Meet the 2026 Finalists
APA Florida is excited to announce the four finalists for the 2026 Great Places in Florida People’s Choice Award, celebrating public spaces that foster connection, care, and community identity. This year’s theme, Great People-Focused Places, highlights places that reflect the deep ties between people and place – spaces that tell stories, honor culture, and create everyday belonging.
Thank you to our judges:
- Nousheen Rahman
- Ivy Lupco
- Sofia Garantiva
- Regina Maihan
- Olivia Colone
- Linda Zambito
- Chelsea Maida
- Sheeba West
From Sept. 1 through Sept. 30 Floridians are invited to vote for one of four inspiring finalists:
City of Bonita Springs
The City of Bonita Springs, with a population of 57,634 residents, has successfully transformed its historic Old 41 Road corridor into a premier model for human-scale urbanism. Aligned perfectly with the award theme of Great People-Focused Places, the project prioritizes human experience. Completed in 2017, the project earned recognition from the National Complete Streets Coalition as one of only 12 exemplary communities nationwide. Driven by bold Form-Based Code, the city's strategic public-private partnerships have sparked a boom of development, drawing landmark projects directly to the street front.
Beneath the surface, a regional stormwater system and Felts Avenue Bioreactor shield the delicate Imperial River ecosystem; this pioneering infrastructure won the 2020 Florida League of Cities Municipal Achievement Award. Above ground, innovative day-to-night placemaking assets—including a new interactive splash pad fountain, a turfed Riverside Park, and inclusive seasonal strolls—draw over 50,000 visitors, creating a vibrant, and profoundly people-focused civic heart.
Harrison Avenue, Downtown Panama City
Harrison Avenue is the Main Street of Panama City’s historic downtown. Its growth began in the early 1900s after the city’s incorporation. While Harrison Avenue stretches from downtown Panama City to north of Baldwin Road in Bay County, the historic downtown segment runs from E 6th Street/Business Highway 98 to Government Street along St. Andrews Bay, covering 2,439 feet (0.48 miles). This corridor has long incorporated key placemaking features, including strong building-to-street relationships, historic architecture, and access to St. Andrews Bay. After Hurricane Michael, revitalization efforts centered on resilience, downtown living and activity, connectivity, sustainability, and placemaking. Harrison Avenue has been and remains a great people-focused place.
Palm City Place & Patio
Palm City Place & Patio transformed an overlooked stormwater site into the welcoming public space envisioned in the Old Palm City Community Redevelopment Plan more than twenty years ago. Shaped through years of public input, the project created the civic heart Palm City had long been missing.
Today, the 20-acre destination brings together scenic walking trails, a freshwater fishing pier, shaded gathering areas, recreational amenities, and year-round community events that invite residents and visitors to gather, connect, and enjoy everyday life. Palm City Place & Patio demonstrates how community-driven planning can transform underutilized land into a vibrant public space that strengthens community identity, supports nearby businesses, and gives people reasons to arrive, stay, explore, and return.
Wellington Town Center
The Village of Wellington Town Center is the civic and social heart of one of Florida's premier planned communities. More than a collection of public buildings, Town Center is where community life unfolds every day. Anchored by Village Hall, the Wellington Community Center, the Wellington Amphitheater, Scott's Place Barrier-Free Playground, and the Lake Wellington Boardwalk and Promenade, it is a place where residents gather to celebrate, recreate, govern, volunteer, and connect.
Throughout the year, thousands attend concerts, festivals, public meetings, holiday celebrations, fitness activities, and family events in an environment designed for people of all ages and abilities. By combining civic services, recreation, natural beauty, universal accessibility, and community programming into one walkable destination, Wellington Town Center exemplifies a people-focused public space that strengthens community identity, encourages civic participation, and creates lasting memories for generations of residents. It has truly become the place where people come to gather and govern.