Tampa, FL - The Planning Commission is proud to announce the winners of our 40th Annual Planning & Design Awards presented by TECO. This celebration of excellence in planning and design in Hillsborough County was held on Thursday, October 27, 2022. Our annual awards program aligns with the many national festivities held during the American Planning Association's National Community Planning Month. Established in 2006, #PlanningMonth highlights the role of planners and the importance of good community planning.

The event was held at the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center, winner of the Jan Abell Award for Outstanding Contribution in Historic Preservation at the Planning Commission's 35th Annual Planning and Design Awards presented by TECO in 2017. Photographs of the event and award winners can be viewed in an album on the Planning Commission's Facebook page.

The Planning Commission has been recognizing excellence in planning and design for 40 years. Created to inspire and promote good practices that would turn the challenges that come with growth into opportunities for the Cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City and unincorporated Hillsborough County, this annual awards program was born almost out of necessity. Learn more about the inspiration for this well-respected tradition in a brief 40th Anniversary video.

Award winners were selected by a panel of distinguished judges from outside of Hillsborough County. Five Awards of Merit, four Awards of Excellence, four Awards of Outstanding Contribution to the Community, and one Judges Choice Award were presented by Brendan McLaughlin, who has hosted this event since 2009.

Award winners were selected by a panel of distinguished judges from outside of Hillsborough County. Five Awards of Merit, four Awards of Excellence, four Awards of Outstanding Contribution to the Community, and one Judges Choice Award were presented by Brendan McLaughlin, who has hosted this event since 2009.

• Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners
• Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management Department
• Hillsborough County Water Resources Department
• SCS Engineers

Grass clippings, leaves, tree trimmings yard waste is typically hauled away for private disposal, while wastewater by-products, known as biosolids, are trucked to regional landfills. To plan for more efficient regional growth, and to maximize return on the use of tax-payer dollars, Hillsborough County began planning an innovative approach to disposal of these waste streams in 2014. After years of planning, researching markets, and operating a proof-of-concept pilot program by the Solid Waste Management and the Water Resources Departments, Hillsborough County constructed the largest biosolids composting operation under one roof in the state of Florida at the Southeast County Landfill in 2019. The Biosolids Composting Facility now converts the two waste streams into a marketable commercial scale compost product, certified as the highest quality available by the US Composting Council. Aligning with multiple Solid Waste System Objectives outlined in the Unincorporated Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan, this inter-departmental collaboration leads by example. It leverages waste as a resource, diverts waste from the landfill, reduces disposal vehicle miles traveled, and improves infrastructure resilience. Taking reduce, reuse, and recycle to the extreme… Currently, the Solid Waste Management Department repurposes approximately half of the biosolids generated at water treatment plants to produce up to 35,000 tons of compost annually, generating a savings of almost $300,000 each year. Add the estimated annual savings in biosolids transportation and disposal fees in excess of $700,000 after labor and operations costs, and top that off with a yard waste disposal fees savings of about $200,000 per year. It seems trash truly can be turned into a community treasure to the tune of about $1.2 million each year! With an initial capital investment of $6.2 million dollars, the composting facility will break even in 2025, while simultaneously reducing landfill reliance for the life of the facility. After great consideration, the judges could see only the plus side of this rather elaborate tent. Beyond the obvious economic benefit, the compost is used locally within Hillsborough County, returning a product with value where waste was once generated. This innovative investment is already hard at work creating a more sustainable future for County citizens and our precious environment!

• Fehr & Peers
• Patel, Green & Associates, LLC
• Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization

Building on the Vision Zero Action Plan and the Speed Management Action Plan adopted by the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization, the Safe Access to Parks study developed a pilot process to improve park access with a focus on walking and bicycling safety. A process to identify and implement transportation safety improvements and speed management around parks in urban, suburban, and rural settings was created. Parks were selected based on a data driven approach that took equity and transportation safety factors into account. Each park selected broadly represented the variety in more than 440 parks located throughout Hillsborough County. An existing conditions assessment included field reviews that looked at transportation barriers and challenges within the vicinity of each park. Vehicle travel speed, transit stops, sidewalk density, crash locations, and other data were also considered. Significant media coverage and public engagement including surveys, a customized online mapping tool to track specific problem areas, stakeholder group meetings held virtually, and even in-person ‘Trick or Treat’ engagement sessions at the parks were among the tools used to boost public input from communities that may not have been previously engaged in planning. A toolbox of safety countermeasures resulted from the study with strategies for walking and bicycle facilities, intersection and roadway design, traffic signals, signage, and striping. Options for low-cost and quick-build treatments were also identified, making it easier for the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and the Florida Department of Transportation to implement near- and long-term transportation improvements. Finally, the process to replicate the study was carefully documented, so others will have the tools to conduct similar studies at other facilities throughout the region. The judges could see a wide and clear path towards implementing improvements to increase safe access to parks through this study. They loved how it was tailored to different type of parks, especially promoting safety in communities with the greatest need. They loved the creative public engagement and detailed study to address paramount concerns to make our community a safer place to walk, bike, and play!

Founded in 1990, the Community Foundation Tampa Bay connects donors, nonprofits, community and business leaders, professional advisors, volunteers, and residents to make the maximum positive impact in the Tampa Bay region. Dedicated to making giving easy and meaningful for donors as a way to strengthen nonprofit organizations and build a better, more vibrant community, they have awarded more than $354 million in grants to nonprofits. In March 2020, the world was literally shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Society’s most vulnerable had fewer options than ever as they struggled to survive. Nonprofit organizations were finding it very difficult to address the seemingly unsurmountable needs. The Community Foundation Tampa Bay worked harder than ever before to find a solution. A unique idea emerged and was fully developed into a working model. The Nonprofit Needs List was designed to systematically catalog needs relayed by community nonprofits. This was not a competitive grant process, rather a new way to share specific needs among established fundholders and other community philanthropists. A Fundholder Match Program and the Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund were established. During the deployment of the Nonprofit Needs List, more than 450 grants were distributed to over 270 Nonprofits totaling more than $4.5 million from donors and partners to fund those needs. The average award was almost $10,000. Over 765,000 local residents were provided services including over 620,000 meals; almost 50,000 people received access to arts and culture; over 29,000 received personal protection equipment; over 28,000 received physical or mental health services; and almost 24,000 received education or training. Another 14,500 local residents received domestic violence counseling, career counseling, personal financial assistance, transportation services, and operational support. In addition, over 2,000 animals received support from the Nonprofit Needs List grants. The judges were extremely impressed with this heartwarming public engagement and investment program, and how the Community Foundation Tampa Bay mobilized to move mountains to expedite a way to fill people's urgent needs. Exceeding all expectations during an unprecedented time, the judges were thrilled to learn that a permanent Critical Needs List evolved from the Nonprofit Needs List, allowing for continued dynamic and transparent grant making dedicated to helping people, places, and programs throughout the Tampa Bay region!

• University Area CDC
• Blue Sky Communities
• Florida Housing Finance Corporation
• Hillsborough County BOCC

For more than a decade, the University Area Community Development Corporation has worked to revitalize the University Area Community through redevelopment and rehabilitation as well as services that support permanent community sustainability and build the collective efficacy of the neighborhood. This area has been plagued with high crime, poverty, and a lack of basic resources for decades. To tackle this, organizations and partners have been woven together so those who believe in hard work and self-reliance can achieve remarkable heights. In partnership with Blue Sky Communities, the Uptown Sky development at the intersection of 12th Street and Fletcher Avenue will be a four-story, 61-unit, apartment complex, consisting of two and three bedroom floor plans with a total of 65,000 leasable square feet. With a planned opening of February 2023, Uptown Sky’s amenities will include a pool, a playground, a computer room and business center. But here’s where things get even better, Uptown Sky will also have classroom space and offices for the UACDC embedded in the residential community. These affordable apartment homes will aid low-income families by improving the quality of their homes, reducing their cost burden, and increasing their access to transit and other services. Eighteen units are dedicated to families at 50% Area Median Income. Thirty are at 60% AMI, and 13 units are reserved for 70% AMI. The project will maintain its affordability for a period of no less than 30 years. The jury was delighted to see truly affordable housing that does not look like it is affordable. They loved the outreach to 400 area residents seeking input on their needs. With a nod to an innovative partnership and inclusion of a supportive hub within the residential development, the judges were ready to sign a lease for building a community dedicated to creating opportunities for everyone!

• Jerel McCants Architecture
• Austin Structural Group
• C2E Solutions

Older Tampa residents recalled a cemetery being in the location of what is now King High School's gymnasium and agriculture area on campus. Hillsborough County Public Schools learned of this and wanted to pay respect and honor the nearly 150 graves belonging mostly to Black men, women, and children rediscovered under the school in late 2019. Records show almost 270 people were buried at the former Ridgewood Cemetery pauper’s burial ground at the time it was deeded to the School District in the late 1950s. Jerel McCants took the District’s request to find a way to honor and create awareness about this former cemetery to heart. “Once burial grounds are disturbed that kind of limits that trans-configuration from earthly or physical realm to the spiritual realm,” he said. “So, that’s what I was trying to do. Restore the connection.” And that, he has done. His inspirational design features a diamond-shaped reflecting pool surrounding a simple structure with a lot of deep meaning as the focal point of the one-acre site. The pond is a place for the students and public to visit and meditate within this once-again sacred space acknowledging those originally buried here. At the center of the pond is a pedestal of polished stacked stones holding up two wing-like pieces of aluminum covered in oxidized bronze. The wings represent both the wings of a dove – a symbol for peace and the soul’s release from earth – as well as hands releasing the dove. They also symbolize hands held in prayer. The judges were deeply touched by this design and gave it a rarely used Judges Choice Award for this artistic, thoughtful, and respectful, historic marker for our community.

• Alliant Partners
• Metro Inclusive Health & CAN Community Health
• AiC Architecture
• Kreher Barna Design Studio

Constructed in 1908, the German American Club was once a symbol of discrimination. Today, it is a symbol of inclusion and hope. The renovation and addition to the historic 16,400 square foot building in Ybor City now serves as the Tampa headquarters for Metro Inclusive Health and CAN Community Health. These nonprofits provide full-service healthcare with a focus on HIV, the LGBTQ community, and the under-insured and uninsured. The ground floor that once housed the building’s fitness center and indoor pool now services the community with offices, therapy rooms, and meeting spaces. Double-glazed panes maintain the open feeling while providing both sound and visual privacy. The two-story grand theater space is now a multipurpose hall that acts as a training and conference center as well as a venue that can be rented for community fundraisers. A new 15,000 square foot three-story addition preserves the original building’s form, envelope, and massing that differentiate from the historic structure while using compatible materials, lines, details, scale, and proportion. A glass connector provides a clear distinction between the old and new and minimizes the physical impact to the historic building caused by the construction. The original structure used precast concrete module block that, at the time of the building’s completion, was an uncommon construction method for the Ybor City Historic District. For the new addition, the exterior now clad in a brick veneer mixed with white cast stone banding and water table complements the original building and the neighborhood. The judges loved this adaptive reuse not only for promoting historic preservation, but also for effectively and creatively providing space for nonprofit organizations to provide vital care to those in need in our city. 

• Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners
• Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation Department

The definition of restoration and rejuvenation, this park was originally built on a county landfill. The park became home to the East Bay Little League established in 1971 with over 700 participants. When the former landfill site began to settle in the late 1990s, the Little League complex was moved across the street and the site was converted into a five-acre dog park. In 2020, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners approved a $1.5 million renovation of the park’s amenities to enhance the customer experience. At the heart of the renovation was the concept of creating an environment where everyone who comes to the park is on equal ground. Game on. Now, there is a newly installed 8,000 square foot accessible playground and renovated dog parks. There are two new shelters, new seating areas, four-square and chalk art areas, new basketball courts, and new landscaping, shade structures, and rest rooms. It even features a 51,000 square foot drone racing park complete with metal obstacles, start and finish gates, and a repair zone. Used for both tournaments and recreation, Mango Park boasts one of only two specialized drone parks in the state of Florida. The County planted its’ first fruit orchard here, designed in cooperation with the University of Florida’s IFAS program. Kids enrolled in the County’s Parks & Recreation after-school program enjoy healthy eating with fresh native Florida fruit they learn about and help grow. It was no surprise to the judges that attendance at the Mango Park & Recreation Center has increased exponentially… by more than 300% in the past year! They applauded Hillsborough County for creating a special place where individuals of all abilities and backgrounds in our community can relax, congregate, and recreate.

• City of Tampa, FL
• Garney Construction
• Hazen and Sawyer

The San Carlos Pumping Station is one of the City of Tampa's main pump stations. Thanks to this rehabilitation project, it now has an upgraded raw sewage capacity of 55 million gallons per day to better manage Tampa’s needs now and in the future. It will also better handle extreme wet weather scenarios that come our way. This progressive design-build project required the complete removal and replacement of all existing pumps, piping, valves, electrical and instrumentation systems, and retrofit of the wet wells to add submersible pumps. Located in the heart of a neighborhood with three schools located on the same street and a tight jobsite footprint, this monumental task was accomplished while the pump station remained active and with the least disruption to daily neighborhood life. Extensive planning, multiple phases of construction, and maintenance of plant operations was imperative. Architectural and landscaping designs improving the exterior appearance of the building were included as well as a new community park. Extensive neighborhood engagement included several open house meetings, door hangars, a 24-hour hotline for any construction noise or odor issues. A live updated project progress website provided ongoing two-way communication. The neighbors provided input impacting a multitude of design elements including the final look of the pump station, the finished landscaping, and the noise and odor abatement measures put in place ensuring the pump station will be a good neighbor for years to come. The judges were all pumped up about the exemplary public engagement, communications, design of the project as it addressed neighborhood concerns, and the incredible organization of this mammoth project. The San Carlos Pumping Station Rehabilitation delivers on 100% redundancy by upgrading critical infrastructure that was more than 40 years old to improve quality of life in our community. This incredible investment will directly contribute to Tampa's economic growth, safety, and sustainability.

• Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management Department
• Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste
• City of Tampa Department of Solid Waster & Environmental Program Management
• City of St. Petersburg Sanitation Department

Representatives from Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, City of Tampa, and City of St. Petersburg’s solid waste departments made history by collaborating to develop regional messages to reduce recycling contamination and waste generation which has since been emulated in other parts of the state. In 2017, these partners established a regional campaign with the goal to make it easier to understand recycling rules that will result in behavior changes that reduce contamination in the regional recycling stream. Coordinating use of resources and platforms together, messaging focuses on common contaminants in all four municipal recycling streams; reinforces environmentally sustainable and fiscally responsible waste management; and establishes a single messaging resource at TampaBayRecycles.org for directing residents to the appropriate recycling guidelines within Tampa Bay. Partner governments supported the campaign through using and sharing campaign materials and by securing additional strategic media placements. The campaign developed multimedia messaging that plastic bags and film are not recyclable across Tampa Bay. These same partners collaborated again in 2019 to launch ReduceYourUseTampaBay.org to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of single-use plastics. Encouraging residents and businesses to reduce waste targeting single-use plastics in particular, a key feature of the campaign is the Individual and Business Pledges committing to waste reduction. Businesses are recognized by the campaign and its members for cutting waste in their operations. Dozens of businesses have joined and thousands of individuals have taken the pledge. The judges were all in on this regional environmental collaboration, citing it as a great model for other regions in Florida and around the nation. They called this creative partnership phenomenal and a great illustration of what can be achieved when we all work together.

• Barbaricum, Inc.
• Wilder Architecture, Inc.
• Mainstay Construction

This historic brick building in Ybor’s Barrio Latino National Historic Landmark District, has had many lives, ranging from a wholesale grocer to a furniture showroom, but has stood vacant for the last decade. It features three metal casement windows overlooking 8th Avenue, the only original openings in this 98 foot deep, zero-lot line building. The goal was to sensitively renovate and refresh this historic building by creating a new modern office space for a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, while celebrating its historic fabric. The ground floor is reimagined as a flexible work collaboration space that doubles as an event space complete with a new catering space with a kitchen and bar. The existing concrete floor has been polished and sealed. The second floor is a more traditional office environment, with a mix of open and private offices, conference rooms, and break-out spaces. New partitions allow the original wood truss system and brick shell to visibly run continuously through the space. New historically sensitive skylights introduce natural light deep into the workspace. The existing elevator shaft extends to the new rooftop patio overlooking the TECO Line streetcar. The judges were impressed with the modern design repurposing a historic space into a building that helps meet the needs for so many. They appreciated the dedication and great care taken in meeting historic standards as well as the community’s needs.

• Hillsborough County Public Schools
• WILDER ARCHITECTURE
• CORE / HORUS CONSTRUCTION

This 165,000 square foot public school provides a full complement of educational and athletic facilities to serve students ranging in age from Pre-K through 8th grade. The project’s primary goal was to develop a cost-effective strategy for the design of a high-density state-of-the-art STEM magnet school on a compact 16-acre site. The administration and classroom buildings create a welcoming and secure campus edge at the drive and student drop-off areas. Major entry points are punctuated by color and texture. The campus plan incorporates carefully considered courtyards, exterior gathering areas, open exterior stairs, bridges, breezeways, learning gardens, a space-defining solar umbrella outside the cafeteria, and an exterior covered walkway system uniting all major circulation components. The well-landscaped courtyard connects the primary campus entries at the bus and student drop-off areas. Designed to offer a variety of unique spaces for students to learn informally, gather for programmed activities, and to socialize, shade structures and landscaped areas also encourage social interaction and learning outside of the traditional classroom. The judges gave high marks for this efficient design strategy created a beautiful, community-oriented campus that can serve as a model for others as it used only 60% of the land typically used for schools, while still providing engaging outdoor spaces for students and the entire community. 

• City of Plant City Mayor Nathan A. Kilton
• Plant City City Commission
• Bill McDaniel, City Manager
• David Burnett, Fire Chief

Preserving the Past. Embracing the Future. Two concepts seemingly at odds, uniting to form the official motto and a way of life for the City of Plant City. A vivid example of this is the new Plant City Fire Station #3. Designed to raise the standards for fire houses, it serves as a reminder of the City’s rich history within a cutting-edge facility designed to serve the community in many ways for generations to come. It is a model for how a government building can provide a previously underserved community beyond its stated purpose in an organic way. Along with improved safety and better response times across the City, the new fire station has reduced insurance premiums for residents and businesses. The design, technology, and spaces in the facility were built with future in mind. Functioning also as a community event space, it has allowed the fire department to engage with the community on a more personal level. The station also houses the history of Plant City including a 1927 fire truck installation. The judges loved the location and look of this facility and its use extending public engagement within the community. Not only preserving the past, protecting the future, and fostering inclusion and wellbeing in a growing area that was previously underserved, this community investment is already improving quality of life for the residents today and providing infrastructure that will meet the needs of planned growth in this area.

• Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County, FL
• Nitza Rivera
• Vincent Smith
• Bank of America
• Anthony Crudup | Davis Bews Design Group

Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County improves quality of life in our community through affordable homeownership. They empower low- and moderate-income families to build strength, stability, and self-reliance by becoming homeowners. Since 1987, nearly 500 families have secure, quality, affordable homes thanks to Habitat Hillsborough. To help them create intergenerational wealth and stability, they design and construct energy-efficient, resilient houses that enhance neighborhoods by integrating their aesthetic and increasing homeownership rates. The Veterans Cottage at 1327 West North B Street was built in 2019 on a historically significant property donated in Dobyville, one of the most extensive African American neighborhoods in Tampa during the years of segregation. This special home was designed for a US Air Force veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Vincent Smith, and his younger brother Caleb, who suffered from cancer and used a wheelchair. Sadly, Caleb has since passed, but he was able to enjoy living in this home designed to be fully wheelchair accessible for two years. The home’s highly cost-effective design boosts energy efficiency through higher-grade insulation, high-efficiency heating and cooling, low-E windows and Energy Star appliances. Because Tampa Bay is vulnerable to natural hazards, construction incorporated reinforced steel and concrete, a continuous load path, and hurricane shutters. This house is both comfortable and resilient, and Vincent enjoys lower utility bills and insurance costs. The Cottage also contributes to quality of life in the West Tampa Community Redevelopment Area, which has been struggling with blight and disinvestment for decades. Habitat Hillsborough’s design carefully modeled the proportions and exterior elements including a covered porch with columns, siding, and a metal roof to align with historic houses around it, anchoring the block as an attractive new home that maintains the historical context of the neighborhood. The judges saluted this thoughtful, customized design and praised it as a transferable model to increase affordable homeownership in high-need communities like West Tampa. The Veterans Cottage is a truly inspirational build and exemplifies Habitat Hillsborough's investment in people and neighborhoods throughout our community!

• Gensler  |  AEI  |  Skanska
• USF Research Foundation
• USF Financing Corporation
• CBRE Group

Sitting adjacent to the University of South Florida's Tampa campus, the new building located at 3814 Spectrum Boulevard in the USF Research Park defines the University gateway. The $42 million, 120,000 square foot, three-story building was designed and constructed as the core of a mixed-use lab and office project, with an expansive, fourth floor open-air terrace. Firms located in the building have the opportunity not only to customize their lab and office space, but also to collaborate with faculty and entrepreneurs in the community and hire first-rate USF students to support their research initiatives. The ribbon cutting was held on March 31st, celebrating the first expansion of the Research Park in more than a decade. This comes at a particularly opportune time for USF and the Tampa Bay region’s rapidly expanding innovation economy. Commensurate with other top-tier American universities and research parks, this project is built to LEED Certification and demonstrates design focused on sustainability, flexibility, community, and technology. Glass distinguishes each floor providing outstanding visibility for the campus to see that research is a round-the-clock activity. The judges loved this design, especially the gorgeous, covered atrium area. They appreciated this valuable investment in our community for designing a special place where creative and innovative people can come together in spaces conducive to the collision of new ideas… where innovation is certain to thrive.

Created by the Florida Legislature in 1986 to coordinate planning and development activities among three government jurisdictions in and around the Hillsborough River, the River Board adopted and maintains the River Master Plan and makes recommendations for the river's continued vitality to local governments, regulatory agencies, and others. Each year, the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board & Technical Advisory Council recognize leadership and dedication in the protection of the health and well-being of the Hillsborough River. Board member and Temple Terrace City Council Member Meredith Abel announced Scott Harris as the 2022 Hillsborough River Stewardship Award recipient. In July 2019, Mr. Harris paused on his daily bicycle ride along the Tampa Riverwalk in downtown Tampa to peek over the railing into the Hillsborough River. What he saw mortified him. Cups, empty motor oil bottles discarded from boats, syringes, cans, plastic bottles, and styrofoam chunks had washed up into the mangroves. He immediately started picking up the heaps of garbage that had washed up, and he hasn't stopped since. His initiative has grown to include about 2,000 environmentally conscious people he coordinates through social media to volunteer to help clean Tampa's waterways. Together, they’ve removed thousands of pounds of garbage from the river and prevent it from drifting into Hillsborough Bay and Tampa Bay. His continued commitment to protecting the health of the Hillsborough River and the environment is exemplary. 

• Dr. Ken Atwater | President of Hillsborough Community College
• Dr. Leif Penrose | Dean of Health Sciences
• Phil Trezza, AIA, LEED AP | Harvard Jolly Architecture
• Larry Schnuck, FAIA | Kahler Slater

The Chair of the Planning Commission selects a project each year. This year, Chair Nigel Joseph honored Hillsborough Community College with the Chairman’s Award. Their new Allied Health Building is a three-story, 62,000 square foot building on HCC’s Dale Mabry campus. It was designed to house programs in nursing, emergency medical services, and respiratory care therapy. Dr. Leif Penrose was instrumental in establishing the academic programs to be offered in the building and worked closely with Harvard Jolly Architecture and Design Architect Kahler Slater throughout the programming and design process. While the building was still under construction, Doctors Kiran and Pallavi Patel recognized the significant benefit this building would offer to the Tampa Bay area and donated one million dollars in support and to establish student scholarships. Students will be taught critical skills in a simulated hospital environment creating conditions found in real-life situations, including intensive care unit prep, hold and recovery spaces for patients, and exam rooms with sophisticated interactive mannequins. The Allied Health Building contributes significantly to increasing the knowledge and capacity of the region’s medical workforce, and also the supply of health care professionals. This fall semester 2022, Hillsborough Community College welcomed its first class of hopeful students pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. This award recognizes this tremendous investment in expanding local access to skilled health care education elevating workforce opportunities with building design that incorporates the latest trends for interdisciplinary healthcare learning.

Planning Commission Executive Director Melissa Zornitta presented the 2022 Executive Director’s Award to the City of Temple Terrace for its commitment to bringing meaningful art to public spaces. The City has been proactive in forging relationships with community organizations, local artists, and others to make the investment in public art possible. In 2019, they partnered with the Temple Terrace Arts Council to embark on "Taking Art to the Streets" in the form of painting of a street mural at the intersection of Inverness and Glen Arven Avenues in which more than 100 resident volunteers participated. In 2020, this partnership continued to commission murals installed on the walls at the intersections on 56th Street at Riverhills Drive and Busch Boulevard. The stunning murals were created by eight different professional artists. The Family Recreation Complex, the Temple Terrace Public Library, and the Omar K. Lightfoot Center are also adorned with local works of art. The most recent addition to the public art in the City is a beautiful bronze sculpture of a law enforcement K9 – K9 Aramis, who served with the Temple Terrace Police Department. Dedicated in July at Temple Terrace City Hall - the site of the Police Department - this memorial sculpture was made possible through a collaboration with the Westside Chapter of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club. The City as a whole, and especially the TTPD, are honored to provide this place of reflection and commemoration paying tribute to the hard work and dedication of the four-legged officers in the Tampa Bay region who have reached the end of watch. This award applauds the City of Temple Terrace for its arts initiative programs and this investment in preserving the its rich history, natural splendor, and adding beauty in unexpected places with meaningful public art in the City!

Lynn Merenda | merendal@plancom.org | Direct: 813.547.3342

Caroline Charles | charlesc@plancom.org | Direct: 813.582.7319

Davida Franklin | franklind@plancom.org | Direct: 813.565.9379

Website: planhillsborough.org