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Apalachee RPC Hosts
Medical Response and Surge Exercise
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The Apalachee RPC houses the Big Bend Healthcare Coalition, an emergency and disaster preparedness organization for health care facilities in the Apalachee region. This past spring the Coalition held its annual Medical Response and Surge Exercise as a functional tabletop exercise conducted jointly with the Statewide Exercise sponsored by the Florida Division of Emergency Management through the Regional Domestic Security Task Force in Region 2. The exercise included over 120 participants, almost half of which were members of the Healthcare Coalition acting in their various response roles.
The scenario, originally developed by Apalachee RPC staff and built upon by the planning team, included several emerging threats. Participants had to coordinate response to a complex attack which led to a mass casualty event. The Health and Medical group focused on dealing with a surge of 170 patients. Because of the nature of the attack, decontamination efforts had to be considered at length. Communication and coordination occurred in real-time as agency representatives confirmed available resources as the exercise unfolded.
The exercise provided an opportunity to further solidify relationships between response partners throughout the region. Coalition members were integral to the discussion especially as it pertained to the medical response needed for a fentanyl attack. The lessons learned and gaps identified will be points of focus for the Coalition over the next year.
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Tampa Bay RPCs Hosts 4th Regional Resiliency Summit | |
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Five years ago, the Tampa Bay RPC launched the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition hosting its first Regional Resiliency Summit in 2019. This past May the Coalition held its 4th Regional Resiliency Summit celebrating the achievements of the Coalition’s first five years. With over 350 attendees, the Summit is an opportunity for Coalition members to connect with national and international leaders in resiliency and engage in a dialog about new and innovative programs, strategies, and policies that local leaders can implement in their communities to create a more resilient Tampa Bay.
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Emerald Coast RC Award Winning 7-Layer Cake Initiative | |
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The Emerald Coast RC developed a revolutionary multi-faceted transportation initiative coined the "7-Layer Cake". The plan is comprised of seven projects that will bring the Northwest Florida region closer to Vision Zero, a goal of having roadways with zero fatalities. The projects include:
1. Safe Streets 4 All Grant - identify the region’s highest crash network and develop strategies to decrease injuries and fatalities;
2. Smart Regions Plan - identify technology infrastructure necessary to be deployed in the high crash network;
3. Data Analytics Plan - identify necessary data sets and data collection to understand high crash network and make real time decisions;
4. Carbon Reduction Plan - focused on identifying specific technology projects that result in broad/large scale traffic reduction;
5. Plan Implementation Phase - install and construct identified technology infrastructure in the Smart Region plan;
6. Broadband/Fiber Project - install additional fiber optic network for connectivity and reliability; and
7. Transportation Management Center - a technologically advanced facility in northwest Florida.
All seven "layers" are funded, studies are underway and groundbreaking on the Transportation Management Center is on track for spring of 2025. The Emerald Coast RC was recently honored with two prestigious awards - the National Association of Development Organizations’ 2024 Excellence in Regional Transportation and the National Association of Regional Councils 2024 Achievement Award. To learn more about the 7-Layer Cake program and to view a video outlining the projects click here.
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East Central Florida RPCs Expands Brownfields Program | |
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After successfully launching the first regionwide brownfields program in 2021 funded through a $600,000 3-year grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, the East Central Florida RPC’s Economic Development team was honored to receive a $1.5 million grant to continue the work of this newly developed program.
Over one hundred potential sites were identified during the program's first three years. Twenty-one of these sites received a Phase 1 analysis, nine received a Phase 2 Site Assessment, and two sites received asbestos remediation. The East Central Florida RPC also hosted or participated in nearly two dozen community outreach events.
Funding from the original grant was used to focus on the communities along the U.S. Highway 441 and Orange Blossom Trail across four counties. The additional grant funding will be used to provide more opportunities throughout the eight counties within the East Central Florida region. Building on recent economic analysis East Central Florida RPC staff anticipates the new brownfields planning to primarily focus on a pre-platted community known today as ‘The Compound.’ Having recently completed a redevelopment plan for this area, the East Central FRPC hopes this will become a good case study for managing similar projects across the state.
"One of the biggest issues faced by Florida planners is the significant number of large, antiquated plats across the state” explains Luis Nieves-Ruiz, Director of Economic Development. Nieves-Ruiz envisions "The Compound" as an example of how brownfield redevelopment can transform these areas into thriving communities. “By concentrating on enhancing development opportunities through land assessment and remediation, we aim to ignite new private investments within these long-neglected sites. The insights gained from our focus on Orange Blossom Trail and its surrounding communities during the launch of our brownfields program were invaluable. Our goal is to replicate this same success in The Compound and other similar sites across our region.” The new grant ensures the continuation of the East Central Florida RPC Brownfields Program through 2027.
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North Central Florida RPC - Hurricane Idalia Recovery | |
In August of 2023, Hurricane Idalia, a powerful category 3 storm, impacted North Florida causing significant damage in parts of the North Central Florida RPC region. As part of the recovery process, the Council participated in a “listening session” organized through the federal inter-agency Economic Recovery Support Function led by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Along with state and regional partners, the Council co-hosted the listening session at the Big Bend Technical College in Perry. The listening session provided local government officials, economic development organizations and community groups an opportunity to share first-hand with federal officials the impacts of Hurricane Idalia. In addition, federal officials presented information concerning resources available to address local recovery needs.
As a follow-up, representatives from the federal Economic Recovery Support Function returned to the north central Florida region and visited the eight most severely impacted counties. Federal and state officials, along with representatives from the Council, met with local government and economic development organization officials for one-on-one meetings which assisted to identify unmet economic recovery needs and long-term resiliency strategies.
The listening session and one-on-one meetings provided the Council an opportunity to strengthen relationships with economic development organizations in the north central Florida region. The meetings also enabled the Council to share information about its regional economic strategy, econometric modeling and technical assistance available to local governments and economic development organizations.
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Treasure Coast RPC Supports CRAs | |
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The Treasure Coast RPC has historically assisted local governments with the creation and implementation of Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs). Governed by Florida Statutes, CRAs provide a unique ability to capture the value of public and private investment in blighted areas. This is accomplished through Tax Increment Financing whereby as the value of properties increase, the increased taxes are directed to the CRA to pay back the public investment and support future investment. Historically these investments have been broad in scope from water, sewer, lighting, and roadway infrastructure to community events and operational expenses.
The Florida Legislature recently revised the CRA statutes limiting the scope of how funds can be spent and providing various “sunset” provisions when each CRA will need to finalize their activities and shut down. Some CRAs have initiated updates to their master plans to address these new provisions and take stock of where they started, what they have accomplished, and what still needs to be done. Because CRAs are connected with development activity, their project priorities often change as the market changes. The Treasure Coast RPC has been engaged by a number of CRAs to assist in these efforts.
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The Council has assisted the CRA in Riviera Beach for decades. Recent work focused on a master plan update, analysis of development proposals, creation of a new coordinated stormwater drainage and water quality effort between the City and the CRA, and creation of a new commercial signage improvement program. The work will continue in the coming years with further plan implementation.
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Treasure Coast RPC has been assisting with updating the CRA master plan in Delray Beach, since 2019. With changes in leadership, community input, legislative changes, and a global pandemic, the work has taken much longer than anticipated but is coming to a conclusion this year.
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The Council was recently contracted to assist the Jupiter CRA with updating its master plan. Since it was established, the Jupiter CRA has accomplished most of the original goals in their master plan and is ready to chart a new course on what the CRA should attempt to accomplish in the years remaining until they must sunset. This work is underway with public and elected official outreach, plan analysis, and consideration of new opportunities.
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The Council has also assisted the Cities of Lake Worth Beach and Port St. Lucie with implementation of specific projects and initiatives in their CRAs, assisted establishing CRAs in Lake Clarke Shores and Palm Springs, and explored the potential of a new CRA in Mangonia Park.
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When CRAs are planned correctly, with community support and careful coordination between the municipality, the county, and the CRA, and vigorously executed they can accomplish many worthwhile enhancements to the financial and social health of a community. | |
Northeast Florida RC Assists City of Jacksonville | |
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The Northeast Florida RC worked with the Jacksonville City Council on a special committee tasked with determining the need for a new City Jail and Administration Building. The special committee comprised five working groups each focusing on:
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Administrative Service
- Existing Facility Improvements
- Holistic Services
- Housing and Custody
- Adjudication, Intake, and Recidivism
After more than 30 meetings the Northeast Florida RC consolidated the findings into a comprehensive Final Report. Key outcomes include determining a clear path forward for a new administrative building and identifying the necessary features for a new jail facility. These features aim to address the existing facility's current shortfalls and incorporate modern design elements reflecting a shift in the culture of incarceration seen in correctional facilities nationwide.
The Final Report provides detailed recommendations to guide the City of Jacksonville in enhancing its correctional infrastructure, ensuring it meets contemporary standards and effectively serves the community's needs.
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FRCA Association Director Retires | |
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FRCA Association Director, Denise Imbler announces retirement. Beginning her career at the Florida Division of Emergency Management in 1994, she transitioned to the Apalachee RPC in 2005 and began working with the Florida Regional Councils Association in 2016. Serving in leadership roles throughout her career, she focused her efforts on assisting state, regional and local government leaders keep Florida a great place to call home. "Denise has made significant contributions to FRCA and has been a connector for Florida's communities. Denise, we thank you for your dedicated service and wish you the best in your next adventure!"
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Denise Imbler | dimbler@arpc.org | flregionalcouncils.org
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