Silvia Rita Sedita, Anete Alberton, Maurizio Pioletti, Karolina Crespi Gomes
While existing research on smart cities often adopts a static perspective and focuses on mature smart cities, less attention has been devoted to the evolutionary dynamics and preconditions underlying their development. This paper examines the evolution of Florianópolis (Brazil) through a smart city lifecycle framework grounded in innovation ecosystem theory. Drawing on 17 in-depth interviews conducted in July 2024 with representatives from public administration, industry associations, science parks, incubators, universities, and civil society, the study adopts a qualitative approach combining content and network analysis. The findings reconstruct the stages of development of Florianópolis as a smart city and map the relational structure of its innovation ecosystem. Despite ranking first in the 2024 Connected Smart Cities Ranking in Brazil, the city remains in a growth stage characterized by high network density, active public–private initiatives, and partial strategic integration. The results highlight a misalignment between performance-based smart city rankings and structural lifecycle maturity. By integrating lifecycle theory with an ecosystem perspective, the paper contributes to understanding how relational configurations shape smart city transitions.