Heart of Florida Section Home Page

Welcome to the Heart of Florida (HOF) Section of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (FAPA)! HOF is your direct connection to planning and development throughout central Florida. Comprised of city, county, and consulting planners as well as public officials, attorneys, engineers, developers, and builders in Polk, Highlands, and Hardee counties, HOF actively promotes professional development and networking through workshops, seminars, field trips, training, and our Heart-Beat newsletter.

Each year HOF sponsors several events and actively participates in Legislative and other regional events throughout the state to keep the membership current with the latest issues and trends. With the 2007 FAPA Conference co-hosted by the HOF and the Orlando Metro Section here in Central Florida, we will increasingly become the planning focal point statewide. Join HOF today and keep up with the latest projects, planning challenges, and opportunities in Central Florida!

Membership Application:
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In order to serve you better, the Executive Committee is seeking your input.  Please complete the survey and return to HOF Chair Tom Wodrich by email, tomwodrich@polk-county.net or fax - 863-534-6407.

Summer 2008 Heart Beat:

• Professional Development Corner
• National Community Planning Month
• More upcoming events
• Upcoming HOF Elections

We are seeking sponsors for our events!  If you are interested, please contact Amy at amy@cfdc.org.  Thank you for your consideration!

July:

3rd:  Executive Committee Meeting, 3rd Floor of the Colonial Bank in Bartow, 11:30 am - 1 pm.

18th:  Box City Workshop, Winter Haven Chain O'Lakes Complex, 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd, South Entrance, Pool Side Room.  8:30 am - 4:30 pm, $25.00.  RSVP to amy@cfdc.org by July 15, 2008.  Thank you to the City of Winter Haven for providing the venue! AICP CM:  6.00

August:

22nd:  Placemaking Workshop, Winter Haven Library.  8:30 am - 11:30 am.  RSVP for this FREE Workshop by August 19 to sbyers@mywinterhaven.com. 

22nd:  Executive Committee Meeting.  1 - 3 pm, Winter Haven Library. 

September:

10th - 13th:  APA Florida Conference, InterContinental Hotel, Downtown Miami.

October:

National Community Planning Month. 

Check out http://www.planning.org/ncpm/index.htm for a Sample Proclomation and other activities and items to promote the importance of planning.

November:

7th:  Planning Commissioner Training, Bob Crawford Agricultural Center in Bartow, 8:30 am registration.  9 am - 12:30 program.

14th:  Twice Green Workshop

December:

Date/Place TBD:  Holiday Party.

2008 Proposed Program:

Planners from the Heart of Florida Section gathered recently at Cleveland Height Club House to listen to the grassroots organization who call themselves the Growth Cap Coalition.  An interesting discussion followed their presentation.  We would like to thank Celeste Deardorff, Planning Manager for the City of Lakeland, for posing the attached questions, and John and Marian Ryan of the Growth Cap Coalition for responding to the questions. 

According to the Growth Cap Coalition web site, the proposed amendment would limit the total number of residential units allowable under County and Municipal comprehensive plans to those that exist upon approval of this amendment; set an Urban Service Area which would include all Urban Development and Urban Growth boundaries; prevent cities from arbitrarily up-zoning lands annexed outside of the established Urban Service Area; and allow for the transfer of residential units into the Urban Service Area.

For more information about the Growth Cap Coalition and the proposed referendum, please see their web site, http://growthcapcoalition.com/.

The Heart of Florida Section has become a registered provider of CM Credits.  To find us, we are registered as APA Florida Chapter, Heart of Florida Section.  Past and upcoming events that have been approved for CM Credits are as follows:

• 11/14/2008 | Twice Green Workshop
• 09/30/2008 | Green Building Practices
• 08/22/2008 | Place Making Strategies for Main Streets & Downtown District
• 07/18/2008 | HOF Box City Workshop
• 05/09/2008 | Healthy Communities Workshop 2008
• 04/04/2008 | Implementing School Concurrency
• 11/02/2007 | Planning Commissioner Training
• 06/28/2007 | Healthy Communities

Please check out the following presentation for information on how to log your CM Credits on AICP's web site: