WOW--LOOK AT US!!!
Our incredible city/county has garnered many awards that showcase some of the best parts of our city/county. Among them are:
SmartAsset.com, an investment website, has ranked Tallahassee Community College, number 8 in the nation for the combined factors of cost of education, return on investment and student success rate. Among the top 10 schools listed, TCC had the fourth-lowest in state tuition cost and the fifth-highest graduation and transfer rate.
AARP has listed Tallahassee as one of the 10 medium sized cities where residents look out for family, neighbors, join civic groups, vote, and have access to the digital world. We are considered one of the best cities for making new friends.
Leon County has garnered seven national awards during 2014. In the Parks and recreation category our Cross Country Running Facility built on a landfill is top rated in the country. Leon County's website (www.leoncounty.org) has been recognized as first in the country for information/technology. In the category of Environmental Protection, our Sustainable Demonstration Center is tops! Under Human Services, we have been recognized for our Operation Thank You: Honoring Our Veterans annual event. Live Well Leon: Small Choices - Big Change was awarded top rankings in the category of Personal Management. And, our bi-annual Press the Chest CPR Training was judged first in the Emergency Management Category.
Livability.com, a national website that ranks quality-of-life amenities of America's cities, ranked Tallahassee in the Top 100 Places to Live. We couldn't agree more!
The Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department will receive the 2014 National Planning Excellence Award from the American Planning Association. This award honors the work of a public-sector planning agency that continually produces a program of exceptional work.
Star Metro's call center, dispatch and mobility coordination staff has been awarded the Dispatcher-Scheduler of the Year by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged. This award recognizes StarMetro's exemplary service for the elderl, disabled, low-income, and transportation-challenged citizens. This team helped coordinate more than 250,000 trips for clients.
And, Star Metro along with Lighthouse of the Big Bend, and Ability 1st have achieved a first in North America. Braille Plates are to be installed on bus stops across the system so blind people can determine route numbers and a text code for schedules.
Tallahassee Community College's Emergency Medical Technology program was recently ranked 32nd in the nation for the return on investment its graduates receive. The rankings were published by Fire Science Online, a not-for-profit organization that provides information about first responder careers. out of the more than 1,100 colleges in the U.S. that offer EMT programs, Fire Science identified our own TCC at a very high level.
And, now TCC has been designated as a military-friendly school by Victory Media. There 2014 list recognizes the top 20 percent of colleges, universities, and trade school doing the most to recruit and retain military students and their families. In 2011, TCC Veteran Affairs established the Veterans Success Center, which is a one-stop facility tailored to assist with access, enrollment and resources. It seeks to improve the retention and graduation rates among veterans.
The National Association of Counties awarded Leon County's Citizen Engagement Series with their Achievement Award in the category of Civic Education and Public Information. the award-winning series gives citizens greater insight into County government operations and the role citizens play in the decision making process that shape policies, programs, and services it delivers. More information about Leon County's award winning program can be found at www.LeonCountyFl.gov/CES
The American Public Power Association has ranked our public utilites #1 in America!!!! That's an awesome accomplishement. Check out all the advantages of our utilities at www.talgov.com
And, the same group has labeled us as the Top Energy Innovator for 2012 in the United States.
The National Recreation and Park Association named us the "Best In America" for our outstanding Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs Department. This department maintains and operates 3526 acres of parkland. Check us out on www.talgov.com
Tallahassee was selected as America's Most Livable City in 2011.
The American Society of Landscape Architects, under their program "Celebrate our Public Landscapes" has included our Chain of Parks as one of America's 100 best examples of landscape architecture. We are one of only three parks so honored in Florida.
Tallahassee is one of the top ten cities in the country for millenials, according to a study conducted by Moving.com
And, we've been named an All American City!
Our Winter Festival has been rated as one of twenty top events in the S.E. by Southeast Tourism Society. It involves five stages of entertainment, candy cane lane with live candy making, a childrens activity are, ice skating rink, Jingle bell run, parade, and the lighting ceremony within the Chain of Parks, and this year offered phone calls from Santa!.
The Florida Green Building Coalition designated Tallahassee as a Gold Certified Green City. We are the first municipality in Florida to be Gold Certified.
We won the 2008 Best Practice Award for our comprehensive Go Green Tallahassee initative.
The Center for Digital Government named our website as the winner of the Best of the Web Award.
The American Water Works Association named our drinking water as the Best Tasting Drinking Water in Florida.
The Tree City USA Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation has been received for the 19th year.
Outstanding Governmental Partner Award was received for the Project Share/Good Neighborhood Program from the Capital Area Communitiy Action Agency. This initative provides assistance to hundreds of citizens to pay their utility bills.
Leon County has once again been ranked among the most efficient counties in America. Among like sized Florida counties, Leon County once again has the lowest net budget per resident and the lowest number of employees per 1000 residents.
The newly designed Citizens Engagement Series has been recognized as one of the best. This involves various departments of the county teaching citizens what they can do, and how. The series is every other month. It's focus is to provide ways for government and citizens to learn from each other and build a better community together. We have been named a Citizen Engaged Community by the Public Technology Institue for using technology to provide fast, friendly and responsive service.
Leon Counties new website has an inspiring feature Your Checkbook. It explains where your money goes, and the Citizens Connect button brings online service to a new level. There is also a new app for Smart phones. All this is encompassed within the Sunshine Review's Sunny Award for website transparency.
The Tallahassee Police Department has teamed up with Workforce Plus to create a program that will clean up the city's graffiti. Youth enrolled in Workforce Plus' First Connect Youth Program will be assigned to paint over graffiti at sites identified by the TPD. Monies seized by court order from convicted drug dealers will fund the program. This is the first partnership of its kind anywhere in the United States. Another win-win solution to an on-going problem!
US News and World Report has FSU on top of their list of national universities that operate most efficiently.
Kiplings ranks FSU for the 12th consecutive year as one of 100 "best values" among public colleges and universities.
Our local state parks, Office of Greenways and Trails, has enjoyed being designated as the Best Trails in America.
The American Planning Association has designated our Star Metro as the recipient of the 2013 National Planning Excellence Award for Transportation Plannning. Star Metro was chosen for the launch of its decentralized route system in July, 2011. This award recognizes efforts to increase transportation choices, thus reducing dependence on private automobiles, easing congestion, and reducing climate change. For more on Star Metro, visit www.talgov.com/StarMetro
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the City of Tallahassee the Excellence Award for its 2012 Water Quality Report, including public awareness activities and a history of enfvronmental stewardship. The Water Quality Report is a federally mandated Consumer Confidence Report that provides customers with information on the city's drinking water quality, supply, technology and protection accomplishments. The city of Tallahassee's Your Own Utilities has made the CCR available at www.talgov.com/YOU The award has been granted for year 2013, also. This report shows that our drinking water exceeds stae and federal standards for quality and safety. Our drinking water comes from 27 wells scattered around the area. Each is sunk from 200 to 400 feet into the Florida Aquifier which is one of the largest and most pristine sources ofwater in the world. As the water is pumped from the wells to the distribution system, chlorine is added for disinfection,and fluoride is added for dental health.
www.stateuniversity.com The leading website for college information has rated Tallahassee Community College the second safest campus in Florida.
The 2010 US Census report shows Tallahassee has a 12.4% growth rate, making it the 12th fastest growing metropolitan area in FLorida.
Volunteer LEON has been awarded the 2013 Innovative Program Award from the National Association of Volunteer Programs in Local Government in Washington, D. C. on June 19, 2013. This award is in recognition of the September2012 youth program that targeted children of veterans titled Operation Mock Deployment for Youth: Walk a Day in a Soldier's Boots. It simulated a step-by-step deployment process that divided youth volunteers into platoons for team building exercises that included mock obstacle courses and a heroes' welcome home. It involved partnering with the Army Reserve and Volunteer Florida. It has since become a nationally recognized program. For more information about this program and many others visit www.volunteerleon.org
Our fleet of all-electric buses is growing and is the largest fleet of alternative-fueled public transpotation in the U. S. In addition, we have three Proterra FastFill charging staions at the C.K. Steele Plaza. Each of the buses is quiet, and emission free, enhancing our desires to become less dependent on fossil fuel.
Tallahassee Community College has done it again!!! It has been recognized as a top-performing institution, and Community College Week publication has listed TCC as number 1 in the nation for associate degrees based on data from the 2011-12 academic year. Community College Week is to two-year schools what the US News and World Report is for four-year institutions in terms of national rankings. CCW bases its lists solely on numbers while US News employs a number of other factors. Among TCC's other highlight rankings were No. 5 in the nation for awarding degrees to African-American students. In the category of non-minority students, TCC was listed at No. 11 with the number of associate degrees awarded.
It is ranked fifteenth in the number of degrees awarded in human sciences. Our entire community is proud of the academic achievements of students enrolled at TCC. In addition, TCC is actively participating in the state wide endeavor called "Finish Up Florida". This program reaches out to previous students who were unable to finish course work leading to a degree.
Hispanic Business has rated Florida State University colleges of law and medicine as one of the 10 best in the nation. The College of Law was ranked fifth among the nation's law schools, while the College of Medicine was ranked eighth among medical schools. Hispanic Business annually ranks the Top 10 graduate schools in four disciplines: business, law, engineering, and medicine.
Florida State University has been named one of the top 100 universities world-wide for new patents granted. FSU has been ranked number 55 with 32 patents, according to a list prepared by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. The listings are based on 2012 data.
