Tampa Bay RPC Creates Resilient Shoreline Ordinance Template

While many jurisdictions have policies for seawalls or comprehensive plans that encourage living shorelines, very few have language which recognizes the need to define an integrated continuum and hierarchy of coastal protection projects.  Through support from a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Tampa Bay RPC created a Resilient Shoreline Model Ordinance template to support local governments when making updates to local plans and ordinances related to shoreline protection. The template was developed over two years with extensive input from stakeholders and experts in coastal engineering, marine construction, shoreline ecology, environmental resources management, flood plain management, climate science, land-use policy, permitting, and real estate. The new Resilient Shoreline Model Ordinance template is one of the first of its kind in the state and defines an integrated set of policies to ensure that all types of shoreline protection strategies are designed to be resilient to changing sea levels and tidally influenced flooding through 2070. It also considers both community flood protection benefits and ecological integrity of coastal habitats and shorelines on bay waters and riverine systems. The template will help local governments streamline their review and approval processes and if adopted, will provide guidance to property owners and contractors to create shoreline projects that increase community resilience and improve local habitats and water quality. Visit tbrpc.org/shoreline-model to download the template and to watch the Shoreline Ordinance Rollout Webinar held on October 25th, 2022.

Region 3 Healthcare Coalition Hosts Emergency Response Presentation On October 13th, the Region 3 Healthcare Coalition (a program of the Northeast Florida Regional Council), the First Coast Disaster Council, and the Northeast Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force cohosted presenters from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Deputy Chief Sasha Larkin and Lieutenant Braden Schrag presented to an audience of over 300 people on the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival mass casualty incident (MCI) that occurred in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017. Approximately 867 people were injured, at least 413 of them with gunshot wounds or shrapnel injuries. The event marked the 5th anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in United States history. Attendees came from various professional backgrounds, including elected officials, law enforcement, fire and rescue services, hospitals, healthcare, emergency management, and more. The presenters walked the participants through the shooting incident from start to finish while highlighting operational considerations of managing 20,000+ concertgoers and an unknown gunman. The officers also discussed recovery from an incident of this scale and magnitude. Response organizations and local hospitals endured trauma following the shooting and surge of patients. Programs and resources had to be allocated for mental health and resiliency centers to assist the community with healing from this catastrophic event. This is the second presentation hosted by the Northeast Florida Regional Council regarding the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Previously, representatives from hospitals and emergency management in Las Vegas gave presentations to the healthcare sector in Northeast Florida. Through these initiatives, we are better preparing the responders and healthcare facilities across our region.

East Central Florida RPC Develops Economic Strategy Throughout 2021-2022 the East Central Florida RPC economic development staff researched and developed the City of Palm Bay Economic Strategic Plan. Incorporated in 1960, the City of Palm Bay is the largest in Brevard County by population and land area, with just over 100 square miles. Growth in the 1960s was greatly influenced by the development and spread of the aerospace industries associated with the Kennedy Space Center and by 1990, Palm Bay had become Brevard’s most populous city. Today the city has a demographically diverse population, a working-class economy, and is home to the headquarters of the Fortune 500 tech and defense focused company L3Harris.   The first phase in developing the economic strategic plan involved creating an existing conditions analysis report which included three significant tasks:  A demographic and occupational analysis which generated demographic characteristics such as resident and worker commuting patterns and occupations An economic base analysis which assessed the city’s major industries, clusters, and corridors, and helped identify areas of activity Land use analysis which describes the city’s land use   An analysis was conducted to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and related to the economic development pillars - People, Places, and Prosperity. A Strategies and Recommendations Report was completed in July 2022 and included actions the city can undertake to further economic development and potential funding sources to implement those actions. The Council submitted the final version of the City of Palm Bay Economic Strategic Plan at the beginning of November 2022.

FEPA 2023 Annual Meeting and Work Session January 30 - February 3rd in Orlando Click here for more information.

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