January 9, 2007, marked a significant day for both the Central Florida and Greater Tampa Bay regions. The President of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and myregion.org, Jacob V. Stuart, and the President and CEO of Tampa Bay Partnerships, Stuart L. Rogel, established in a joint letter sent to Interim Transportation Secretary, Stephanie Kopelousos, that the two regions anticipate working together in the future in support of Florida’s Future Corridors Action Plan.

The Florida Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Florida Transportation Commission has developed this Action Plan to focus on transportation corridors in the state that need either improvement, transformation, or redevelopment over the next 50 years. This Plan is viewed by both Stuart and Rogel as a way to connect Orlando and Tampa as the two respective regions continue to grow into a “mega region.” Both parties expressed strong support for the reuse and enhancement of the I-4 Transportation Corridor in order to link the two regions and their economic centers.

The Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Tampa Bay Partnership have been working collaboratively for the past eight years on events such as the Annual Chamber Leadership Retreat and the Washington, D.C. Regional “Fly-In.” This year’s “Fly-In” will take place May 15-17, 2007, and both regions will once again come together to host this event.

As a direct result of these regions working together, this is just one example of the many positive outcomes that can take place for the Central Florida region. As stated by Jacob Stuart, “There are certain strategies for any region---that require very close cooperation and coordination with adjoining regions. For sure, this is true for transportation. Working with the Tampa Bay Partnership is an honor-and we’re both stronger when we ‘stand together.’

“Along these lines, we see our collective futures in ‘concert.’ When they succeed-we succeed and when we succeed-they succeed,” Stuart added. “We’re proud of their many accomplishments and are delighted to ‘cheer them on’ as they face the many challenges that lie ahead for any fast growing region. In the same way, they are ready, willing and able to offer their support to our regional efforts; because, we both know that we are forever ‘linked’ -by our shared opportunities.”