FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 18, 2024

Planning Commission announces 2024 Award Winners

Honoring plans, programs and development elevating our community!

Tampa, FL – (November 18, 2024) – The Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission is proud to announce the winners of the 42nd Annual Planning & Design Awards presented by TECO. The celebration of excellence in planning and design was held on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at the Shanna & Bryan Glazer Jewish Community Center. Award winners were selected by a panel of distinguished judges from outside of Hillsborough County. There were five Awards of Merit, five Awards of Excellence and six Awards of Outstanding Contribution to the Community. In addition, three awards of special recognition were presented, the Hillsborough River Stewardship Award, the Chairman’s Award and the Executive Director’s Award. This year’s USF MURP Scholarship recipient is Jalessa Blackshear, a graduate planning student of merit who was presented with the scholarship at the event.


This awards program honors projects contributing to a better quality of life in our community and serving as models to learn from and emulate. With an emphasis on the importance of great planning within our region, the awards program is held in October to align with the American Planning Association’s (APA) National Community Planning Month and celebration of Great Places in America.


Photographs of the event can be viewed in an album on the Planning Commission’s Flickr account.

Special Thanks

Thank you to our awards host since 2009, Brendan McLaughlin. Thank you to this year’s panel of judges, Silvia Vargas, FAICP, LEED AP, Jennifer Codo-Salisbury, MPA, AICP and Dennis Smith, AICP.



Thank you to our incredible sponsors for your support. This year’s sponsors were: TECO, Tampa Bay Times, Mark Bentley, ESQ., B.C.S., AICP, Greater Tampa Realtors, Benesch and Urban Planning Innovations.

Jalessa Blackshear, USF MURP Scholarship recipient (center) accompanied by Mark Bentley, ESQ., B.C.S., AICP (left) and Dr. Evangeline Linkous, USF MURP Program Director and Associate Professor (right)

Congratulations to this year's award winners!

Awards of Merit

  • Infrastructure Assessment for Hillsborough County Targeted Redevelopment Areas
  • Kenneth E. Adum PK-8 Magnet School
  • Citrus Park Drive Extension
  • Preserve at Sabal Park and Sabal Place
  • Hanna Avenue City Center

Awards of Excellence

  • Nimble Shop
  • Robinson High School – Additions and Renovation
  • Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Transportation: A Toolbox for Local Agencies
  • New Development Trip Tracker
  • Judy Genshaft Honors College, USF

Awards of Outstanding Contributions

  • Dorothy Thomas Educational Center
  • West Tampa CRA Parking Study
  • Himes Avenue Safety Mural Project
  • Temple Terrace Pedestrian Master Plan
  • Hillsborough County Greenways and Trails Plan
  • Feeding Tampa Bay’s Causeway Center

Awards of Special Recognition

Hillsborough River Stewardship Award: Dr. Richard Brown


Chairman’s Award: Regional Law Enforcement K9 Memorial


Executive Director’s Award: James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Mental Health Clinic

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Plan Hillsborough Media Contacts

Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission: Brynn Dauphinais, Community Relations Coordinator

dauphinaisb@plancom.org | Direct: 813.386.5981


Hillsborough TPO: Harmoni McGee, Community Relations Coordinator

mcgeeh@plancom.org | Direct: 813.582.7368


Plan Hillsborough: Erika Flores, Strategic Communications Manager

florese@plancom.org | Direct: 813-748-5081


Website: PlanHillsborough.org

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