First Annual Regional Excellence Awards: Bringing Together Regional Leaders
FAU President Frank Brogan gave the Keynote address. |
On Friday, June 11, the first annual South Florida Regional Excellence Awards program featuring keynote speaker, Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan, was held at the Westin Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. Brogan told the group, “just as Reagan once told former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" separating East and West in Berlin, South Floridians must do the same to the borders and turf battles that have separated them in the past.” Sponsored by the South Florida Regional Resource Center (a partnership organization that includes CUES, the Collins Center for Public Policy, and the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils), this event celebrated the efforts of the following winners:
- Henry Dean, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, received the Regional Leader Award for demonstrating a commitment to regionalism.
- The Regional Business Alliance, a coalition of regional business leaders, received the Regional Partnership Award for demonstrating a commitment to regionalism through cooperative efforts.
- The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the agency created to oversee development of a seamless regional transportation system, received the Regional Governance Award as a public sector organization that has demonstrated commitment to regionalism.
- The InternetCoast received the Regional Service Award as a public/non-profit organization that works to foster regional research and is committed to regionalism.
For more information on the South Florida Regional Resource Center, see www.sfrrc.net.
| Florida Public Officials Design Institute Receives Statewide Award |
The Florida Public Officials Design Institute at Abacoa, a program developed by the Jupiter office of CUES, has won the Council for Sustainable Florida’s 2004 Sustainable Florida Award in the Government category. Through this annual awards program, the Council seeks to identify business, government, and community groups that demonstrate outstanding achievements and excellence in sustainable business practices, including coastal conservation, water management, sustainable agriculture, and general sustainability initiatives. For more information on this valuable program, see www.floridadesigninstitute.org.
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Mary Beth Hartman and Marie York.
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South Miami-Dade Watershed Study Technical Review Committee
The South Miami-Dade Watershed Study and Plan is being undertaken to help meet the natural system requirements of a healthy Biscayne Bay and Miami-Dade County, while addressing essential quality of life characteristics, such as economic development, community character and infrastructure needs. This 26-month study will culminate in a plan, a set of recommendations to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, and will guide land use planning in South Miami-Dade County for the next fifty years.
In April, CUES convened the third meeting of the Technical Review Committee (TRC) for the South Miami-Dade Watershed Study. The TRC focused their comments on the following work products: Population Projections; Parameters and Thresholds; Opportunities and Constraints; and Scenario Building. Composed of a team of experts selected for their knowledge of the issues to be addressed by the Study, the TRC meets at six key points in the Study process to evaluate and make recommendations on the work products and help ensure the technical validity of the consultant's work. CUES Director Jim Murley serves as the moderator of the TRC. The Watershed Study is a project of the Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning and is managed by the South Florida Regional Planning Council. For information on the TRC, see the CUES website.
Urban Land Institute: Challenges and Opportunities for Florida’s Regions
CUES Director Jim Murley is part of a steering committee for a ULI statewide project exploring Florida’s regional opportunities and challenges. The committee, chaired by Peter Rummel of the St. Joe Company and Nathaniel Reed, noted conservationist, has held four regional meetings to solicit input from local leaders. The South Florida meeting was held at CUES offices at the FAU campus in downtown Fort Lauderdale. A key finding from this meeting was the importance of connecting transportation and land use decision making. The goal of the project, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is to develop a set of recommendations that will identify and remove obstacles at the state government level to regional collaboration. See www.uli.org and www.seflorida.uli.org for more information about the Urban Land Institute.
Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast (CSTC) Update
The CSTC met on June 16 to refine their vision, goals and next steps. The committee heard presentations from representatives of Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties and the city of Vero Beach on their ongoing visioning processes aimed at updating their comprehensive plans. The committee will discuss issues of the natural environment during their next meeting scheduled for July 15-16. Visit www.sustainabletc.org for more information on this initiative.
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