City of Coral Gables Becomes First Community in the Nation to Earn Communities of Excellence Gold Level Recognition

CORAL GABLES, FL – The City of Coral Gables has become the first community in the United States to earn Gold Level recognition through the national Communities of Excellence (COE) program — the program’s highest distinction, recognizing six years of measurable, sustained improvement across health, safety, economic vitality, education and quality of life.

Over the past six years, Coral Gables achieved this role-model milestone by leveraging existing taxpayer-funded operations and resources, without using any funds to apply for or achieve this national recognition. The effort relied on strong leadership, disciplined management and deep collaboration among city departments, residents, businesses and community partners.

In August 2022, federal legislation authorized and enacted the Community category as the seventh category of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s only presidential-level recognition for performance excellence, formally enabling communities across the country to pursue this highest level of national recognition. Communities of Excellence is a nationally recognized performance framework that prepares and evaluates communities for this level of excellence by assessing how well they lead, plan, engage residents, deliver services and achieve results.

Gold Level communities demonstrate sustained, high performance and serve as national role models.

As part of the independent evaluation, Coral Gables was reviewed by a team of national volunteer examiners who cited the city’s strong strategic alignment, systematic improvement processes, integrated measurement systems and consistent results over time.

Measurable Community Results

Health and Safety

• Reduced the percentage of residents without health insurance
• Reduced the incidence of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, COPD and asthma
• Reduced accidental death rates
• Reduced violent crime rates

Economic Vitality

• Reduced unemployment
• Increased median household income
• Achieved and maintained a AAA bond rating

Education

• Increased high school graduation rates

Quality of Life and Satisfaction

• 92% of residents report feeling safe
• 95% of residents would recommend Coral Gables as a place to live
• 96% resident satisfaction with overall quality of life
• 99% business satisfaction with quality of life

The city’s success has been supported by long-standing partnerships with Baptist Health, the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, the Coral Gables Community Foundation, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Baldrige Group LLC, helping foster shared learning, data-driven decision-making, and a culture of continuous improvement.

“This recognition reflects the extraordinary work of our employees and our partners across the community,” said City Manager Peter J. Iglesias. “It validates not only that Coral Gables is well run, but that our systems, planning and leadership are delivering meaningful results for residents and businesses — and doing so responsibly, transparently and without burdening taxpayers.”

With Gold Level recognition, Coral Gables is now eligible to pursue the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award under the Community category, the only national presidential recognition a U.S. community can receive for performance excellence.