National Association of Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings and, enrich the public’s understanding of county government.

About the Office of Public Communications        
This team supports Broward County communications efforts for agencies in three areas. The Public Information section provides professional marketing, communications, digital design, audio visual and video production services, and is the County’s official liaison to media and members of the public. The 311 Call Center is a multi-lingual, one-stop shop for information about County services. The Print Shop provides printing services to County agencies and other governmental entities. For more information, follow us on Twitter.com/BrowardCounty, Twitter.com/ReadyBroward, Facebook and Instagram.

June 7, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Greg Meyer, Assistant Director
Office of Public Communications
954-357-8541
GMeyer@broward.org