Residents in Port St. Lucie increasingly rely on the city’s website as their first point of contact with local government, whether to pay a utility bill, apply for a permit, or find the department that handles a particular request. That platform has now earned national recognition: Port St. Lucie was named Website of the Year in the 15th Annual Granicus Digital Government Awards, a program that honors local governments excelling in digital service delivery. The distinction offers an opportunity to examine what sets the city’s site apart and to note that the recognition arrives alongside a separate wave of honors for the city’s public works employees.

What Distinguished the Website

The Granicus Digital Government Awards evaluate more than visual design. Judges assess how effectively a website serves its users: whether residents can locate information without difficulty, and whether the site’s structure reflects how people actually search for services rather than how a municipality is organized internally.

Port St. Lucie’s redesign was built around resident input rather than a standard template. City staff prioritized routine transactions — utility payments, permitting, service alerts — so that they are accessible within one or two clicks of the homepage rather than nested within department-specific pages. Tabbed layouts consolidate related content, reducing the navigation required to locate relevant information.

Granicus UX Design Manager Kit Sullivan cited the redesign’s “clear, intuitive navigation and thoughtfully integrated tabbed content,” noting that the outcome reflects a city that structured its site around residents’ stated needs rather than its own internal organization.

The recognition places Port St. Lucie among a small group of local governments nationwide that Granicus identifies as leaders in digital service delivery, transparency and civic engagement, functions that, though often overlooked, shape residents’ day-to-day experience of municipal government.

Public Works Staff Earn Parallel Recognition

A well-designed website is most effective when it accurately represents the services a city delivers. Port St. Lucie’s public works staff have reinforced that standard this year as well. At the American Public Works Association’s Florida Public Works Expo in Tampa, seven city employees received individual honors recognizing technical innovation, long-term service and leadership.

• Beth Zsoka, Public Works Department, received the Frank “Cheech” DeCelles Award, the Florida chapter’s Member of the Year honor, in recognition of the professionalism she has demonstrated through her work with the Treasure Coast branch of APWA.
• Carlos Camacho, Utility Systems Department, received a Technical Innovation Award for developing an efficient method to screen more than 13,000 utility service lines as part of an EPA initiative to reduce lead exposure in drinking water, confirming that no homes in the service area required further inclusion.
• Robert Carlsen, Public Works Department, received the Mac Ulsch Award, recognizing sustained contribution to the profession over more than three decades in public works and his role connecting APWA members across the state.
• Summer Burdick, Utility Systems Department, received an Exemplary Practices Award for a series of initiatives that improved efficiency, transparency and accountability within her division.
• Thomas Salvador, Public Works Department, was named the Florida chapter’s Professional Manager of the Year in recognition of more than 20 years leading infrastructure projects, data-driven planning and roadway preservation efforts.
• Andrew Gomez, Public Works Department, received a Five-Year Member Award.
• John Dunton, Public Works Department, was recognized for his long-standing membership in APWA.

Departmental leadership received separate recognition as well: Colt Schwerdt, the city’s Director of Public Works and City Engineer, was named Engineer of the Year by the Florida Engineering Society’s Treasure Coast Chapter. The award is peer-nominated and determined by fellow engineers within the chapter, making it a reflection of professional standing among colleagues as much as any individual project.