The Town of Miami Lakes’ fourth attempt and second year as a finalist in the All-America Cities competition was not enough for the municipality to be chosen as a place that builds equity and resilience.
Those were the themes in the National Civic League’s contest that since 1949 has recognized civic innovation with the awards.
This year, judges also wanted to see how communities united to overcome the “overwhelming challenges of the past year.”
Finalists’ presentations were made on June 9th. Later that day 10 communities were announced as winners.
They were Miramar, Fla.; Carlisle, Pa.; El Paso, Texas; Evanston, Ill; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Kansas City, Mo.; Livermore, Calif.; Morrisville, N.C. and Wheat Ridge, Colo.
The city of Miramar was praised for collaborating with residents to respond to growth, increasing access to arts and culture and revitalizing a historic part of the city.
Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid said Friday of the competition that brings prestige to communities and their managers, “We’ll more than likely try again.
“We’re fortunate that we don’t have the issues other cities do,” Cid said. “We’re a model community. It’s hard to compete when the judges are looking at major issues that we don’t have.”
To see the winning presentations and Miami Lakes’ entry go online. The password if needed is MIAMILAKES.