After receiving input from nearly 20,000 Central Florida residents over the last 18-months, the “How Shall We Grow?” Initiative will conclude tomorrow with the unveiling of a Shared Growth Vision for Central Florida.

An expected capacity crowd will be on hand at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate to witness a program that will include a mixture of participation by citizens, local elected officials and state leaders as Central Florida looks at what is possible for the future of the region and discusses how to move toward achieving a preferred future.

Through surveys, meetings, blogs, and other conversations, Central Florida’s residents, business leaders, and elected officials overwhelmingly indicated a desire for a future that is different than our current path of development. Central Florida developed nearly 1,000 square miles of land between 2000 and 2006 and the region now has more than 2,600 square miles of developed land. If current practices and policies continue, the amount of developed land in Central Florida will double by 2050 to more than 5,200 square miles.

Citizens have instead pointed toward a different approach to growth, in which the region preserves its most precious environmental and conservation lands, focuses development in urban centers, and connects these centers with transportation corridors that provide choices for how people travel. 

But what needs to be done to move the region from the current trend to a preferred vision? And, who needs to lead that charge?

A group of 16 elected officials representing the seven city governments, county governments and school boards of the seven Central Florida counties has been meeting over the last year to develop a regional compact and policy framework that takes the shared vision and identifies specific policies that can be implemented to ensure we move toward achieving the vision.

As part of the Summit, they will outline the key principles and themes articulated in the vision. They will also relay their pledge, made on behalf of elected officials from throughout the region, to continue working together to address the key regional issues facing Central Florida.

But elected officials are not the only people who will need to be engaged if Central Florida is to enjoy a positive future. Everyone attending the summit will be asked to identify one action they can take to help move the region away from the current path and toward the future vision.

The residents will then have an opportunity to interact in a conversation with key volunteer leaders and elected officials from Central Florida in a panel discussion.

While much of the success of implementing a shared vision will be up to the citizens and leaders of Central Florida, there is still an important role for state government to play in ensuring the vision is achieved. After seeing the vision and hearing from citizens and elected officials from the region, Stephanie Kopelousos, the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, will respond and react to the vision and provide a perspective on the state’s role in future implementation.

For those unable to attend the onsite event, live web streaming will be available through media partner, WFTV at www.wftv.com.

myregion.org - A Regional Development Program - is an organization of citizens and leaders from public, private and institutional sectors who have launched a program to prepare the Central Florida Region to compete more effectively in the 21st century while enhancing the quality of life of its citizenry.