Hillsborough County for the third year in a row has been honored as having one of the top parks and recreation programs in the country.
Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation is one of four national finalists in the Class 1 category for the 2024 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, according to an announcement from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. Class 1 includes the nation’s largest parks and recreation departments, serving populations of more than 400,000.
Only one department will receive the highest award, the Grand Plaque, in October.
The list of Hillsborough’s parks & recreation and its impact on the community include:
- The department offered more than 1,700 partnered, athletic programs with 503,000 visits annually. More than 180 partners provided programming.
- The county opened its first public performing arts center, the New Tampa Performing Arts Center. The department manages 167 parks, 223 sports fields, 118 playgrounds, 51 recreation centers, 47 athletic complexes, 10 dog parks, five splash pads, and three cultural centers.
- The department serves more than 6,000 youth each year through after-school, summer camp and sports programming.
- Miller Park & Life Center serves as the county’s adaptive sports programming and includes a 10,000-square-foot inclusive playground, 3,200-square-foot all-abilities splash pad, and an adaptive archery range. Last year, 412 athletes participated in 35 adaptive sports programs.
- Hillsborough County Adaptive Sports is the only team representing a government agency in the USA Wheelchair Football League and has hosted a tournament each year since 2022. Additional community partners have invested millions for recreation centers, clubs, hockey rinks and programming.
- Parks & recreation partnered with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission to host more than 20 tournaments in 2022 and 2023.
- The Wellness Access Pass promotes healthy lifestyles for $10 per month, which gives participants access to county-owned fitness centers and open gyms.
- The Hillsborough County Hiking Spree annual event encourages residents to “Take a hike!” and encompasses every trail from paved neighborhood trails to primitive treks.
- The county invested more than $1 million in building 10 state-of-the-art outdoor fitness zones throughout Hillsborough County.
The Gold Medal Awards program was founded in 1965 to honor parks and recreation agencies in the United States and military installations worldwide that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and community engagement.
Published June 05, 2024
