Serving as another “first” for myregion.org and the “How Shall We Grow?” project, the initial meeting of the Joint Policy Framework Committee took place on February 23, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport. This landmark committee brings together members of the Central Florida Regional Leadership Council (which includes the current or immediate past chair from each of the seven county governments), Central Florida Council of Mayors, and the Central Florida School Board Coalition. They will be meeting over the next five months to refine a “Regional Growth Compact” and “Regional Policy Framework” for how Central Florida can move forward toward implementing a shared vision for the future.

The development of a “Regional Policy Framework” is the latest step in the 15-month process to “Create a Shared Vision for Central Florida.” During more than 150 community meetings over the last year, 10,000 Central Floridians have given input on their vision for the future of Central Florida. In addition, 7,602 Central Floridians recently completed an on-line survey during which they were asked to rate several choices for the future.

The initial step in the “How Shall We Grow?” process began in the spring of 2006 when more than 3,000 residents answered the question of “What Matters Most to You?” as we look at the future of our region. The input resulted in the development of 12 Regional Growth Principles. Of the original 12 principles, six consistently resonated with a high percentage of residents and became the basis for the “Regional Policy Framework.”  

The top six principles are:

·         Preserve Open Space, Recreational Areas, Farmland, Water Resources and Regionally Significant Natural Areas.

·         Provide Universal Access to the Highest Quality of Education, Health Care, and Cultural Amenities.

·         Provide a Variety of Transportation Choices.

·         Encourage a Diverse, Globally Competitive Economy.

·         Foster Distinctive, Attractive and Safe Places to Live.

·         Create a Range of Obtainable Housing Opportunities and Choices.

At a Regional Forum in October 2006, 450 Central Florida residents generated more than 2,000 individual comments and potential regional solutions for the issues they deemed as most important within the six key principles.

This feedback became the basis for the initial draft of the “Regional Policy Framework.”  This framework outlines specific opportunities for regional collaboration as well as policies that would need to be created or altered to implement and sustain a regional vision.  It is designed to provide city and county governments, as well as other organizations involved in land use decision-making, with a set of recommendations for how they can incorporate elements of the regional vision into their specific plans for the future.

Throughout the “How Shall We Grow?” process, citizen input has consistently identified the importance of regional collaboration. Through the relationships that have been built by myregion.org and other regional organizations, creating regional partnerships is becoming a recognized way to examine and address issues that extend beyond city and county borders. 

One example of an opportunity for regional collaboration addressed in the “Regional Policy Framework” is the recommendation to create a regional “green print”, which is defined as an inter-connected network of regionally significant conservation, open space and recreational areas.

At the initial Joint Policy Framework Committee meeting, Lake County Chairman Welton Cadwell said that Lake County would take the lead on organizing the appropriate city and county representatives to begin identifying a regional “green print” and land use strategy. Once created, the “green print” and land use strategy will serve as the foundation for several specific actions described within the “Regional Policy Framework.”

During their next meeting, the Joint Policy Framework Committee will discuss the regional viability of developing a multi-modal regional transportation plan and how cities and counties across the region can work together to coordinate land use and transportation planning processes.

The “Regional Policy Framework” is one of several outcomes of the 15-month process that will be presented to the community at the “How Shall We Grow?” Regional Summit on August 10, 2007.

The next meeting of the Joint Policy Framework Committee is scheduled for March 23, 2007, and will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport.

Members of the Joint Policy Framework Committee include:

County Government

Brevard County – Helen Voltz, County Commissioner

Lake County – Welton Cadwell, County Chairman

Orange County – Rich Crotty, County Mayor

Osceola County – Ken Shipley, County Chairman

Polk County – Jack Myers, County Commissioner

Seminole County – Carlton Henley, County Chairman

Volusia County – Frank Bruno, County Chairman

City Government

Brevard County – Tom Eschenberg, Mayor of Malabar

Lake County – Sanna Henderson, Mayor of Leesburg

Orange County – Gary Bruhn, Mayor of Windermere

Osceola County – Donna Hart, Mayor of St. Cloud

Polk County – Nancy Daley, Vice Mayor of Lake Alfred

Seminole County – John Bush, Mayor of Winter Springs

Volusia County – Roland Via, Mayor of Holly Hill

School Board Coalition

Candace Lankford, Volusia County School Board

Dede Schaffner, Seminole County School Board