Miami-Dade Parks receives 2023 Governor’s Sterling Award

The Sterling Council has announced that Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department is a recipient of the Governor’s Sterling Award for 2023, the highest recognition an organization in Florida, public or private, can receive for performance excellence. The Parks Department is now a two-time recipient of the Governor’s Sterling Award, having previously won in 2009.  Parks Director Maria Nardi and her team attended the 31^st Annual Governor’s Sterling Award Banquet on Friday, June 2^nd in Orlando, Florida, where Miami-Dade County Parks was presented as a Sterling Role Model Organization.

“I am so proud of the work that Miami-Dade County Parks does every day and for this incredible well-deserved recognition,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “In Miami-Dade we’re committed to delivering excellence on behalf of our residents, and that includes running a stellar parks system. Parks are at the heart of building a healthier community and environment for everyone, and they are treasured spaces for the community to come together, participate in recreational activities, enjoy our beautiful natural environment or simply appreciate the power of nature.”

Miami-Dade County Parks is the third largest nationally accredited park system in the nation.  Its 2,700 employees steward 40,000+ acres of parks and natural areas, comprised of active, passive parklands and nature preserves.  It provides essential areawide and local services to the county’s nearly three million residents and 24 million visitors annually. These services include 17 miles of beaches, six nature centers, six marinas, five golf courses, three campgrounds, seven heritage parks, 60 recreation centers, hundreds of playgrounds, ballfields, courts, botanical gardens, and a world class zoo. Miami-Dade Parks has been accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) since 1995 and was the first large parks and recreation department in the country to achieve this distinction.  Its dedicated team of professionals work in partnership with over 100 community-based organizations and other business partners, including environmental and health organizations, the county’s major professional sports franchises and universities, to deliver park and recreation services across a large and diverse customer base, including children and youth, active older adults, and people with disabilities. 

“We are extremely proud to be recognized as a national role model organization by the leaders of performance excellence in the State of Florida with the Governor’s Sterling Award,” said Parks Director Maria I. Nardi. “This amazing achievement belongs to the team of Miami-Dade Parks employes, for their tireless efforts and dedication to the mission and purpose of this organization – to provide for the health, happiness and prosperity for all, through parks, recreation and open spaces.”

The Department’s capital, recreation and conservation programs serve as national benchmarks. The Miami-Dade County Parks and Open Space Masterplan is recognized as a national model for its community-based vision to transform Miami-Dade County into a more environmentally, socially, and economically resilient community through a connected system of parks, public spaces, natural and cultural areas, connected by greenways, blueways, and complete streets, designed as linear parks. Its Fit2Lead Parks Internship program for at-risk youth decreased crime by 30% in zip codes where it was implemented.  The Department’s conservation education program increases the environmental and climate change knowledge of over 50,000 residents annually, including 7,000 grade K-12 students who receive this education through Park’s EECO programs.  Miami-Dade Parks also contributes to lowering the heat index by increasing tree canopy, with 14,000 trees planted and 2,000 trees given away to county residents in 2022 alone.

The Department maintains a 92% level of customer satisfaction that exceeds national benchmarks across all facilities and programs.  Miami-Dade Parks employees are dedicated to connecting people and parks for life!

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About Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces:

Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces is the third largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 287 parks and 40,000+ acres of parks and natural areas, comprised of active, passive parklands and nature preserves. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world and focused on placemaking, health and fitness, and conservation and stewardship. Miami-Dade Parks is a recipient of numerous awards, both as an agency as a whole and for the accomplishments of its individual facilities and programs. It is one of only 199 park and recreation agencies to be CAPRA-accredited. It is also a two-time recipient of the Governor’s Sterling Award and the National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal Award for demonstrated excellence in long-range planning, resource management and agency recognition, among other accolades.

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About the Sterling Council:

The Sterling Council was formed in 1992, aligned with Florida Statutes 110.235 and 381.001, as a not-for-profit, public/private partnership supported by the Office of the Governor. Their core business is the management of the Sterling/Baldrige National Criteria for Performance Excellence as a member of the National Alliance for Performance Excellence. Their extensive Examiner performance excellence professionals and Board of Directors, ensure the maintenance of exceptionally high standards and best practices through their assessment process, saving organizations and the states of Florida and Georgia millions of dollars annually.