Miami-Dade County nets 75 NACo Achievement Awards

Image via Miami-Dade County YouTube channel.

Florida’s most populous county scored big this year in the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) annual Achievement Awards.

The more than 2,350-member organization awarded 13 Miami-Dade County departments with 75 individual honors across a passel of categories.

“These awards reflect Miami-Dade County’s innovative spirit and relentless commitment to delivering excellence every day,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a statement. “I am so proud of the ongoing efforts to develop new and innovative programs that help streamline services to our community, and highlight what our county has to offer.”

No Miami-Dade agency received more recognition than its Information Technology Department, which swept up 25 awards including a “Best in Category” for its Public Safety Assessment program that analyzes pretrial data to predict the potential of future criminality.

“When used responsibly and with fidelity, the PSA promotes transparency and consistency and supports improved pretrial outcomes,” Miami-Dade personnel wrote.

The county’s library system took 15 awards, the second-most of any department, for programs such as STEAM-off in the Garden, NASA @ My Library, Writing Workshop for Tweens and Teens, and Living with Low Vision Seminar.

A Miami-Dade press note Monday said the 2023 Achievement Awards go to “local governments for implementing innovative local programs to improve service, achieve cost savings, help develop a better workforce and improve accountability.”

Other Miami-Dade departments that won NACo Achievement Awards include:

— Communications and Customer Experience Department: six awards.

— Department of Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces: five awards.

— Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources: five awards.

— Cultural Affairs Department: five awards.

— Community Action and Human Services: three awards.

— Internal Services Department: three awards.

— Office of Management and Budget: three awards.

— Police Department: two awards.

— Aviation Department: one award.

— PortMiami: one award.

— Department of Solid Waste: one award.

Nearby Palm Beach County also won a “Best in Category” award for Level Up, a mentoring and engagement program it operates in partnership with the United Way for at-risk youths. It was one of 32 awards Palm Beach earned this year.

Miami-Dade’s immediate neighbor to the north, Broward County, won 15 awards.

Click here for a full list of this year’s winners. NACo will begin accepting 2024 applications Nov. 20.