Port St. Lucie - Thursday March 30, 2023: The National Civic League has named the City of Port St. Lucie as a finalist for the 2023 All-America City Award.
The prestigious 2023 All-America City Awards honor communities that are working to improve the health and well-being of young people, with particular attention to efforts that engage young people in this work.
Democracy thrives when all residents are active and engaged in the policies and decisions that shape their lives. The 2023 awards seek to identify communities that are breaking down barriers to meaningful youth participation and enacting programs that will improve quality of life for youth, and, by extension, all members of the community.
“This City of Port St. Lucie is honored and excited to be among one of only 20 cities in the nation selected by the National Civic League as a finalist,” said Kate Parmelee, the City’s Director of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation. “We appreciate that this respected organization has recognized all the work the City Council and staff have done in the past five years to build an engaging government organization, where the input from residents truly helps shape the future of their city.”
Since 1949, the National Civic League has recognized ten communities annually with the highly respected All-America City Award. This years’ finalists are: Charlotte, NC, Dallas, TX , Davie County, NC, Decatur , GA, Fayetteville, NC; Franklin Township, NJ; Fulton, MO; Gardena, CA; Gonzales, CA; Hampton, VA; Independence, OH; Mesa, AZ; Monrovia, CA; Mount Pleasant, SC; New York, NY; Port St. Lucie, FL; Redwood City, CA; Saginaw, TX; San Antonio, TX and Wellington, FL
Finalist communities, representing 12 states, range in size from 4,700 residents to over 8 million. The finalists share a common bond of building the civic capacity of young people.
Finalists were selected after a competitive review process based on the criteria of shared vision, civic engagement, inclusiveness and equity, collaboration, innovation, and impact, according to the National Civic League.
Each finalist submitted a robust application discussing the strengths of their civic capital—the formal and informal relationships, networks and capacities they use to make decisions and solve problems—and providing examples of three community-driven projects or programs that have adapted and transformed the community.
Port St. Lucie’s application focused on its annual Citizen Summit and its citizen-driven strategic planning process; an extensive array of youth engagement activities, including Government Week, utility outreach in schools, police department youth outreach and many others; and the success of the Southern Grove jobs corridor.
The winning cities will be announced June 11.