Tampa Parks Department Wins Top National Accolades For Services, Maintenance

TAMPA, FL — After earning national accolades for its urban parks for years, the city of Tampa can now claim the nation's top award for park management.

The Tampa Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association.

This is Tampa's fourth year being selected as a finalist, but its first year to receive the Grand Plaque Award in the Class II category for cities with populations of 150,0001 to 400,000 people.

Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve.

According to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, the award highlights the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department's commitment to public safety, keeping kids safe and active and providing top-of-the-line spaces to draw visitors to the city.

The award is icing on the cake for the city, which has received multiple awards for its abundance of recreation space, park design and services offered.

This year the personal finance website Wallet Hub ranked Tampa No. 5 for best recreation facilities in the country.

WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 48 key metrics that speak to the benefits of recreational activities including basic living costs, the quality of parks, the accessibility of entertainment and recreational facilities and the weather.

Only Orlando, Las Vegas, San Diego and Cincinnati topped Tampa when it comes to the quality, entertainment and recreational facilities provided at parks.

For the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, the committee singled out Tampa in several areas:

The diverse array of programs centered around youth development, including the city's two gymnastics and dance complexes with more than 3,000 participants enrolled and a substantial waiting list. This includes a recent $2 million expansion.

Tampa Parks and Recreation's partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning to build two outdoor roller hockey rinks offering youth leagues as well as open play. More than 25 youth street hockey teams with 250 players uses the facilities.

The opening of the River Center at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in May 2018. Since then, more than 250 functions have been hosted attracting 135,000 visitors. Most weekends are booked 18 months out.

The award-winning Tampa Riverwalk featuring 2.7 miles of downtown trail connecting seven parks and cultural and tourist attractions. Just this month, the Tampa City Council approved plans to expand the Riverwalk north 12 miles, connecting the neighborhoods on the west side of the Hillsborough River to downtown Tampa. Funded with the help of a $24 million federal Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development grant, work is expected to begin soon and be completed in 2027.

"We have an outstanding team that is hard-working and dedicated; they are what makes both our city and our department great," according to Sherisha Hills, director of Tampa Parks and Recreation. "Tampa is the City of Champions, and I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the city of Tampa and our parks and recreation team."

Castor said the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department's commitment to public safety also set the city's application apart, especially during hurricanes and tropical storms.

"The city of Tampa's staff is engaged through the city's emergency management system and trained to support our residents through storm preparation and recovery," Castor said. "When storms approach, our parks and recreation team springs into action to distribute sandbags from park locations for our residents to protect their homes. Once a storm passes, we respond to clear the streets of debris and establish points to distribute aid at our facilities. Our teams truly go above and beyond to help our residents."

Tampa currently has 194 city parks encompassing 3,226 acres with more than 300 miles of trails.

Other finalists in the Class II Division included Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation, Des Moines Parks and Recreation and the City of Wichita Park sand Recreation.

To learn more about what Tampa Parks and Recreation offers, click here.

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• Tampa Ranked 5th In Nation For Recreation; St. Pete Ranked 27th