Winter Garden named a top performer in 2025 Best in Governance Awards

The city was one of five top performers to receive the Community Connection Award.

By Liz Ramos
| 3:14 p.m. October 9, 2025

West Orange Times & Observer
News

Winter Garden has been named a top performer in the 2025 Best in Governance Awards for Community Connection.

The Best in Governance Awards honors communities for both resident experience and measurable outcomes. Winners are determined using data from the National Community Survey, which hundreds of residents answered earlier this year, as well as Polco's Government Performance Action and Learning performance measures.

Top performers were chosen out of more than 300 communities nationwide.

Only five top performers were chosen in each category.

The Community Connection Award recognizes a strong sense of civic pride and welcome, opportunities for neighbors to connect and engage, support for diversity and inclusion, and a high quality of life for families and retirees.

The overall winner will be announced Monday, Oct. 27.

author

Liz Ramos

Managing Editor Liz Ramos previously covered education and community for the East County Observer. Before moving to Florida, Liz was an education reporter for the Lynchburg News & Advance in Virginia for two years after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism.