myregion.org has convened municipal leaders, for the second time, in an effort to educate, engage and explore with them the future of Central Florida.  As an outgrowth of its “How Shall We Grow?” campaign, the leadership of myregion.org and the mayors of the 86 cities in the seven-county region are learning more about where we are and where we hope to be by the year 2050.

While attendance may vary from meeting to meeting, the curiosity about myregion.org research and the enthusiasm for what might be possible remains strong.  At its most recent meeting, the Council of Mayors was provided with a briefing on the Penn Design Central Florida Study conducted last year in concert with the University of Central Florida’s Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies.  Its director, Linda Chapin, outlined the parameters of the study as well as the recommendations that were provided by the urban design graduate students at UPENN and their professor, the renowned Jonathan Barnett.

Charles Lee, Florida Audubon, then reviewed with the Mayors an additional study entitled Naturally Central Florida: Putting the Pieces Together.  NCF has identified seven “jewels of our natural world” for protection as “must save” places in the Central Florida region.  Lee also cited the “enlightened” approach recently taken by the Sierra Club on the proposed sale 92,000 acres in Charlotte and Lee Counties in Southwest Florida.  Known as the Babcock Ranch, the agreement will return 74,000 acres to the State of Florida for preservation.  Acquiring these types of land tracts, and those identified by NCF, will preserve forever the natural habitats and species so identified with our region.

Writer’s Note:  Naturally Central Florida and its recommendations are the basis for the cover story in the July/August Issue of Pegasus, the bi-monthly publication of the UCF Alumni Association.  Pegasus Editor, Judy Creel, says of her recent participation in a “How Shall We Grow?” community meeting, “I could not believe my ears as I listened to the panel members discuss smart, quality growth in Central Florida.  Developers, business leaders, conservationists and politicians were agreeing with one another? And wanting to hear what ordinary citizens had to say?  What a refreshing change.”
 
The Council of Mayors also heard from Phil Laurien, the new executive director of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, who summarized the principles, themes and on-going analysis of the community conversations that were held across the region in May and June.  A second round of meetings will be held in August and September in each of the seven counties to acquire residents’ preferences on preferred growth scenarios that are being developed by the technical team of the “How Shall We Grow?” campaign.

Lively discussion and a series of informed questions by the Mayors were addressed as well as their roles as community leaders in bringing this important information to the citizenry.  Follow up meetings for the Council of Mayors have already been scheduled for September, October and December. 
  
“How Shall We Grow? – Creating a Shared Vision for Central Florida” is a fifteen-month process that brings together local, regional and state agencies in a partnership to design our collective future.  The Florida Department of Community Affairs, Florida Department of Transportation, the Central Florida MPO Alliance, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, and myregion.org have combined their professional talents and resources to take this message to the people of our region. 

Those who are interested can stay up-to-date by accessing the project website or joining in the conversation online at www.howshallwegrow.org.

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.