Thanks to our Pocket Parks and Pollinators Garden Program, the City of Delray Beach has won first place in the Good Practices Competition as a part of the Northern Hemisphere 2025 International Evaluation. We're proud to receive this international recognition from our peers and will continue to look for opportunities to provide for our City and our residents.

This recognition was received after Blue Flag International shared a call for good practices with the National Operators participating in the evaluation. Participants were asked to submit to the International Jury examples of Blue Flag Environmental Education Activities related to Measures to prevent pollinator and insect loss and Measures to promote climate adaptation. In total, 22 Good Practices have been submitted by 13 countries as part of the latest International Evaluation round. The International Jury was then presented with a selection of Good Practices during its meeting on April 10th, 2025, and evaluated the Good Practices within each category. In this evaluation process, relevance, creativity, adaptability, collaboration, and replicability were all taken into consideration. For the "Prevention of Pollinator and Insect Loss" category, the City of Delray Beach's Pocket Parks and Pollinator Gardens placed first.

Our parks are more than just green spaces; they're vibrant ecosystems that support a diverse array of wildlife, which is why our Pocket Parks and Pollinator Gardens are so impactful. The City's pocket parks are small, carefully designed native gardens within a park that aim to restore wildlife habitats and provide essential resources for pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. These pocket parks feature a variety of native plants that offer nectar, pollen, and shelter. Pollinator gardens are carefully cultivated spaces with plants specifically chosen to attract and support pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It also helps to maintain a healthy ecosystem and contributes to the overall biodiversity of our parks by providing a source of food and habitat.

About The Blue Flag - Headquartered in Copenhagen, the Blue Flag international eco-award is one of five environmental education programs offered by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The award is offered to beaches, marinas, and tourism boats meeting more than 30 criteria for water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and services, sustainable tourism, and social responsibility. The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) launched the Blue Flag USA program at the 2021 National Coastal Conference in New Orleans, LA. The first two flags were awarded in 2023 in Delray Beach and Westward Beach, California. And Delray Beach received its second award in 2024. "Congratulations on being awarded, for the third year in a row, the international Blue Flag to flyover Delray Beach Municipal Beach. Successful submission of an application in one year was a first for the program in 2023 and set the standard for new sites. National staff looks forward to continuing to support the City through the third season of the award. " said Annie Mercer, program coordinator for the ASBPA.

About The City of Delray Beach - Delray Beach, a vibrant and diverse community, has been honored with numerous accolades. USA TODAY's 2024 10Best Readers' Choice Awards named it the #1 Best Beach in Florida. Atlantic Avenue, our charming and historic downtown, was recognized as one of America's 10 Great Shopping Streets by USA TODAY. Our City, which proudly celebrates its rich history while looking to the future, was named an All-America City in 1993, 2001, and 2017—the first City in Florida to achieve this distinction three times. Delray Beach is also ranked the 5th best city for small businesses in the U.S. by Verizon Business. Coastal Living Magazine has named it America's Happiest Seaside Town and one of Florida's 10 Best Little Beach Towns.