ARCADIA, Fla. — DeSoto County's Tourism Department has been recognized with Visit Florida's highest honor, winning the "Henry Award" for its innovative "Florida Wild" marketing campaign in the Rural County Marketing division.
The state's tourism organization presented the award Wednesday evening, recognizing DeSoto County's collaboration with Destination by Design agency to create the new branding that showcases the county's natural landscapes and distinctive history.
The Henry Award represents the highest recognition in each category of the Flagler Awards, named after Henry Flagler who was instrumental in driving tourism development throughout Florida.
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Flagler Awards, which recognize outstanding tourism marketing efforts across the state. The 2025 competition drew a record-breaking 300-plus entries from organizations of all sizes, including individuals, private businesses and non-profit organizations.
A diverse panel of 12 judges independently evaluated each submission based on creativity, innovation, production quality and effectiveness. Awards were presented to the top three entries in each category, with bronze going to third place, silver to second place, and the Henry Award to the highest-scoring entry.
In the Rural County Marketing category, the Gadsden County Tourist Development Council earned bronze for the Gadsden County Black History Committee Treasure Hunt, while the Taylor County Tourism Development Council took silver for "The Comeback Campaign."
The awards ceremony featured representatives from Universal Parks and Resorts, Visit Florida leadership, and winning organizations from across the state.
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