• Florida comes to South Florida
• Redevelopment Programs - the ABCs of CRAs
• Seaside Pienza Institute
• Boating Access Facilities Inventory
• Florida Oceans Day
• Area Youth Learn about Urban Development
• News & Notes
• Activities & Events

Other co-sponsors of this event include The Broward Alliance, Broward Workshop, Citrix, Nova Southeastern University, InternetCoast, VisionBROWARD, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Broward County Board of County Commission’s Cultural Division, The Cultural Foundation of Broward, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Broward, and Leadership Florida. For more information on Dr. Florida’s work, see www.creativeclass.org.

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In the ongoing effort to assist communities resolve urban and environmental issues through research, education and partnerships, CUES, FAU's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and the Florida Institute of Government have undertaken a joint project dealing with redevelopment and revitalization of Southeast Florida. An initial inventory of all 48 established Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) in the 7-county Southeast Florida Region has been completed. This information was collected to help all those in the region and beyond who are interested in learning more about the roles and responsibilities of CRAs, and is continually undated. In addition, the web page contains a variety of other redevelopment resources, including DURP student papers dealing with community and economic development efforts, and key articles and other documents. See www.cuesfau.org/cra.

Another important component of our ongoing redevelopment work is a series of programs designed to educate new and seasoned public officials. Because of the public/private interaction surrounding redevelopment, courses are designed to address informational needs of stakeholders including developers, financiers, land owners, and citizen groups. These redevelopment programs have been a regular feature of the Institute of Government’s annual “Hot Topics” series since the early 1990s, and this year a three part series is being held. The first program, "The ABCs of CRAs" was held on May 23 - see website for program documents and pictures, as well as materials from the 2004 Infill and Redevelopment seminar. This seminar provided a basic overview of Florida redevelopment law and redevelopment plan requirements, and included presentations covering experience gained from a variety of redevelopment efforts. The next two programs, "Beyond T.I.F." on June 3, and "Kelo v. City of New London" on July 15, are noted in the events section of this e-newsletter.

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Siena, Italy - Click on image for full size

CUES Director Jim Murley participated in the fourth meeting of the Seaside Pienza Institute for Town Building and Land Stewardship. The Institute seeks to advance the arts of town building and land stewardship through educational programs that gain inspiration and clarity by taking place in exemplary locations like Pienza. The Institute visited the City of Siena in Tuscany and were hosted by city officials who explained their new program in urban trekking and the management of over 2 million visitors annually to their city of 80,000 people. The Institute was named for Pienza, a fifteenth century hill town redesigned at the direction of Pope Pius II as a demonstration of renaissance “ideal city” design. Nearly a half century later, Pienza’s redesign helped inform plans for a new town in Florida, Seaside, as a result of its influence on Seaside’s town founder, Robert Davis. More information on the Seaside Pienza Institute.

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CUES has been awarded a two-year contract, part of a larger project in partnership with the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts – Boston, among others, to prepare a Boating Access Facilities Inventory and Economic Study for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The work will include a pilot study in Lee County and will be expanded statewide. In addition to several other research endeavors, a comprehensive database will be compiled to include information on boat ramps, marinas, dry storage facilities, mooring fields, and docks. Dr. Lenore Alpert, CUES Assistant Director, is managing the project.

In consultation with Dr. William B. Stronge of FAU’s Economics Department, Dr. Alpert is also directing Phase III of the Economics of Beaches Study, under a contract with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. More information

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CUES Director Jim Murley presenting Florida Ocean Alliance Legislative Leadership Award to Sen. Paula Dockery.

Kumar Mahadevan and Jim Murley presenting Florida Ocean Alliance Legislative Leadership Award to Rep. Donna Clarke. The award was also given to Sen. Ken Pruitt.

CUES serves as secretariat for the Florida Ocean Alliance (FOA) and co-sponsors Florida Oceans Day annually in Tallahassee. This year, Florida legislators joined scientists, researchers, and maritime interests on April 20th to celebrate and promote awareness and stewardship of the state's ocean resources. The theme, “Supporting Florida’s Ocean Resources: Science, Management, Commerce,” highlighted the legislature’s efforts to implement the Report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. This year, the FOA is honoring Sen. Ken Pruitt, Sen. Paula Dockery, and Rep. Donna Clarke.

“We are excited to gather Florida’s best and brightest minds to tackle issues related to our oceans while honoring the sponsors of important oceans legislation,” said David L. McDonald, chairman of the Florida Ocean Alliance.

“We wish to thank Sen. Pruitt, Sen. Dockery, and Rep. Clarke for their leadership in helping Florida move ahead and address the Presidential Commission’s report,” said Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, FOA vice chair. “It is great to have them as ocean champions.”

More information on the Florida Ocean Alliance

NEWS FLASH: During the Florida Oceans Day gathering members of the FOA Board met with legislators and interested parties to forge a consensus on proposed legislation to create an Oceans and Coastal Resources Council. As the time began to run out on the 2005 session, FOA continued promote the need for a permanent Council to formulate research priorities and a baseline resource assessment. Perseverance and coalition building led to the successful passage of the Oceans and Coastal Resources Act, as an amendment to HB 1855. The Act lays out a comprehensive set of legislative findings and intent and creates an Oceans and Coastal Resources Council "to maximize the protection of ocean and coastal resources while recognizing their economic benefits." The Council will consist of five members appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, five members appointed by the Executive Director of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and five members appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. The Commissioner of Agriculture's appointments come from a list of a least eight individuals submitted by the Florida Ocean Alliance.

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During May, the South Florida chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in cooperation with Cooper City High School completed its first Florida implementation of Urban Plan, an educational program on urban development for high school students. Urban Plan, a carefully engineered educational module developed by the ULI in cooperation with University of Berkley, CA, introduces students to the challenges of urban design, planning, and real estate, in a classroom setting that is enriched with the involvement of professional mentors. CUES’s Ana Puszkin-Chevlin received Urban Plan training in April, and served as one of the mentoring facilitators at Cooper City High School. Working with two teams of students, she critiqued the developing project design and helped the teams prepare their final presentations. In June, the ULI Urban Plan committee will assess the success of the programs and developed plans for continuing the program in 2006.
More information on the Urban Plan program

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M.J. Matthews, J.D., Senior Research Associate with CUES, participated in a local workshop on April 27 to help The Nature Conservancy develop the terrestrial and freshwater actions component of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy for the South Florida region. She also served as a panelist on stakeholder issues related to the Broward County Manatee Protection Plan (MPP). CUES has been assisting with preparation of the county’s Boat Facility Siting Plan, a component of the MPP. The panel, sponsored by the Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute, was convened in Downtown Fort Lauderdale on May 13.

CUES Director Jim Murley gave the presentation, “Strategies for Preserving Public Access,” at the Waterways and Waterfronts: Issues of Law, Policy and Planning seminar on May 20 in Fort Lauderdale. This course was sponsored by the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of the Florida Bar, Florida Sea Grant, the Florida Department of Community Affairs, and the Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

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View our complete online calendar!

Second Annual Regional Leadership Awards Program
The South Florida Regional Resource Center (SFRRC) will host its Second Annual Regional Excellence Awards luncheon honoring numerous individuals and groups that have shown a strong commitment to fostering regional thinking in southeast Florida. The luncheon will take place Friday, June 3rd at 12 p.m. at the Hilton Deerfield Beach located at 100 Fairway Drive, Deerfield Beach, Florida.

The SFRRC, who through its partners, CUES; the Collins Center for Public Policy, Inc.; and the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils, assists neighborhood, city, county and civic organizations with local needs and educates these organizations about the importance of regional collaboration. The Center also works to ensure that organizations and other public and private regional entities work productively together to shape regional public policy in South Florida.

To register for the event, visit www.sfrrc.net or contact George Gadson at 954-762-5623 or ggadson@fau.edu.

Redevelopment Programs
Each year, FAU’s Institute of Government prepares planning and redevelopment programs to help educate both new and seasoned public officials. Because of the public/private interaction surrounding redevelopment, courses are designed to address informational needs of the related stake holders, including developers, financiers, land owners, and citizen groups.

Two upcoming programs are being offered:

• On June 3, 2005, “Beyond T.I.F.: Additional Resources for Financing Redevelopment.” This seminar will review the impact that this forthcoming United States Supreme Court decision will have on redevelopment and economic development in Florida—a must for all redevelopment practitioners—attorneys, planners, politicians, consultants and concerned citizens. Hear about this case from the experts actually involved with the case and at the oral argument.
• On July 15, 2005, “KELO v. CITY OF NEW LONDON: THE IMPACT OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISION ON REDEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN FLORIDA.”
  
  More information (pdf) | Register Online

The Crucible of New Urbanism in the US
Plan now to attend this one-day conference on June 27, 2005 that examines the principles of smart growth in the Sunshine State, sponsored by the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR) in conjunction with CUES. Seaside is considered on of the most successful examples of neotraditional town planning in existence today. The conference will explore Smart Growth and New Urbanism principles as one solution to the problem of sprawl and quality of life issues in Florida. Conference speakers will provide a historical overview, review relevant issues dealing with development, and provide real life examples of their application in the master-planned community of Seaside.
More information

Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
The 2005 FLASLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND EXPO will be held at the Marriott Downtown Orlando from July 22-23, 2005. This event features a one-day Walkability seminar with Dan Burden.
Click here for more information or to register for this event.

Livable Communities Training
Learn about transportation & safety and their role in achieving sustainable, livable, active communities. LIVABLE COMMUNITIES, hosted by FDOT and FSU's Department of Urban and Regional Planning is free. Trainers include Dan Burden (with Glatting Jackson and Walkable Communities, Inc.) and Billy Hattaway, P.E. (Hall Planning and Engineering). This workshop will be held on August 10, 2005 in West Palm Beach; August 11, 2005 in Ft. Lauderdale; and August 12, 2005 in Miami. Contact Stephanie Striefel at sstriefel38@yahoo.com for more information.

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