Pasco County works tirelessly to maintain more than 600 guardrails across the county – each one different from the other – knowing they help keep the traveling public safe. Monitoring, repairing and upgrading guardrails is a major job, and Pasco’s Department of Public Works does it seamlessly with its first-of-its-kind Guardrail Assessment Program.

Our department is pleased to announce we recently won the Technical and Management Innovation Award from the American Public Works Association (APWA), Florida Chapter – West Coast Branch. The team received the top honor at a ceremony March 13, 2024, because of its great and innovative work on the Guardrail Assessment Program.

Our Award-Winning Team



“We’re extremely proud of our team for developing this top-notch program to make our roads safer,” said Public Works Director Jason Mickel. “We’re committed to keeping up this excellent work, knowing how instrumental it is in our pursuit for safety.”

Our Public Works team spent months creating the Guardrail Assessment Program, reviewing materials from the Florida Department of Transportation and other agencies. They developed training materials and assessment criteria for guardrails – and put together a guardrail ID inspection handbook. This allows the team to inspect hundreds of guardrails around Pasco County, looking for any issues or needed improvements.

The APWA, Florida Chapter – West Coast Branch is the oldest and largest branch in Florida. It covers Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter Counties.