Sarasota County earns American Public Works Association accreditation

Sarasota County's Public Works, Public Utilities, and Capital Projects departments recently earned the American Public Works Association (APWA) Accreditation, joining only 15 other public works agencies in Florida to obtain the same designation.

The APWA accreditation validates the county's commitment toward innovation, improvement, and meeting the needs of today while preparing for tomorrow. The accreditation process ensured county standards were enhanced to meet the highest industry practices and aligned with each department's performance measures.

"This is a significant accomplishment for Sarasota County and the staff who uphold their dedication to providing exceptional service. By adopting new technologies, staff have provided our community with the knowledge, resources and technology to keep moving forward through the impacts of COVID-19," said County Administrator Jonathan Lewis. "Most importantly, earning the accreditation demonstrates the county's desire to continually improve, learn and enhance our service."

Sarasota County is also the first county within the APWA Suncoast branch to achieve this accreditation, and the sixth county organization within the state. The accreditation process was completed in 614 days, including developing a visual suite of materials that APWA will incorporate into the accreditation tool kit moving forward.

The APWA accreditation program provides a platform for recognizing verified public works agencies for compliance with recommended practices. The voluntary accreditation encourages self-improvement through performance, educational programs and community pride. The APWA includes personnel from local, county, state/province, federal agencies and private sector with a worldwide membership of more than 30,000 professionals.

There are almost 24,000 public works agencies between the United States and Canada, and only 159 with APWA accreditation worldwide.

For more information, call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 941-861-5000.