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9th Annual Florida Hazardous Material Symposium
Every January, first responders from around the state come together in Daytona to take part in the Florida Hazardous Materials Symposium. The East Central Florida RPC is the lead organization of the Symposium which has a specific mission to educate and train first responders, first receivers, manufacturers and industry partners on hazardous materials response, mitigation, prevention and safety through classroom, hands-on trainings and a HazMat Team competition.

During the four-day conference, hazmat teams compete in a friendly rivalry during which county and city hazmat teams participate in simulated hazardous materials scenarios and are scored according to National Fire Protection Association guidelines by independent experts. Seven HazMat Teams competed in the competition with Orange County Fire Rescue winning first place, City of Orlando Fire Department took second place and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue came in third.

East Central Florida RPC staff lead a team of more than 40 volunteers from all over the state to develop the annual training agenda, the registration process, update and maintenance of the symposium website, and staffing during conference. After-hours events such as the vendor showcase and the HazMat Team Awards Ceremony are also coordinated and staffed by the volunteers.

The 9th Annual Florida Hazardous Materials Symposium hosted over 575 participants and included 65+ training sessions. The 10th Annual Florida Hazardous Materials Symposium is currently in the beginning stages of planning and is scheduled for January 17-20, 2023.

Apalachee RPC Coordinates "Cycle the Arts" Campaign
In collaboration with Council on Culture and Arts (COCA), ARPC staff coordinated and developed the “Cycle the Arts” campaign, a totally new biking experience that highlights over 300 outdoor works of public art throughout Tallahassee. 
 
With an abundance of public art throughout the community, “Cycle the Arts” encourages citizens to explore public art and resources that are just a few pedal pumps away! For this initiative, ARPC staff created an interactive PDF map illustrating various bike-friendly routes to public art sites around Tallahassee. Working closely with COCA, the routes developed include local sculptures, murals, windows, monuments and memorials. Each route is beginner and family friendly and should take about an hour to complete at a comfortable pace. Public art is people powered, and the ARPC/COCA “Cycle the Arts” campaign offers a new perspective on the accessibility and equity of public art. To view the "Cycle the Arts" maps, please click here.
Northeast Florida RC Hosts 2022 Overdose Summit
The Northeast Florida RC recently hosted the 2022 Overdose Summit at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine. The educational summit brought together more than 120 attendees from around the region for a day-long event examining a variety of aspects of addiction and overdose While the summit targeted all forms of addiction, the focus was primarily on fentanyl and the extreme danger it poses.
The Summit included 19 speakers covering topics such as the neuroscience of addiction, the stigma of addiction, the risks of opioid epidemic and public safety. In addition to the speakers, 12 partner booths were setup to educate participants about various programs and services in the region that address the overdose and opioid issues. The day was a success and participants left with a wealth of new information and resources from around the region.
East Central Florida RPC Announces New Executive Director
The East Central Florida RPC recently selected Tara McCue, AICP as the next Executive Director for the organization. An experienced planner and regional collaborator, Ms. McCue will succeed Hugh W. Harling, Jr., PE., who is retiring after serving as the Executive Director for nearly a decade.

Ms. McCue began at the Council in 2003 as an intern leading the region's first sea level rise study. She advanced through the agency, working across program areas on numerous crucial projects in the region and has played an instrumental role in regional resilience efforts in east central Florida. Most recently, she served as the agency's Deputy Director, where she continued to work with regional partners and the Council's Board to advance the agency’s mission and support local and regional projects.

“The past two decades at the ECFRPC have been an incredible journey for me, and I’m very grateful to everyone at the Planning Council for their support,” noted McCue. “As Executive Director, I look forward to continuing to work with the talented team at the RPC, our board, and partners on the important and innovative work of the agency and to collaborate on groundbreaking projects and partnerships to address regional priorities and challenges together.”

Ms. McCue is a certified planner with a Master’s in Environmental Resource Management from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.