Tavares, FL Excels and Creates Frictionless Civic Experiences

The Tavares Seaplane Base (FA1) is a public-use seaplane landing area owned by the City of Tavares, Florida. The State of Florida licensed the facility as a public airport in 2010. City officials launched the idea for a seaplane base as part of a plan to reinvigorate business and tourist activity in the downtown area.

Tavares, Florida, has experienced a renaissance. Inspired by the strategic approach of its residents and elected officials, Tavares has rebranded itself as America’s Seaplane City. It is an appropriate moniker for a city helping boost the downtown as a Central Florida entertainment spot and serving as the natural stopping point for seaplane pilots en route to the Bahamas and other island nations.

However, the rebranding of Tavares to better align with its unique offerings is one of many revolutions happening in City Hall. Tavares’ leaders are responding to community members’ expectations for personal digital experiences with their local government through rapid and innovative adoption of smart technology.

Early Adoption of Digital Optimization Solutions

The City of Tavares has paced its adoption of innovative technology with its community’s evolving expectations and the emergence of new technologies.

“We’ve been an early adopter of new communication technologies emerging for resident engagement,” said a representative of Tavares. “Since the Internet became widely available, we’ve always looked ahead—to our website, social media, and mobile—we’ve been extremely forward-thinking in embracing new technologies.”

The City’s strategy has revolved around diversifying its solutions to maximize adoption and access. Through CivicPlus, a core component of Tavares’ software stack is the modern civic experience platform comprised of CivicPlus’® Municipal Website solution, SeeClickFix 311 CRM software, and CivicPlus’® Agenda and Meeting Management system.

Using Technology to Eliminate Barriers to Resident Services

Tavares implemented SeeClickFix 311 CRM to elevate its resident request management capabilities. The City’s decision to implement SeeClickFix 311 CRM represented an intuitive and well-thought-out approach to using technology to improve community members’ lives.

“Before [SeeClickFix 311 CRM], if a resident had a request or concern, they’d come into City Hall, call, or email,” said the representative from Tavares. “We were risking requests getting lost in the mix. In addition, we didn’t have a dedicated funnel to receive and distill inquiries. [SeeClickFix 311 CRM] has since become the vehicle for complaints management. When we implemented the solution, the improvements were instantaneous. As a result, our customer experiences improved, and our internal staff experiences improved too.”

Amplifying Access to Public Meetings Using Live Video Streaming Tools

In 2021, the City migrated to online meetings quickly; leaders quickly identified a need for software designed with functionality specific to the needs of public sector meeting management.

“[CivicPlus® Agenda and Meeting Management solution] allows us to live stream directly to our website and tie bookmarks between our agenda and recorded videos,” they added.

Tavares used CARES Act funds to help pay for its agenda and meeting management system investment.

“When we decided to integrate and upgrade everything, [the modern civic experience platform] was the perfect solution,” said the representative from Tavares.” We have an essential responsibility in local government to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. We are constantly re-evaluating our solutions to ensure we choose the best software we can get for those dollars.”

The Value of a Single Platform From a Trusted Partner

Planning the future of the City’s innovation roadmap is only possible by reflecting on the past year. To Tavares, a multi-solution partnership with CivicPlus has been a valuable investment.

“Our City understands the value of a good relationship,” they said. “We recognize this is a strong partnership with valuable solutions backed by amazing technical support. We have smart people supporting us, and there’s comfort in knowing we have that support.”