Each day, the City's 1,300 employees and elected officials strive to serve the residents of Sunrise. Their work may include running recreational programs, building new parks and facilities, protecting the public's safety, providing clean water, keeping neighborhoods looking attractive, or developing policies to keep the City on the right path. They work hard because they believe in what they do - and because it matters to the residents and the future of Sunrise.
While the work itself is rewarding, outside recognition provides welcome affirmation of a job well done. Numerous organizations sponsor award programs that honor municipal accomplishments, stimulate community awareness and encourage innovative solutions to the challenges all cities face. Sunrise is proud of the recognition it's earned, and believes these awards are a positive reflection on not only employees and officials, but on the City as a whole. Honors include:
Safety Management Award The City of Sunrise Gas Department was honored with the 2007 Safety Management Award by the American Public Gas Association (APGA). This annual award is given to one public gas system that has made a significant effort to increase safety using innovative programs and techniques.
Public gas systems have one of the best employee safety records over many industries, and the APGA developed its award program to recognize those systems that excel in safety management. The APGA is a national association whose membership encompasses most of America's public gas systems, numbering over 687 members in 36 states.
Life Safety Achievement Award The Sunrise Fire-Rescue Department was presented with a 2006 Life Safety Achievement Award from the Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI). The Department was recognized for its fire prevention outreach efforts, and for recording zero fire deaths in residential structures during 2005.
The RFSI is a public interest group whose mission is to reduce residential fires deaths and injuries. Their Life Safety Achievement Award recognizes local fire prevention activities that contributed to reducing the number of lives lost in residential fires. Although residential fires in the United States account for only 20 percent of all fires, they result in 80 percent of fire deaths.
ADDY® Awards For two consecutive years, the City of Sunrise earned top honors in the "Advertising for the Arts and Sciences - Brochure" category of the prestigious local ADDY® Awards competition. The 2005 Sunrise Theatre Guide was lauded for its dramatic, eye-catching design, which featured a piano keyboard and sheet music. The 2004 Guide took the prize for its colorful custom illustrations and innovative layout.
The ADDYs®, conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), are the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition, recognizing and rewarding creative excellence in the art of advertising.
"America's Crown Communities" Award Sawgrass Sanctuary, one of Sunrise's newest parks - earned the City an "America's Crown Communities" award from American City & County and a photo on the magazine's cover. American City & County presents its prestigious national awards annually to recognize local government projects that are unique, cost-effective and have a short- and long-term impact on the community. Award winners exemplify the best that local government has to offer its residents.
Sawgrass Sanctuary , located at 237 North New River Circle, is a 20-acre park with an environmental focus and family-friendly amenities, including an observation platform, a fishing pier and fishing bank, a 200-foot boardwalk, a hiking/bicycling trail, picnic pavilions, a concert platform and restrooms.
Broward Beautiful Award In April 2004, Sawgrass Sanctuary was honored with a Broward Beautiful award for outstanding landscape design and maintenance. Broward Beautiful is the County advisory board dedicated to maintaining, protecting and enhancing Broward's beauty, ecology and environmental quality.
Prior to Sawgrass Sanctuary's development, the site contained a 6.8-acre rock pit and 13.2 acres overgrown with non-native, nuisance vegetation. In its place, the City created a venue that restores and preserves the Sawgrass area's native environment.
Communicator Awards Sunrise earned high honors in two categories of the 2004 Communicator Awards competition. The City's 2003 Calendar received an "Award of Distinction" in the Design/Calendar category, while the City's Web site took home an Honorable Mention in the Web Site/Overall category.
The Communicator Awards is an international competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. Entries are judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. There were 3,743 entries from throughout the United States and abroad in the Print Media segment of this year's competition.
Ellis & Associates "Gold National Aquatic Safety Award" Swimmers who frequent City of Sunrise pools are "consistently being afforded the highest degree of swimmer protection currently available," according to the world's premier water safety consulting firm, Ellis & Associates (Ellis). With those accolades, Ellis presented Sunrise with a prestigious 2003 Gold National Aquatic Safety Award. The award recognizes the outstanding performance of the City's lifeguard staff, and places Sunrise in the top 17% of Ellis' award program participants.
Ellis provides lifeguard training, on-site evaluation and risk management services to over 400 aquatics facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. Sunrise became an Ellis affiliate several years ago, in an effort to further develop the skills and professionalism of the City's lifeguard team. Sunrise lifeguards must complete a rigorous training and testing process to be certified through Ellis' National Pool and Waterpark Lifeguard Program. Furthermore, to maintain their certification, they must participate in hours of regular in-service training throughout the year.
To assure that each lifeguard is performing his or her duties properly, Ellis representatives perform regular, anonymous on-site audits. As part of the audit process, lifeguards may be videotaped and rated on a range of performance criteria, from posture to scanning techniques.
Florida Redevelopment Association Award The City of Sunrise was honored with an Award of Merit from the Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA). The award, presented in the "Outstanding Rehabilitation Renovation or Reuse Building Project" category, was given in recognition of the City's initial phase of efforts to improve the look and appeal of its original Village-area business district.
The FRA's Roy F. Kenzie and W. Thomas Mills Redevelopment Awards program honors outstanding examples of redevelopment and leadership in Florida evaluating projects based on innovation, impact on the community, effective funding, creative problem solving, and applicability to other communities.
As part of Phase I, the City improved facades and parking, capitalized on principal land assembly opportunities and created decorative streetscape improvements to reinforce the Village-area revitalization. Phase II of the project, which extends the enhancements to properties on the south side of Sunset Strip between NW 64th Avenue and NW 68th Avenue is currently nearing completion.
NACIO Awards of Excellence The City's Web site received a "Superior" award in the 2004 National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) Awards of Excellence competition, open to any local government in the United States. Sunrise was among three top finishers in the NACIO's Internet/Intranet Web Sites category, outperforming 38 other public sector entrants from across the country, each with a population not more than 500,000.
In addition to the Web prize, Sunrise earned an "Excellent" award in the NACIO's Special Graphics category for a two-color postcard promoting the City's September 2003 Late-Nite Luau.
The NACIO is a national organization whose members work for many of the 3,066 counties, boroughs and parishes across the United States, as well as for the 44 state associations representing counties in the U.S. The 2004 award program was extremely competitive, attracting an all-time record 541 entries in 34 categories.
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