When County Chairs Frank Bruno, Volusia County; Richard T. Crotty, Orange County; Catherine Hanson, Lake County; Carlton Henley, Seminole County; Jack Myers, Polk County; Paul Owen, Osceola County; and Helen Voltz, Brevard County gathered on Wednesday, April 26, 2006, it was an historic event.
The establishment of the Central Florida Regional Leadership Council is the result of recommendations made in the Central Florida SourceBook, published by myregion.org – A Regional Development Program.
With only Seminole County Chairman, Carlton Henley, Jr., absent due to illness, the convening of the region’s key governmental leaders had only happened once before, when Senator Mel Martinez served as Orange County Chairman.
Randy Lyon, Chair of myregion.org, provided welcome and likened the meeting to similar gatherings in Coventry, England where, since the year 1056, elected mayors have gathered to assume their office. He thanked the Chairs for agreeing to take on such a mantel. Given the phenomenal growth facing our region over the next fifty years, he challenged these key leaders and their staffs to enter their discussions thinking “what if” and to be visionaries for future county and regional leaders who will follow them.
Immediately electing Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty to serve as Council Chair, and Volusia County’s Frank Bruno as vice chair, it will be at the discretion of the County Chairs to decide the structure, mechanics and frequency of future meetings.
With a goal of building a 50-year plan for Central Florida, they will help guide the Central Florida Regional Growth Visioning Process (CFRGV). A collaboration of community and state partners including myregion.org, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, METROPLAN Orlando, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, Florida Department of Community Affairs and Florida Department of Transportation, the fifteen-month CFRGV will include a series of community conversations with citizens and community leaders about how they would like to see the region grow.
With preliminary discussions recognizing the common regional growth issues of school capacity, transportation, the environment and water common to every county in the region, the council also discussed the importance of including the region’s mayors, school boards, and others in the process.
“Initially, I was reluctant to believe (in regional visioning) but the more I looked into it, the more I saw that there can be a domino effect with growth. What happens in Polk or Osceola counties can have a direct impact on Orange County, ” said Mayor Crotty.
As a result, a Central Florida Council of Mayors meeting had been scheduled that will include the key leaders from each of the 85 municipalities in the region. The gathering took place on Monday, May 22, 2006, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport. Just as historic as the Central Florida Regional Leadership Council, the opinions and perspectives of the region’s Mayors will enrich and enhance the Regional Growth Visioning Process.
Osceola County Chairman Paul Owen added, “The biggest challenge is: Can one county or municipality give up what’s in the immediate best interests of their constituents for the long-term interests of the region?
The Central Florida Regional Leadership Council and the Central FLorida Regional Council of Mayors' future meetings will provide an opportunity for key municipal leaders to weigh in on the subject.
myregion.org - A Regional Development Program - is designed to bring together the business, government and civic leadership representing the seven-county Central Florida region to develop a regional agenda for thought and action to ensure Central Florida's success in the 21st century global marketplace.
Visit www.myregion.org for more on these meetings and the schedule of community meetings during May and June.
For information on the Central Florida Regional Leadership Council or the Central Florida Council of Mayors, contact Shelley Lauten, Director of myregion.org, at 407.835.2444 or via email at shelley.lauten@orlando.org.
