HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration announced that Hillsborough County is a national finalist for the 2026 National Gold Medal Award. The selection places the local agency among the top four large-scale park programs in the United States. The department has secured a finalist spot four times within the last five years.
The award program, established in 1965, evaluates agencies on resource management, long-range planning, community engagement, and environmental stewardship. Because of its population size, Hillsborough County competes in Class 1, a category reserved for communities serving more than 400,000 residents.
The county must compete against three other finalists to take home the top prize, the Grand Plaque, this October. As part of the final judging process, each agency sends a short video highlighting its local operations…