Central Broward News

Awards recognize communication and outreach by County agencies

The County has won 19 National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) Awards of Excellence in 2022, more than any other county in the country. This includes six Superior/Best in Class awards. The annual competition recognizes the quality of public information and education outreach campaigns by County governments.

Eight Broward County agencies were recognized including the Aviation Department, Building Code Division, Cultural Division, Libraries Division, Human Resources Division, Natural Resources Division, the Office of Public Communications and Parks and Recreation Division.

Find a detailed list of the awards and links to the winning entries here. The 2022 awards include:

Six Superior/Best in Class Awards

• Cultural Division: Public Art @FLL is available to passengers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and maps the location of select public art displays.
• Libraries Division: The 2021 summer magazine entitled Tails & Tales promoted summer learning programs for students. The magazine showcased community services such as story times, take-and-make crafts available during the pandemic, free meal programs and health and wellness classes.
        Libraries Division also won for its website Broward.org/Library, a 24/7 virtual "branch" providing a complete range of online library services, programs and resources.

• Natural Resources Division: The Character Education e-newsletter is geared for families, students and teachers, with information about County programs and events related to clean air and the environment.  
• Office of Public Communications: Please PAW-tect Us Too, a hurricane preparation guide for families with pets, containing information regarding pet-friendly shelters and emergency "go-kit" suggestions for pets.
  Office of Public Communications also won for @ReadyBroward Twitter feed featuring real-time updates regarding the supply and distribution of COVID-19 at-home test kits.

Seven Excellence Awards

• Building Code Division: A Guide for Owners of Elevating Devices brochure details County requirements regarding elevator permitting, inspection and safety. Following the distribution of the brochure, the County saw a decrease in inquiries from elevator owners.
• Natural Resources: Landscaping on the Edge is a user-friendly reference guide featuring best practices for planting and information about native plants, emergent plants and agency programs.
• Libraries Division: The Stay Connected e-newsletter was sent to the community during the initial stages of the pandemic promoting free online library resources.
  Libraries Division: also won for Broward County FLLibrary, a satellite library in Broward County's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with custom graphic design creating a sense of serenity in the busy airport and guiding guests to special QR codes on the wall that access the library's streaming video and audio collections.

• Aviation Department: The internal newsletter BCAD Office Move Update was distributed to employees and included information about the relocation of their offices in 2020, from several off-site complexes into new consolidated workspaces in Terminal 4.
• Office of Public Communications: A series of seven public service announcement videos encouraging members of the community to get vaccinated throughout the various stages of the pandemic.
• Parks and Recreation Division:  Urban Oasis Documentary Video Series about the Herman and Dorothy Shooster Nature Preserves fascinating history. The piece highlights the County's commitment to preserving natural areas and educational programs designed to encourage residents to embrace the Broward County's native lands.

Six Meritorious Awards  

• Building Code Division: A well-designed badge capturing the Division's new identity and location. Building Code Division provides regional elevator permitting, enforcement and compliance, contractor licensing and enforcement and permitting.
• Natural Resources Division: @BrowardENV Instagram feed established purely for environmental content to increase community outreach. Information shared on the channel ranges from air quality updates and sustainable living to information about manatee and sea turtle seasons.
• Human Resources Division: Broward.org/NewHires website for new employees of Broward County featuring everything new hires need to know about benefits, retirement and employee incentive program.

         Human Resources also won for the We've Got You Covered newsletter for

         employees explaining County health benefits and coverage including health

         dental, vision and life insurance plans.

• Libraries Division: Daughters of Miss Lou photo taken in 2019 at the Louise Bennett-Coverley Festival in honor of Jamaican poet and literary figure Louise Bennett-Coverley capturing the exuberance of a live performance.
• Cultural Division: 2020 Annual Cultural Forum, a virtual event celebrating the agency's accomplishments of the past year.

"It is truly an honor to see our Broward County agencies receive the recognition they deserve for their dedication and hard work as recognized by their peers through the national NACIO awards," said County Administrator Monica Cepero. "It's a great indicator of the excellent work our teams perform for the community every day."

NACIO is an affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo). The County also received 11 NACO awards in 2022, which recognize innovative, effective and efficient County Commission programs and services.

Original source can be found here.