Like many states throughout the country, Florida faces a development upswing, thanks in large part to the lowest interest rates in recent history. The four primary office and industrial markets in the Super Region, according to myregion.org documentation, are Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and South Florida. Both the I-95 and I-4 development corridors are distinctive, each with their own characteristics.
While the I-95 corridor contains older known uses, like retail malls, office and industrial space, today it is dominated primarily by the aerospace industry. To the west, the I-4 corridor is considered the “backbone of office and retail development.” Containing more than 90 percent of the region’s multi-tenant office space development, the I-4 corridor also intersects with the Florida Turnpike to create a principal industrial distribution zone. That intersection also provides some automotive access to metro Orlando’s largest industry ~ the tourist sector.
(Click here to view Mall map)
In October 2002, myregion.org held a Leadership Council / CEO Roundtable Joint Meeting and a Regional Board of Advisors meeting. Community feedback surveys conducted at both events by myregion.org show concern among workshop participants that two key industries ~ space and tourism ~ are “fragile and facing increasing competitive pressures” in the global market place. Another key concern for survey respondents was the “lack of a regional growth policy … resulting in an unbalanced traffic and growth pattern.”
Learning the most dominant concerns of area residents and business leaders, myregion.org organizers can now focus on solutions to problems and in creating cooperative partnerships in individual areas that can make those areas more competitive in today’s global market. Managed Growth and Development was the number one priority set by workshop participants (42% and 28%), with Great Schools coming in second at 25 percent and 23 percent. At the bottom of the priority list of ten items, Low Taxes came in at a scant zero percent and one percent.
That should be encouraging to myregion.org organizers and participants and to local officials. Those surveyed are likely willing “pay to play” advocates. Increased planning efforts, which may cost more up front, may actually be seen by survey respondents as the key to making this community a leader in the global infrastructure of commerce and industry. Development is more than just rooftops and retail. It is a combination of efforts and ideologies that bring industry, education and lifestyle to the forefront of any community. And our neighbors in Central Florida most definitely “have their fingers on the pulse of progress.”
You may access full-color maps describing the region’s transportation and development patterns, the Public Opinion Survey, meeting notes and other related documents by logging on to www.myregion.org.
