With the debut of the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision set for tomorrow, the Florida Secretary of Transportation has provided words of praise and encouragement to the Central Florida region.

Click here to download a copy of the letter.

In renewing the Florida Department of Transportation's commitment and continuing support to the project, Secretary Stephanie C. Kopelousos said, “the How Shall We Grow?” project has effectively engaged citizens and leaders from public, private and civic organizations to develop a consensus-based vision . . . that will serve as a prototype for how regional visioning and coordination policies can be applied in other regions of the state.”

As envisioned by the 2025 Florida Transportation Plan, “Central Floridians have identified the importance of connecting green space, transportation and land use in a manner that allows your region to be economically competitive while maintaining its quality of life,” she added. 

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.  Secretary Kopelousos will be in Orlando to participate in the Regional Growth Summit on Friday, August 10, to listen, react and respond to the vision from the statewide perspective.  She will also explore the role that state agencies can play in supporting regional visioning efforts across Florida.

WFTV will be "streaming" the Regional Summit live on its web site through a link at www.wftv.com.

“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. For those unable to attend the Summit, it will be available for viewing on their computer screen.

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.