NatureCoaster reported on February 19, 2026 that Hernando County has received the National Award of Excellence from the American Planning Association (APA) County Planning Division and the National Association of County Planners (NACP).
Each year, the APA County Planning Division and NACP present County Planning Project Awards to recognize outstanding planning work across the country. Hernando County was recognized for its AI-native approach to planning and permitting, powered by Swiftbuild's SwiftGov platform.
The award acknowledges how the county has integrated artificial intelligence into its core development review operations rather than treating it as a limited experiment. Hernando County's deployment has demonstrated measurable improvements in review speed, compliance accuracy, and staff efficiency.
The recognition from APA and NACP validates the approach that Hernando County and Swiftbuild have taken: building AI into the architecture of government operations, not layering it on top. This model is now being studied by other jurisdictions looking to modernize their own permitting and planning workflows.
