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An update from the Anthony James Catanese Center for Urban & Environmental
Solutions (CUES) at Florida Atlantic University
June 2006
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| The New Soflo.org, Your Resource for South Florida Indicators, has been launched! |
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CUES is proud to release a new and improved South Florida Regional Indicators website. Soflo, your resource for South Florida indicators, now features hot topics, showcasing recently released data of importance to the region; indicators reports ,where you can review our latest report, Charting the Course: Where is South Florida Heading?, as well as our two previous regional indicator publications; articles & events, where you can read current articles about our reports and others of regional interest; and indicators data, where we have posted all of the data we have been collecting on our region’s place, people, and prosperity measures. Please check it out and let us know what you think. Submit comments, suggestions to Lindsay Walker at lowalker@fau.edu.
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| Alliance for Regional Stewardship Conference Coming to South Florida in November 2006 |
The Alliance for Regional Stewardship (ARS) is a national, peer-to-peer network of regional stewards who benefit by sharing experiences and working collaboratively on innovative approaches to common regional challenges. ARS is for proven leaders who recognize the interdependencies of their regions’ economy, environment, and society—and are seeking practical ways to effect change as regional stewards.
These stewards can come from business, government, education, or community sectors, but they share a common commitment to collaborative action and regional stewardship. ARS supports regional stewardship by helping leaders learn about best practices from other regions, communicate to state and federal leaders and the media about regional challenges and innovations, and develop new leaders for regional stewardship efforts. The mission of ARS is to foster collaborative multi-sector regional stewardship as a means for advancing economic, social, and environmental progress, while maintaining a sense of place, in America’s metropolitan regions.
CUES is a proud member of the ARS and will be co-sponsoring the next ARS semi-annual conference. The theme for the November 15-17 conference will be “Regional Stewardship from the Top Down AND the Bottom Up.” It will explore how state governments such as Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, and California are embracing regional approaches to problem solving. It will be held at Fort Lauderdale’s Riverside Hotel.
CUES is actively seeking local sponsors for this event. If you are interested, please contact MaryBeth Burton at mburton@fau.edu. More information on ARS.
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| The South Florida Regional Resource Center Holds Third Annual Regional Excellence Awards Luncheon |
New CUES Senior Fellow Nick Bollman addresses participants at the 3rd Annual Regional Excellence Awards Luncheon. Those honored at the event included the following:
- Katy Sorenson, Commissioner, Miami-Dade County District 8, received the Regional Leader Award for her work in enhancing the quality of life for South Florida through wise economic and growth management policies, crime prevention initiatives, and protection of the region’s environmental resources.
- The Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast (CSTC) received the Regional Partnership Award. The 37-member committee was created in order to increase cooperation and coordination among St. Lucie, Martin, and Indian River counties by recommendation of Florida Senator Ken Pruitt. The CSTC developed recommendations about long-range planning issues important to sustainable growth and development in the Treasure Coast.
- The South Florida Business Journal received the Regional Business Award for covering key topics of regional concern including education, transportation, affordable housing, and the overall economy.
- The South Florida Sun-Sentinel received the Regional Advantage Award for supporting regional efforts in transportation, education, and affordable housing. This important media partner is also credited with reporting on the value of creating the Regional Transportation Authority from its pre-existing Tri-Rail status.
- The South Florida Cultural Consortium, a cooperative venture comprised of the five South Florida Counties’ cultural arts agencies, received the Regional Governance Award. The consortium was recognized for its regional Winter Institute in Arts Management Program designed for artists, cultural leaders, educators, and managers of community arts, as well as education, health, social service, environmental, and economic development agencies that wish to tap the power of art to affect positive development for their region.
- The Regional Service Award was presented to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) & ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean District Council for its two-year project that identified new opportunities for the state to support and encourage regional cooperation. The project produced a series of forums and culminated with a symposium keynoted by Governor Jeb Bush. It also produced a comprehensive report recommending succinct strategies for regional cooperation. As a result and at Governor Bush’s urging, several cabinet-level state agencies are now working with groups to develop regional visioning processes.
The South Florida Regional Resource Center is a partnership between CUES, the Collins Center for Public Policy, Inc., and the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils and is generously supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. CUES serves as the host organization for the SFRRC. The SFRRC works through its partners to ensure local groups, partner organizations, and other public and private regional entities work productively together to shape regional public policy in South Florida.
For more information on this event and the SFRRC please visit www.sfrrc.net, or contact George Gadson, Coordinator, South Florida Regional Resource Center, at 954-762-5623 or ggadson@fau.edu
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CUES Staffs Statewide Summits for Incoming Senate President Ken Pruitt
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CUES has agreed to develop summary reports for a series of statewide summits on topics of interest to incoming Senate President Ken Pruitt. The first two, held in June, focused on environmental conservation and career/technical education in Florida. A third, to focus on homeland security, is being scheduled for later this summer. CUES Director Jim Murley is serving in an advisory capacity, and other CUES staff are recording the events and developing summary reports. These summits are being developed to inform Senator Pruitt as he prepares for the next legislative session.
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| Palm Beach County Manatee Protection Plan Approved by County Commissioners |
CUES has completed the Manatee Protection Plan for Palm Beach County, and the Final Draft was approved by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners at its June 20, 2006 meeting. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are currently reviewing this latest draft. The plan will be adopted by reference in the Coastal Management Element of the Palm Beach County Comprehensive Plan. DETAILS.
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| News and Notes |
CUES affiliate, FAU’s John Scott Dailey Institute of Government, is losing its office and training space in August 2006. The office will relocate to FAU’s Boca Raton Campus but will no longer have rooms for training classes. If you know of space the Institute could possibly use for training at your local government entity or elsewhere, please call 954-229-4104 or email sshannon@fau.edu. In most cases, the Institute would need a room that seats 30 and is available 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. for a half-day or whole-day class sometime during the work week. While they are not asking for any commitments, staff would appreciate your help in finding training space throughout the South Florida region.
Director Jim Murley participated in seminar held at the Congress for the New Urbanism’s (CNU's) 14th annual conference in Providence, Rhode Island, on Friday, June 2nd. Director Murley discussed how to incorporate new urbanism principles into comprehensive plans. For more information on CNU, see www.cnu.org. Florida boasts the first statewide chapter. For more information, see www.cnuflorida.org.
On June 15, 2006, Director Jim Murley participated in a board meeting of the Partners for Livable Communities at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. He discussed CUES’s recently published regional indicators report, Charting the Course: Where is South Florida Heading?
Dr. Lenore Alpert, Assistant Director for Research, made a presentation on “New Urban Form of Southeast Florida: Southeast Florida’s Growth Patterns” to the Urban Land Institute. The Forum on Compact Development: Building a Better Toolkit, was held in Ft. Lauderdale on June 16, 2006. The presentation highlighted the Charting the Course: Where is South Florida Heading?” report.
The 2006 Broward County Trash Summit was held on June 16th and 17th, 2006 at the Coral Springs Marriott. Participating elected officials, city managers, waste managers, and recycling experts gathered to discuss the future of Broward County’s solid waste removal system. Several factors make it imperative for Broward County and its municipalities to begin the decision making process to determine the future of “the system.” The Summit resulted in a policy statement that outlines the issues, options, and action steps to be completed over the next several years. The Summit was coordinated by FAU’s John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government with staffing from CUES. George Gadson, Fabio Naranjo, and Lindsay Walker participated in this event.
MJ Matthews, JD, Senior Research Associate, participated in the June 20, 2006 meeting of the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners during which the Board approved the County’s Manatee Protection Plan.
Director Jim Murley participated in “New Market Opportunities: Urban Amenities Meet Small Town Living,” an event co-sponsored by CUES and the Florida Association of Realtors in Sarasota, Florida on June 27, 2006. Director Murley gave participants an overview of New Urbanism in Florida.
Director Jim Murley participated in Enterprise Florida’s Strategic Planning Regional Forum focused on diversifying Florida’s economy on June 28, 2006 in Palm Beach Gardens. He served on a panel covering regional infrastructure and was pleased to report strong interest by participants in regional solutions to developing a strong economy. All of the participants were provided a copy of CUES’s Charting the Course: Where is South Florida Heading?
Director Jim Murley participated in Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department’s 2006 Best Practices Lecture Series with a presentation on CUES’s Charting the Course: Where is South Florida Heading?
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| Don’t miss these important events! |
Florida Center for the Book Presents: Bill Belleville, Author of Losing It All to Sprawl: How Progress Ate My Cracker Landscape
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Bill Belleville is an award-winning author and documentary filmmaker specializing in nature and conservation. He has written over 1,000 magazine articles for publications such as Sierra, Audubon, Islands, Oxford America, and New York Times Syndicate. His books include River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River, Deep Cuba: The Inside Story of an American Oceanographic Expedition and Sunken Cities, Sacred Cenotes, and Golden Sharks: Travels of a Water-Bound Adventurer.
He will be speaking at the Broward County Main Library at 2 p.m. For more information and to RSVP, please call 954-357-7401.
Broward Section, American Planning Association Luncheon
Friday, July 28, 2006
This luncheon will feature guest speaker Jim Carras, President of the Broward Housing Partnership, an organization with a mission to pioneer new approaches, create new tools, and influence housing policy to improve the production and sustainability of affordable housing through its consortium of active member organizations in Broward County. Learn more about this organization and its activities. For more information, email MaryBeth Burton at mburton@fau.edu.
22nd Annual American Law Institute/American Bar Association (ALI/ABA) Land Use Institute
Thursday, August 17, 2006 – Saturday, August 19, 2006
This annual program, cosponsored by CUES, is designed to provide an effective and efficient review of current issues in land use for attorneys, planners, public officials, developers, and academics. This year’s institute will focus on Planning, Regulation, Litigation, Eminent Domain, and Compensation and will take place at the W Chicago City Center Hotel in Chicago, IL. For more information and to register for this important event, see http://www.ali-aba.org/aliaba/cm004.htm. CUES Senior Fellow Frank Schnidman serves as Planning Chair for this program.
SAVE THE DATE!
The upcoming Alliance for Regional Stewardship national forum is being cosponsored by CUES. The theme for the November 15-17 conference will be “Regional Stewardship from the Top Down AND the Bottom Up.” It will explore how state governments such as Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, and California are embracing regional approaches to problem solving and will be held at Fort Lauderdale’s Riverside Hotel.
CUES is actively seeking local sponsors for this event. If you are interested, please contact MaryBeth Burton at mburton@fau.edu. More information on ARS.
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