 |
 |
e-NEWS and NOTES: A Biweekly Bulletin
of FAPA |
|
|
BREAKING NEWS: Lt. Governor
Frank Brogan was selected by the Florida Atlantic
University Board of Trustees to become University
President of his alma mater. There is no word as
to who will assume the job of Lt. Governor for the
State of Florida.
Mario L. Taylor has been
named as the new Director of District Management
for the Northeast Florida District of the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection. FAPA
worked closely with Mr. Taylor during his tenure
as Senior Staff Director of the House Committee on
Community Affairs in the late 1980s through the
mid 1990s. He moved to Jacksonville in 1997 to
become Deputy Director of Planning and Development
for the City of Jacksonville. Two years later, he
was appointed by Mayor John Delaney as the
Neighborhoods Department deputy director. In 2001,
he was chosen to lead the City of Jacksonville’s
Regulatory and Environmental Services Department.
Mr. Taylor will begin his new position on March 3,
2003.
The St. Joe Company recently
announced that Neal Wade, St. Joe's Vice President
of Economic Development would be joining the
cabinet of Alabama Governor Bob Riley as director
of the Alabama Development Office. He will leave
his St. Joe post in February. The company also
announced that Katie Baur Muniz has been appointed
Public Affairs Manager for St. Joe. She will work
closely with all business units of St. Joe to
strengthen the relationship between the company
and Northwest Florida communities. Earlier in the
year, Ms. Muniz left her position as
Communications Director for Governor Bush where
she was responsible for all communication and
press activities within the Executive Office of
the Governor. She also managed and coordinated the
communication offices of the 13 executive
agencies.
On January 28, Governor Jeb Bush
and Cabinet members furthered the Florida Forever
program by voting to expand protection of the Lake
Wales Ridge Ecosystem, near Orlando, and the
Apalachicola River, both home to globally rare
plant species. The Apalachicola River acquisition
will help to preserve the river’s water quality,
which feeds Apalachicola Bay, protect important
wildlife, and improve the public’s recreational
pursuits. The acquisition of 276 acres of the Lake
Wales Ridge Ecosystem places this Florida Forever
Project over the 50 percent mark of desirable land
purchased. Lake Wales Ridge will be managed by the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The Apalachicola River property will be managed by
DEP’s Division of Recreation and Parks as an
addition to Torreya State Park. The press release
may be viewed at
www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/comm/2003/january/0128cabinet.htm
WCI Communities, Inc., raised it first
Habitat for Humanity home. The 1,100 square foot
home will be the first Habitat home built by WCI
in Bonita Springs. It is among seven Habitat homes
the company is constructing throughout Florida
this year. According to the company, this house
will be the first “environmentally-sustainable”
Habitat house in Southwest Florida and will
include energy-efficient air conditioning, foam
insulation and native landscaping. The complete
article may be read at
www.wcicommunities.com/subpage.cfm?sec=wcistory&page=Press%20Releases
David Wilkison, P.E., has been promoted to
office manager of the WilsonMiller’s Naples
office. He will continue to be involved with
WilsonMiller’s Fort Myers office as manager of the
firm’s Development Design Business Unit in
southwest Florida. Wilkison is a senior
vice-president and a member of WilsonMiller’s
Board of Directors.
The Florida Department
of Environmental Protection and the Clean Boating
Partnership are providing reimbursement grants on
a first come first serve basis to eligible
applicants for the adoption of one or more best
management practices as defined in the
Department’s Clean Marina Manual or Clean Boatyard
Manual by marinas and boatyards resulting in a
Clean Marina or Clean Boatyard designation.
Applications were accepted beginning January 6,
2003, and will continue to be accepted through
5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2003. Eligible
applications not funded will be retained for
future consideration should additional grants
become available. Maximum grants available under
this program are $10,000 and require a dollar for
dollar match. For further information, go to
www.dep.state.fl.us/law/Grants/CMP/default.htm
|
|
|
|
|
On Thursday, January 23,
2003, the Federal Register published a final rule
involving consultation with local officials on
transportation matters. The ruling followed five
years of negotiations and debate among state DOTs,
local officials, regional development
organizations, and the U.S. DOT. While states are
ultimately responsible for statewide
transportation planning, TEA-21 specifies a role
for rural officials in the statewide
transportation planning process. Under the final
rule, states are required to consult with
non-metropolitan local officials as they develop
their statewide transportation planning process
and the statewide transportation improvement
program. In consulting with non-metropolitan local
officials, states are to confer with them in
accordance with a process that will be established
and put in place by each state. More specifically,
the consultation process must be “separate and
discrete” from the public involvement process.
Furthermore, the new rule includes a modified
definition of “non-metropolitan local official”
which was absent in the June 2002 proposal. It
retains the enhanced requirement that states
confer with local parties before taking actions,
considers the views of the local officials and
then periodically inform them about actions taken.
Finally, it requires each state to document and
implement their process within one year. The full
text of the notice is found in Volume 68, Number
15, Rules and Regulations, Page 3176 through 3181
and is available from the Federal Register website
at:
a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/
257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-1319.htm
or through the Government Printing Office at
www.access.gpo/su_docs/aces/aces140.html
On January 11, the U.S. Department of
Transportation unveiled the 2001 National
Household Travel Survey (NHTS). The survey shows
how Americans get around day-to-day, which
underpins many discussions on transportation
policy and issues. The first data release is
available now on the NHTS website, where a free
registration is required. Go to nhts.ornl.gov for
more information on the survey and access to the
database.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is soliciting applications for
its Environmental Education Grants Program. This
program supports environmental education projects
that enhance the public’s awareness, knowledge,
and skills to make informed decisions that affect
environmental quality. The application deadline is
February 14, 2003. For more information, go to:
www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html
|
|
|
|
|
The Florida Strategic
Intermodal System (SIS) Steering Committee Final
Report of Recommendations for Designating
Florida's Strategic Intermodal System has been
posted on the Florida SIS website at:
/www11.myflorida.com/planning/sis/steering/report/default.htm#final
Staff
intended to distribute the report by e-mail, but
due to its size (over 5 megabytes), they are
unable to do so. However, the entire document and
technical appendices may be downloaded from the
website. Questions on the report should be
addressed to Mr. Terry Kraft, telephone (850)
414-4801, fax (850) 414-4898, or email:
terry.kraft@dot.state.fl.us.
The National
Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a
statement on December 30, 2002, forecasting its
top ten legislative issues for 2003. According to
NCSL, state legislators will have to make
important decisions on health care, education,
election reform, and seven other key issues.
According to the statement, declining revenues and
growing demands will cause each of the 50 states
to make tough budget choices as they attempt to
close an estimated $17.5 billion budget gap in the
next six months and develop a balanced budget for
what is expected to be a leaner fiscal year in
2004. To read the full press release, go to:
www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2002/pr021230.htm
EPA has produced "Community Culture and
the Environment: A Guide to Understanding a Sense
of Place," which is a toolbox for understanding
the social dynamics involved in community-based
efforts. As listed in the reports introduction,
users will learn about such things as local
knowledge about community issues, the language
used by community members, influential subgroups
within the community, historical trends in the
community, environmental and other community
priorities, and other social factors. This
information is crucial in developing sustainable
strategies for community participation and
planning regarding environmental protection. For
more information, go to
www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/tools/community.pdf
The Brookings Center on Urban and
Metropolitan Policy released a study by William H.
Frey, entitled, "Boomers and Seniors in the
Suburbs: Aging Patterns in Census 2000." This
analysis addresses the changing age composition of
the 102 most populous metropolitan areas between
1990 and 2000 along with the implications for
these communities tasked with accommodating a
variety of residential services and needs. The
report may be read in full at
www.brookings.edu/es/urban/publications/freyboomers.htm
|
|
|
|
|
Due to technical
difficulties associated with the 8-story
newsletter template, we are going to experiment
with the 6-story template used for the FAPA
Legislative Report, with which we have had more
success. The Chapter Announcements and AICP
Information sections are collapsed into one, and
the information published in the Grant and RFP
section will appear in either the State Highlights
for Federal Initiatives section, as
appropriate.
The Chapter Office FINALLY
received its first order of AICP Study Manuals.
Many of you who have been waiting patiently for
weeks, even months, should have them in hand by
early next week, if not already. We received 16
more orders in the last two weeks, and are waiting
on our next shipment, which should arrive “any
day.” For those of you still waiting, we
appreciate your patience. We will put them in the
mail to you just as soon as they arrive.
The Broward Section’s AICP exam study
group is now underway. The group is meeting on
Monday evenings in Ft. Lauderdale from 6:30 p.m.
to 8:00 p.m. For further information, please
contact Jo Sesodia, AICP, at (954) 357-6677 or
jsesodia@broward.org.
The Sun Coast
Section will be holding its annual AICP Exam Prep
Seminar April 11-12, 2003 at the Hilton Garden Inn
in Ybor City. Registration is $150, which includes
a binder of comprehensive study materials,
continental breakfast on both days, and lunch of
Friday. The event is sponsored by Mark Bentley,
Esq., AICP of Gray, Harris & Robinson, P.A.
and PBS&J. The registration form will be
published in the February issue of Florida
Planning, and is posted to the “What’s New”
section of FAPA’s website. Questions regarding the
seminar should be directed to Wiatt Bowers at
(813) 282-7275, ext. 380.
For information
on other study group opportunities around the
state, go to
www.floridaplanning.org/events/aicp/aicp_2003.htm
Job Marts Posted since January 17, 2003:
Principal Planner (City of Coral
Gables)
Planner (City of Coral
Gables)
Planner II (Martin County)
Urban
Designer (Martin County)
Associate Planner
(Martin County)
Senior Regional Planner
(Northeast Florida RPC)
Regional Planner
(Northeast Florida RPC)
Senior Community
Planning Specialist (Pinellas County)
Planner
(City of Homestead)
Planner (Coastal Georgia
Regional Development Center)
Senior Planner
(Palm Beach County)
Planning Division Manager
(City of Cape Coral)
Visit
www.floridaplanning.org/jobs2.asp for salaries,
descriptions, minimum requirements, and
application deadlines.
|
|
|
|
|
At the FAPA Legislative
Workshop, scheduled for February 19-20, 2003,
Jason Jordan, Government Affairs Coordinator for
the American Planning Association, will be
addressing APA’s national transportation agenda.
In preparation for that discussion and for the
benefit of those of you who are closely monitoring
reauthorization of TEA-21, this section is devoted
to this issue. The sources for much of this
information include “TRANSFER,” a publication of
the Surface Transportation Policy Project; the
National Association of Development Organizations;
the National Association of Regional Councils, and
the Florida DOT.
CONGRESSIONAL SPENDING
PACKAGES
After nearly two weeks of debate,
the Senate finally adopted a $391 billion omnibus
spending package for the 11 remaining
appropriations bills. Senate leaders will now meet
with their House counterparts to reconcile their
competing plans. Originally, Republicans leaders
planned to complete the bill before the
president’s State of the Union address, however
now they hope to finish action by early February.
Conferees must deal with differences on highway
funding. The Senate retains the program at $31.8
billion, while the House limits it to the TEA-21
baseline level of $27.7 billion.
SENATORS
PROPOSE SACRIFICING TRANSIT SPENDING TO SECURE
ADDITIONAL HIGHWAY FUNDING
Senators Chuck
Grassley (R-IA) and Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman
and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance
Committee, have indicated their plans to shift a
substantial share of existing public transit
funding to provide resources - more than $4
billion - to prop up highway spending levels,
which are already at the highest level ever. The
current commitment of $31.8 billion is about 15
percent higher than what TEA-21 provided. Their
plan envisions eliminating the federal Mass
Transit Account as a way to increase funding for
the highway program in TEA-21 reauthorization
without raising gas taxes, by diverting gas tax
revenues now committed to public transit
investment over to highway spending. As discussed,
the plan would terminate all federal assistance to
areas with a population of one million or more.
PRESIDENT DOES NOT SUPPORT GAS TAX
INCREASE
This week, Office of Management
and Budget Chief, Mitch Daniels, signaled that the
President does not support the gas tax increase
being pushed by Chairman Don Young (R-AK) and
other members of the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee. According to Rep. Young,
a 2-cent a year increase in the federal gas tax is
needed to nearly double highway spending by FY09.
In addition to the gas tax increase, lawmakers
have suggested indexing the gas tax, transferring
ethanol taxes from the General Fund to the Highway
Trust Fund, and paying down the balance on gas
taxes as other methods to generate new revenues.
For more information on the gas tax shortfall,
visit
www.transact.org/library/raba.asp.
FEDERAL
OFFICIALS OFFER GLIMPSE OF ADMINISTRATION'S TEA-3
BILL
Administrators of key federal
transportation agencies spoke at the 82nd
Transportation Research Board conference in
Washington this week, highlighting themes from the
forthcoming administration bill for TEA-21
reauthorization. The administration's theme for
the reauthorization of TEA-21 is creating a
"safer, simpler, and smarter" federal
transportation system. Mary Peters, the Federal
Highway Administrator, reiterated the
administration's commitment to environmental
streamlining and agglomerating some federal
programs. At the same time, Administrator Peters
emphasized the importance to President Bush of
developing a "performance-based program that shows
results," saying that "we believe that local
problems are best solved at the local level." For
more information and the full text of the
speeches, go to
www.dot.gov/affairs/trbspeeches.htm.
TRANSPORTATION PROJECT "WISH-LIST" SURVEYS
DISTRIBUTED TO T&I COMMITTEE MEMBERS
House members are being asked to complete
a survey describing special projects they would
like to see funded as high priority projects in
the upcoming transportation bill that will
re-authorize TEA-21. The survey, issued by the
House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I)
committee, gives members the opportunity to
nominate projects in their district or state that
they see as critical in the next six years.
Projects that are selected and placed in the bill
will be given special, earmarked funding. Project
earmarks accounted for less than 5% of TEA-21
funding. Although multiple projects may be
submitted, Committee staffers indicate that the
overall funding level will determine the limit on
requests for TEA-3. However, some Hill aides
optimistically suggest that T&I Committee
members have reportedly been given a budget of $30
million per member The House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, the panel with oversight
of federal highway and transit programs, has sent
a letter to all House members urging them to
submit their projects for the TEA-21
reauthorization bill by February 28.
The
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is
also gathering information on potential highway
projects. However, traditionally the Senate does
not include earmarks in its bill, instead it waits
for the House-Senate conference committee to
insert its projects. Both the House and Senate are
expected to hold additional hearings this spring
with the goal of producing TEA-21 reauthorization
bills by the summer. The White House also plans to
release its plan in late February. For more
information on the High Priority Project program,
see www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/factsheets/demos.htm.
GOVERNOR’S HIGHWAY SAFETY ASSOCIATIN
(GHSA)
The Governors Highway Safety
Association (GHSA) has issued 10 recommendations
for TEA-21 reauthorization. The recommendations
include safeguarding funding, creating a
consolidated behavioral safety grant program,
adequate funding, enhancing federal safety
research, and avoiding new sanctions and
penalties. The report, "Taking the Temperature of
TEA-21: Ten Recommendations for Progress" is
available at:
www.ghsa.org/html/publications/tea21_012003.pdf
|
|
|
|
|
FAPA CHAPTER AND SECTION
AFFAIRS:
February 19-20, 2003: FAPA
Legislative Workshop in Tallahassee. Go to
www.floridaplanning.org/whats_new.htm#legis for
registration information and to view the
preliminary agenda.
March 14, 2003: FAPA
Committee Meetings and Executive Committee
Meetings in Orlando.
March 29-April 2,
2003: APA National Conference in Denver, Colorado.
Go to www.planning.org/2003conference/ for
registration and program information.
April
11-12, 2003: Sun Coast Section’s annual AICP Exam
Prep Seminar, Hilton Garden Inn, Ybor City; $150
registration; sponsored by Mark Bentley, Esq.,
AICP of Gray, Harris & Robinson, P.A. and
PBS&J. For registration information, contact
Wiatt Bowers at (813) 282-7275, ext. 380, or go to
www.floridaplanning.org/whats_new.htm#prep
May 8-10, 2003: FAPA Committee Meetings
(first day, if needed) and FAPA Executive
Committee Retreat in conjunction with the American
Bar Association Conference in St.
Petersburg.
June 20, 2003 (tentative): FAPA
Executive Committee meeting to adopt budget,
strategic plan, and legislative
platform.
September 3, 2003: Executive
Committee Meeting (Palm Beach) in conjunction with
the FAPA Annual Conference.
September 3-6,
2003: FAPA Annual Conference at the Breakers Hotel
in Palm Beach. Information coming
soon!
OTHER SCHEDULED
EVENTS:
February 4-6, 2003: Florida
Forestry Forum: Using Our Abilities to Sustain
Forest Viability in Florida; Best Western Gateway
Grand Hotel, Gainesville. In addition to its focus
on forest sustainability and viability, the forum
includes sessions on the impact of land use
changes, rural development, and urban interface
research. For additional information and
registration, go to www.fl-dof.com.
February 11-13, 2003: Florida Chamber's
Environmental Network's Annual Growth Management
and Environmental Permitting Short Course, Rosen
Plaza Hotel, Orlando. Program brochure and
registration information are available at
www.flenvironmentalnetwork.com/frameset2.html.
February 26-27, 2003: Planning and Zoning
Institute; sponsored by the University of
Illinois, Department of Urban and Regional
Planning, Champaign-Urbana campus; for further
information contact Pattsi Petrie at
p-petrie@uiuc.edu or visit www.urban.uiuc.edu/ce
for updated programming information.
May
18-21, 2003: Transportation Research Board
Statewide Transportation Planning Conference in
the Florida Keys. Contact: Kimberly Fisher at
kfisher@nas.edu or go to
www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/calendar.nsf for
further information.
June 9-13, 2003:
Governor’s Hurricane Conference, Tampa Convention
Center. For Conference Information please call:
(727) 944-2724, (800) 544-5678 or visit the
conference website at: www.flghc.org.
|
|
|
|
|
| | | |