STUART, Fla. (October 7, 2020) - The Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA FL) recently announced Historic Downtown Stuart has officially won the 2020 Great Places in Florida Award.

A panel of multidisciplinary experts reviewed the nominations and selected Historic Downtown Stuart as a finalist, along with Mill Lake Park Continuum in Orange City and Warm Springs Mineral Park in North Port, Florida. The public was then invited to vote for the winner during the People's Choice voting round, which counted more than 5,000 total votes from across the state.

The annual initiative celebrates Great Places in Florida and the communities that sustain them, including neighborhoods, downtowns, streets and public places. The Great Places program focuses on unique, memorable places that work for the good of their community and attract people to visit them.

"It was great to work the Martin County Tourist Development Council on another award for the City of Stuart. Being named the winner of Great places in Florida along with our other awards - it's evident that citizens across the state of Florida see Downtown Stuart as a premier destination," said David Dyess, Stuart City Manager.

The award is an annual selection of places that represent the gold standard of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement and a vision for tomorrow. Each finalist is recognized for contributing to the greater community's social, economic and environmental well-being for the long term.

"We are absolutely thrilled to learn that Historic Downtown Stuart is the 2020 winner of the Great Places in Florida Award," said Martin County Administrator Taryn Kryzda. "It was an honor to be recognized as a finalist, but to be selected as the winner by voters from around Florida truly speaks to what a unique and dynamic destination Stuart really is."

Martin County staff is always on the lookout for ways to shine the light on the communities that make Martin County a great place to live, work, play and visit. Collaboration with the city on awards such as this present community leaders additional ways to join together on future events when the opportunities present themselves.

The city will be recognized by members of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association leadership during a formal award ceremony later this month. Details will be forthcoming.