July 26 was a very busy and important day all across Central Florida.

While the Orange County Commission was listening to public comment prior to their vote in support of the three venues proposed for Downtown Orlando, elected officials representing the cities, counties and school boards of Central Florida were meeting only a few miles away, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, to adopt a strategy for how to work toward a shared growth vision for the region.

The Central Florida Joint Policy Framework Committee, which includes a representative from each county commission, a city mayor from each county and two members of the Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition, emphasized the importance for the cities and counties in Central Florida to continue working together by unanimously adopting the Central Florida Regional Compact and Central Florida Policy Framework.

They will further convey their commitment to working together regionally as part of the “How Shall We Grow?” Regional Summit on August 10, 2007.

Over the last 18-months, nearly 20,000 Central Floridians have participated in a “community conversation” to answer the question “How Shall We Grow?”  Overwhelmingly, they indicated a desire for a future that is different than our current path of development.  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.  The future for Central Florida can be different if future policies and practices are based on the 4 C’s: Conservation, Countryside, Centers and Corridors.

As citizens participating in the “How Shall We Grow?” conversation began conveying a desire for a different future for the region, elected officials from all seven Central Florida counties started meeting together to discuss some of the key regional issues that could help change the course of Central Florida.

Utilizing citizen input as their starting place, the Joint Policy Framework Committee has developed a Policy Framework that gives guidance to how cities and counties can successfully incorporate the four key themes of Conservation, Countryside, Centers and Corridors into their plans.

While many cities and counties have openly embraced this non-binding framework, there are still some jurisdictions within the region that question the need for a regional approach and are concerned that a regional policy framework could try and supersede their local governance.

One of the future challenges will be to convince skeptical localities that the desire for the future is not one large regional government that dictates local policies. Instead, it is for cities and counties to all work together to create a region where the “Four C’s” help ensure a high quality of life for all residents.

Recognizing that need to continue working together, the Joint Policy Framework Committee adopted the Central Florida Regional Compact, which is their pledge to the citizens of the region that the elected leaders of Central Florida are committed to changing the path for the region and will continue working together toward that desired future.

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.