Project Awards

2025 Nomination Window Now Open

Eligible planning projects are those completed within the last two years in Florida. An awards application should be submitted in electronic format and include a copy of the planning document (if applicable) and a completed application form.

Incomplete applications or those not received in the APA Florida Chapter office by the deadline will not be considered. The award recipients will be notified by early July of their selection. Those selected for an Award of Excellence will be requested to provide a short video for the awards ceremony. The Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit will be presented to the recipients at the opening morning session of the 2025 Florida Planning Conference.

Nominations will be evaluated for the award category in which they are submitted. However, the Awards Committee may upon a majority vote, move a nomination to a different category, if appropriate. Generally, only one Award of Excellence and one Award of Merit are granted per category each year. If the Awards Committee finds that none of the nominations in a particular category meets the desirable standards, they may opt not to grant an award in that category for that year. The jurors make the distinction between Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit based on several factors including scoring, innovation, superior quality, transferability, and other factors.

There is a fee for each application submitted: $50 for members; and $75 for nonmembers.

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Review nomination eligibility, criteria, deadlines, etc., here

2024 Project Award Recipients

Best Practices

Award of Excellence – Southside Action Plan (City of Tallahassee)
Award of Excellence – Heritage at Risk (Miami-Dade County)
Award of Excellence – Lake Wales Envisioned (City of Lake Wales)

Implementation Project Award

Award of Excellence – Southwest Greenways and Debbie Lightsey Nature Park (City of Tallahassee)
Award of Merit – Southport Turning Notch Expansion (Broward County | Port Everglades)

Grassroots Initiative

Award of Excellence – Building a Network of Citizen Planners in Florida (1000 Friends of Florida)

Comprehensive Plan (Large)

Award of Excellence – Mobility Section of the City of Tampa Comprehensive Plan

Comprehensive Plan (Small)

Award of Merit – City of Punta Gorda Comprehensive Plan 2045

Innovation in Planning for All Ages

Award of Excellence – 20 is Plenty: Residential Speed Reduction Study (City of Jacksonville)

Student Award

Award of Excellence – Four Points (University of South Florida)
Award of Merit – Enhancing Regional Transportation Planning in Rural Areas (Florida State University)

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