The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department has earned national accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). The formal announcement was made at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) 2011 Congress and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department was reaccredited in 2016 and in 2021. The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department is only one of a few agencies in the country to receive national accreditation, which confirms an agency’s commitment to quality and efficiency.

CAPRA recognizes park and recreation agencies for excellence in operation and service while providing assurance to the public that the agency meets national standards of best practice. CAPRA’s standards for national accreditation provide an authoritative assessment tool for park and recreation agencies. Through compliance with the standards of excellence, CAPRA accreditation assures that an agency has been independently evaluated against established benchmarks as delivering a high level of quality.

CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies. Accreditation is a five-year cycle that includes three phases: development of the agency self-assessment report, the on-site visitation, and the Commission’s review and decision. Within each of the four years between on-site visits, the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department must submit an annual report that addresses its continued compliance with the accreditation standards.

The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department serves the seventh largest city in Florida with a population of nearly 180,000. Blessed with over 3,000 hours of sunshine each year and pleasant year-round ocean breezes, the agency offers premier opportunities for recreation, relaxation and enjoyment by providing a safe, superior environment and unique, quality programming for our diverse community.

For more information on the Commission for Accreditation for Park and Recreation Agencies, please visit the National Recreation and Parks Association website.

The City of Fort Lauderdale has captured the prestigious All-America City Award! Established in 1949, the All-America City Award recognizes cities, counties, towns, neighborhoods, and metropolitan areas across the country for exemplary community-based problem solving and civic engagement efforts that involve public, private, and non-profit entities.

The National Civic League commended Fort Lauderdale for numerous projects that demonstrate outstanding civic engagement, cross sector collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation. An array of Parks and Recreation programs that promote healthy active lifestyles were recognized including: Wise Kids, the Presidential Challenge, First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign, the Fit Kidz Club, and the City's after-school programs and youth camps.

Three major initiatives taking place in the community were highlighted as examples of positive meaningful change:

• The Dillard Innovation Zone Promise Neighborhood, an initiative of the Broward Regional Health Planning Council (BRHPC), that is cultivating community and business collaborations to support school improvement, health service interventions, mentoring, enhanced classroom technology, reading and literacy initiatives at Dillard Elementary School and initiating innovative solutions to reinvigorate a neighborhood in need.
    
• The redevelopment of Flagler Village, a downtown neighborhood that has been transformed from a desolate and abandoned warehouse district into a vibrant center for arts and culture. The revitalized area features unique businesses including a master puppeteer, media and photography company, event planning and marketing business, advertising agency, theatre troupe, and an innovative landscape architecture firm. Flagler Village's popular monthly Art Walks are a celebration of the neighborhood's innovation, vision and urban lifestyle, as well as a strong sign of the area's rebirth.
    
• Northwest Gardens, a neighborhood development located in the City's Northwest Community Redevelopment Area, is a model affordable housing project that showcases social, environmental, health, engagement, and economic sustainability. Spearheaded by the City of Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority in partnership with community members, private sector developers, and non-profit organizations, Northwest Gardens was the first LEED-ND Certified Neighborhood in Florida. The project promotes healthy living by providing residents with places to walk and bike safely, community gardens and fruit trees, energy efficient housing, solar streetlights, self-sufficiency training, job training, and cultural activities.

Fort Lauderdale was also lauded for its Complete Streets policy, which was recently ranked #1 in Florida and #3 in the nation; a wheelchair tennis program at George English Park; a walking club at Carter Park; and the hundreds of sports, programs, and community activities that have taken place during the past year at the new Orange Bowl Field at Carter Park.

Once described by pollster George Gallup as the "Nobel Prize" for civic accomplishment, the All-America City awards have been given to more than 650 communities since the program's inception 65 years ago. Communities vying for the designation submit applications to the National Civic League listing three examples of successful community change and describing their capacities for civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness and innovation. Finalists present to a jury of civic experts who select the annual award winners.

This national recognition affirms that the City's strategic planning, infrastructure enhancements, and community investments are paying off, and stand as a clear indication of Fort Lauderdale's strength and confidence moving forward.

The National Civic League (NCL) is a 120-year old nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Denver, Colorado. Its mission is accomplished by fostering and sharing promising practices of local government and public engagement and celebrating the progress that can be achieved when people work together.  For more information, visit the All-America City Blog at www.allamericacityaward.com or the NCL web site at www.ncl.org.

The Clean Beaches Coalition today releases an annual list of beaches which have been officially certified as clean, healthy and environmentally well managed. Fort Lauderdale Beach is proud to be included on the annual list. 

Every year, American families travel to the coast to enjoy the ocean breezes, playing on sandy beaches, fishing in the open seas, or surfing with our children.  Annually, Americans make over two billion visits to ocean, gulf, and inland beaches. Coastal counties, including beach recreation and tourism contribute over $7 trillion dollars annually to the U.S. economy.

“While Americans are coming back to the beach this summer in the midst of covid-19 precautions, the importance of public health and safety first command our attention in beach communities and businesses across the country.” stated Walter McLeod, founder of the Clean Beaches Coalition.  He pointed to the Blue Wave mark as a symbol of the need to protect our beaches and public health simultaneously.

Blue Wave is the first environmental certification program for beaches in the U.S. Now in its 20th year, the program is recognized as a reliable benchmark for well-maintained beaches and eco-friendly tourism.

For more information about Blue Wave Beaches, visit the Clean Beaches Coalition website. 

The City of Fort Lauderdale has received national recognition as a Playful City USA community from the non-profit organization KaBOOM! Today’s children spend less time playing outside than any previous generation, but the City of Fort Lauderdale has earned the national title due to its efforts to increase play opportunities for local children.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is critical to healthy brain development. It allows children to use their creativity while simultaneously developing imagination and dexterity as well as physical, cognitive and emotional strength. However, today’s children spend less time playing outside than any previous generation in part because only 1-in-5 live within walking distance of a park or playground. The resulting play deficit is having profound consequences for kids physically, socially and academically.

Each of the Playful City USA communities demonstrated creative commitments to addressing the play deficit. Playful City USA celebrates and highlights these unique initiatives developed by communities across the country. A primary goal of Playful City USA is to encourage cities and towns to share ideas, concepts and programs in an effort to increase play opportunities for children.

KaBOOM! selected Fort Lauderdale for its outstanding dedication to play. The Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department and the School Board of Broward County negotiated a five-year agreement for shared use of parks and school facilities. The city hopes to expand opportunities to play by negotiating joint use agreements with other area schools in addition to the six existing agreements

"Some of the most innovative concepts and cost-effective programs are being developed in Playful City USA communities," says Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM!, "Cities like Fort Lauderdale are key allies in the fight to combat the play deficit and serve as outstanding role models for government and community leaders across the country."

KaBOOM!, the national non-profit organization dedicated to saving play, created Playful City USA in 2007 to help local governments address the play deficit and it is through mayors, city council members, parks and recreation departments, school districts and community leaders that the program succeeds in benefiting children.

For more information on the Playful City USA program, visit the KaBOOM! website.

The Tree City USA program has been greening up cities and towns across America since 1976. It is a nationwide movement that provides the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand their public trees.

More than 3,400 communities have made the commitment to becoming a Tree City USA. They have achieved Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrating Arbor Day.

For more information on the Tree City USA program, visit the Arbor Day Foundation website.