Pembroke Pines, FL (December 13, 2018) – Calling all Gardeners to show off their yards!  Residents can register today for the  2019 Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award Contest.  Now entering its eighth year, the Great Yards Award contest was created in memory of Natalie Belmonte, a well-known resident and businesswoman who had a love for nature, especially butterflies, and who tragically lost her life in July of 2011.

Registration is currently open until April 11, 2019.  Previously, five Pembroke Pines yards were selected as winners, one from each City Commission District and one overall champion. With an increase in participation and popularity over the last few years, the contest has been extended to both commercial properties and educational institutions, resulting in a total of seven winners.
 
Members of the Pembroke Pines Environmental Advisory Board will judge the competing yards on five different components: Butterfly (the preservation of all stages of a butterfly's life), Design and Function, Maintenance, Florida-friendly Value and Use of Hardscapes. Applicants must provide a brief description of their property, its landscaping, how it meets the goals of the Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award Contest and include 10 unreturned photos of the yard. Contest requirements with details of each section and applications are available at the Planning and Economic Development Department in City Hall, or via the City’s website by visiting www.ppines.com and searching keywords ‘Natalie Belmonte’.  
 
Pembroke Pines residents who would like more information regarding registering for the 2019 City of Pembroke Pines Natalie Belmonte Great Yards Award contest should contact city landscape staff at 954-392-2100 or email kjensen@ppines.com.  While application submittal via email is preferred, hard copies may be sent to the following: 
 
Planning and Economic Development Department
601 City Center Way, 3rd Floor
Pembroke Pines, Florida 33025
 
The Pembroke Pines Environmental Advisory Board welcomes residents to attend its meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Carl Shechter Southwest Focal Point Community Center Campus, 301 NW 103rd Avenue in Pembroke Pines. Please visit www.ppines.com for the monthly meeting agenda.