Recent News from Florida's 10 Regional Planning Councils

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Apalachee RPC Assists Franklin County to Digitize Maps

The Apalachee RPC recently partnered with Franklin County to assist in digitizing zoning maps and making them available online. The County had been relying on paper maps which were challenging to update and maintain. Digitizing the maps allows the county to reflect zoning changes more promptly. Recognizing the need for accessibility, the Apalachee RPC next developed a web application to ensure that the zoning map could be easily accessed by everyone in the county. This digital transformation streamlined access to relevant zoning information, eliminating delays and inaccuracies associated with paper maps.

An interactive Zone Lookup App now allows the public, as well as county and municipal staff, access to the zoning maps online. The web application provides two navigation methods: users can click on color-coded zones for property and zoning details or use the search bar for specific parcel information. This app offers detailed zoning regulations, including building heights, lot sizes, and permitted land uses. It aids users in understanding zoning regulations for their properties and permissible activities within each zone. It serves as a valuable tool for urban planning, identifying suitable areas for residential, commercial, or industrial development while considering zoning regulations and infrastructure.

The Apalachee RPC is actively engaged in developing an interactive Zoning Look-up application for the City of Carrabelle in Franklin County, showcasing its commitment to practical and scalable solutions. The Council also offers various technical services for its county and municipal members throughout the region. This includes GIS training, geospatial web application development, maintenance of geospatial products, customized mapping and analysis, management and editing of geospatial data, and drone imaging for diverse purposes.

Tampa Bay RPC Assists Indian River County and Cities

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recently launched its brand-new Government Liaison Program - GLP. The program is a renewed commitment to member governments to enhance collaboration with the member representatives personally, the Boards they serve, and their staff. Each Council staff member serves as a liaison to member governments by attending and presenting in-person at city council and board of county commissioner’s meetings, attending community events, and making connections with city and county administrators and their staff.

Using a “Hive-Mind mentality, the Tampa Bay RPC staff travel the six-county region focusing on the specific planning needs of each individual jurisdiction and reporting the information back to the entire staff at the weekly GLP meetings. Staff convenes once a week as a group to specifically discuss and plan for how best we can support their planning efforts. The purpose of this initiative is to provide beneficial resources and services to member governments throughout our six- county region. To learn more about the Tampa Bay RPC, visit: tbrpc.org.

FRCA Hosts Policy Board Meeting

The Florida Regional Councils Association recently hosted its annual Winter Policy Board meeting in Tallahassee. The FRCA Policy Board, made up of Board members from each regional planning council, meets twice yearly to coordinate and share information, set a legislative agenda, approve a budget and enhance partnerships with state agencies and other partners. Chaired by FRCA 2nd Vice President Darryl Register from the Northeast Florida Regional Council, the Florida Department of Commerce attended and provided an overview from the Office of Military Defense as well as the many local grant programs administered by the agency. The Summer Policy Board meeting will take place in August at the Tampa Bay RPC.

Denise Imbler | dimbler@arpc.org | flregionalcouncils.org