2008
America’s Cleanest City: Forbes Magazine
Top Walking City: Prevention Magazine
Top 25 U.S. Arts Destination: American Style Magazine
Inner City Mayoral Leadership: Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
Best City to Do Business (for the second year in a row): America Economia Magazine
Home for Every American Mayoral Leadership: U.S. Interagency Council for Homelessness
America’s Best Leaders 2008: U.S. News and World Report

2007
Tree City USA: National Arbor Foundation
Best City on Water: AIA American Institute of Architects
Nambe Eagle Leadership Award: U.S. Latino Leaders Network
Urban Markets Pathfinder Award for Excellence: Brookings Institute
Top Honors, U.S. Livability Award (for the Elevate Miami program): USCM
10th Anniversary Living Wage Award (for the Mayor): Community Coalition for Living Wages
CCLW Achievement Award
Aguila Leadership Award - Latino Leaders Network
Outstanding American by Choice - United States Citizenship and Immigration Services2004 Urban Innovator of the Year - The Manhattan Institute, New York

2006
Government Achievement Award: Hispanic Magazine
National Public Leadership in the Arts: Americans for the Arts, USCM
1st Place, Excellence in Public Private Partnership (for the Access Miami program)
National Public Leadership in the Arts Award - Americans for the Arts & The United States Conference of Mayors (received in 2007)
Government Achievement Award - Hispanic Magazine
Top 25 Most Powerful Hispanics - Hispanic Magazine

2005
Named to Advisory Board of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania
Named to Advisory Board, The Mayors' Institute on City Design

2004
Business Leader of the Year Award - South Florida CEO Magazine

THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
 
2007 Elected Vice-President of the United States Conference of Mayors

2006 Elected Chair of the 30-member Advisory Board of The United States Conference of Mayors 

2004 Elected to Board of Trustees & Executive Board,  The United States Conference of Mayors by his peers, the nation's mayors.

2004 Appointed Vice-Chair, Faith and Community-Based Initiatives Task Force, The United States Conference of Mayors (Mayor Don Plusquellic of Akron)

2003 Appointed Chair of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports Committee, The United States Conference of Mayors (Mayor James Garner of Hempstead)Reappointed in 2004 by Mayor Don Plusquellic of Akron.
Reappointed in 2005 by Mayor Beverly O'Neill of Long Beach.

2003 Named to Mayors and Police Chiefs Task Force, The United States Conference of Mayors (Mayor James Garner of Hempstead)

2002 Elected to Advisory Board, The United States Conference of Mayors

2002 Appointed Co-Chair, Film Task Force, The United States Conference of Mayors (Mayor Marc Morial of New Orleans)