DeSoto County Coming Together: Unleashing the Community’s Potential (2024)

About: A community report for DeSoto County, FL, prepared by The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation in partnership with The Patterson Foundation.

Authors: Richard C. Harwood, John P. Conroy, Michael Prihoda and Oluwagbemiga Dasylva

Publish Date: 2024

Description: DeSoto County is a peaceful, unique, and caring community. People love the small-town feel and step up to care for each other, especially in times of crisis. But the area is dealing with an array of challenges and is facing a fundamental choice: Will the community remain stifled and separated, or will it come together and tap its shared capacity to build a brighter future? 

This report includes the main themes that emerged from the conversations and interviews; voices of the people from DeSoto County; a snapshot and analysis of the fundamental structures, networks, and norms of DeSoto County through the lens of The Harwood Institute’s Public Capital Framework; and key recommendations for investing in and growing the community's civic capacities and renewing a sense of possibility and hope.