A MONTHLY BULLETIN FROM APA FLORIDA

 

June 23, 2009

ON-DEMAND REPLAY OF DCA VIRTUAL FORUM ON SB 360 NOW AVAILABLE
An on-demand replay is now available for the Florida Department of Community Affairs' Virtual Forum with Secretary Tom Pelham held June 12th on SB 360. During this live two hour on-line forum, the Secretary responded to numerous questions from diverse interests across the state. It can be accessed at http://www.dcatechnicalassistance.com through the "Events & Replays" tab.  The powerpoints used during Secretary Pelham's opening presentation are also posted at
http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/dcp/Legislation/2009/ImpSB360.pdf. 

DCA has also issued a statement on the permit extension language of SB 360, in response to numerous questions submitted to the Department.  The statement is posted on their website at http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/dcp/Legislation/2009/SB360PolicyStatement.cfm .

HUD, DOT AND EPA PARTNER FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
EPA and the Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced a new partnership to help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs. The three agencies will work together to ensure that these housing and transportation goals are met while simultaneously protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and helping to address the challenges of climate change. Among the goals of this partnership are enhancing integrated planning and investment, providing a vision for sustainable growth, and redefining housing affordability measures to include housing and transportation costs and other expenses that are affected by location choices. To learn more about this partnership, go to http://www.epa.gov/opei/ocmp/dced-partnership.html .

DEP SEEKS INPUT ON STATEWIDE RECYCLING PROGRAM
The Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008 (House Bill 7135) establishes a new statewide recycling goal in Florida of 75% to be achieved by the year 2020. Also, the statute directs DEP to develop a program designed to achieve this goal and submit it to the Legislature for approval by January 1, 2010.   DEP is seeking input from all interested parties to assist them in the development of that program. They have created a web page as a key component in sharing information and soliciting feedback from various stakeholders.  Interested parties should go to
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/recyclinggoal75/default.htm .

PLAN FOR MAJOR OVERHAUL OF FEDERAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS RELEASED
U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), Ranking Member John Mica (R-FL), Highway and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Ranking Member John Duncan (R-TN) have just released a white paper, entitled "A Blueprint for Investment and Reform," which outlines plans for a major overhaul of federal surface transportation programs. The new six-year reauthorization for highway and transit programs will include a 38 percent spending increase over the current program. It will focus on consolidation and streamlining of existing programs, as well as establishing performance and outcome-based targets and funding distribution formulas.

The new Surface Transportation Authorization Act proposes spending $450 billion over six years, including $337.4 billion for the highway program, $99.8 billion for public transportation, and $12.6 billion for highway and motor carrier safety. The plan also proposes to fund $50 billion for a Metropolitan Mobility and Access Program and $25 billion for Projects of National Significance from the same $450 billion pot. The plan also consolidates the majority of highway and transit funding into four core formula categories: Repair & investment; Highway Safety; Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ); and the Surface Transportation Program (STP). Among the policies outlined is a requirement for states to develop six-year transportation plans with performance benchmarks in exchange for greater flexibility in how they spend federal funds. 

 To read the Congressional white paper, go to  
http://transportation.house.gov/Media/file/Highways/HPP/Surface%20Transportation%20Blueprint.pdf .

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Some publications may require free registration.

Florida local governments' transportation rules still in place despite new growth law
Brandon Larrabee, Florida Times-Union, June 13, 2009
http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-06-13/story/florida_local_governments_transportation_rules_still_in_place_despite_ne

Growth law is stirring concern
Dale White, Herald Tribune, June 13, 2009
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090613/ARTICLE/906131050/2055/NEWS?Title=Growth-law-is-stirring-concern

High court clears way for growth management amendment
Jim Saunders, Tallahassee Bureau Chief, News-Journal, June 18, 2009
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD02061809.htm

WAL-MART: Judge hears both sides in dispute over validity of variances
Joyce Miles, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, March 28, 2009
 http://www.lockportjournal.com/courts/local_story_088014639.html

Impact fees too often a fallback for local governments, economist says
Jennifer Lareno, Marco Eagle, June 11, 2009
http://www.marconews.com/news/2009/jun/11/impact-fees-too-often-fallback-local-governments-e/

Counties, cities ought to start taking some responsibility for ill-planned developments
Editorial, TCPalm.com, June 2, 2009
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jun/02/standing-up-for-the-plan/

Builder decries new law
Catherine Dolinski, Tampa Tribune, June 6, 2009
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/06/na-builder-decries-new-law/news-politics/

Vancouver's Olympic Village Aims High on Sustainability Scale
Brian James Barr, Architectural Record, May 5, 2009
http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/090505vancouver_sustainability.asp

Petition process rescued
Mark Lane, Footnote, News-Journal, June 21, 2009
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Columnists/Footnote/colFOOT062109.htm

Hometown Democracy's Lesley Blackner, the woman who put up $1 million to change the way that Florida grows
Andrew Abramson, Staff Writer, Palm Beach Post, June 20, 2009
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/06/20/a1a_blackner_0621.html

Florida Hometown Democracy referendum certified for November 21010 Election
Jim Turner, TCPalm, June 22, 2009
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jun/22/florida-hometown-democracy-referendum-certified-no/

City Dwellers Worldwide Healthier Than Suburban Counterparts
SDSU study finds people who live in city neighborhoods twice as likely to get exercise
Gina Jacobs, San Diego State University News Center
http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news.aspx?s=71384

In Suburbia, a Megaproject offers hope
Peter Applebome, New York Times, June 17, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/nyregion/18towns.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

Boulder County Commissioners to tweak house-size rules
Buying, selling of development rights starts to heat up
Laura Snider, DailyCamera. com, June 16, 2009
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jun/16/boulder-county-commissioners-tweak-house-size-rule/

Phila. Council approves bills to improve city's look
Jeff Shields, Staff Writer, Philadelphia Inquirer, June 19, 2009
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20090619_Phila__Council_approves_bills.html

Time-Lapse Videos of Massive Change on Earth
Lizzie Buchen, Wired, May 29, 2009
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/05/earthobservatoryvideos/

A Bridge to Somewhere
Sometimes, if you build it, they really do come
Alex Marshall, Governing, June 2009
http://www.governing.com/column/bridge-somewhere

Consumers in India, Brazil and China Are the "Greenest"
ALSADirt, The Dirt, May 20 , 2009
http://dirt.asla.org/2009/05/20/consumers-in-india-brazil-and-china-are-the-greenest/

Supreme Court takes up property rights case
The high court announced Monday it would hear a case involving a Florida beach restoration project
Warren Richey, Staff Writer, Christian Science Monitor, June 15, 2009
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0616/p02s04-usju.html

AG: County must decide Dean "barn zoning" issue
Robby Douglas, Citrus Daily, June 16, 2009
http://www.citrusdaily.com/inverness/ag-county-must-decide-dean-barn-zoning/2009/06/16/7019.html

Tri-Rail future: Ways to avoid  financial train wreck
Jim Smith, Opinion, Sun Sentinel, June 14, 2009
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-jscol-tri-rail-m0614sbjun14,0,2177878.story

Solar disarray: Lawmakers bungle green push
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Commentary, June 23, 2009
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/23/na-solar-disarray-lawmakers-bungle-green-push/news-opinion-commentary/

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REMEMBER TO RECORD YOUR AICP CM CREDITS
With the December deadline approaching, don't forget to log your AICP CM credits.  Per the May status report received from APA, only 28% of APA Florida AICP members have logged the required 32 credit hours, while 36% have logged less than 16 credit hours.  Don't delay!  If you have any questions on how to log your credits, please contact the Chapter Office at 850-201-3272 or fapa@floridaplanning.org.

APA LAUNCHES ETHICS AND LAW ONLINE TRAINING, HIA COURSE REMAINS FREE
With the launch of two new courses from APA, AICP members now have even more affordable, convenient, and interactive options for fulfilling CM requirements. Ethical Practice for Practicing Planners (2.0| CM, $49.95) explains the tenets of the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and challenges participants to analyze situations, reflect on dilemmas, and apply the code. Throughout the course, planning ethics experts discuss how they might respond to several proposed scenarios. 

Hot Topics in Planning Law (3.0|CM, $99.95) provides practicing planners with an understanding of the latest developments in planning law.  From digital billboards to AB 32; from the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007 to green building codes; from Oregon's Measure 49 to the impact of Kelo v. the City of New London, the course illustrates how changes in the law impact how planners work.  This course will be available late June. 

In addition, APA is pleased to announce that its popular course, Planning for Healthy Communities with Health Impact Assessments, will remain free of charge through June 30, 2010. At the online course homepage (http://professional.captus.com/Planning/default.aspx) you may view the catalog, register for courses, and access your training. The online course homepage and registration site is hosted by Captus Press, APA's trusted online course program partner.

ONLINE CM OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY APA CHAPTERS
Both the Colorado and Arizona Chapters of APA offer online or DVD opportunities for professional development and CM credit.  APA Colorado offers courses on economic and demographics, as well as multi-modal transportation.  APA Arizona  has several DVDs on a range of topics, including land use law, climate change, green building programs and master planned communities.  If you are interested, go to http://www.vaned.com/planners/ (for Colorado) and http://www.azplanning.org/Certification.html (for Arizona).

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AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST KICKS OFF "AMERICA'S FAVORITE FARMERS MARKET" CONTEST
The contest is a nation-wide challenge to see which of America's 4,685 farmers markets can rally the most support from its customers. The goal is to promote the connection between fresh local food and the local farms and farmland that supply it. The 2007 U.S. Agricultural Census reports a 49% growth in sales from farms directly to consumers since 2002--representing $1.2 billion that stayed in local communities. But at the same time, more than one million acres of farmland are developed each year - most around cities where there is greatest demand for local food. Many barriers stand in the way of scaling up local farm production to meet the burgeoning demand for local food. To learn more about this effort, go to http://action.farmland.org/site/PageNavigator/Americas-Favorite-Farmers-Markets/best_local_farmers_market_vote.

NEW HEALTHY COMMUNITIES TOOLKIT TARGETS CHILDHOOD OBESITY
The national Leadership for Healthy Communities program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnered with 11 policy-maker organizations to promote school, community and child health, releasing their joint smart-growth-friendly ''Action Strategies Toolkit: A Guide for Local and State Leaders Working to Create Healthy Communities and Prevent Childhood Obesity'' last month at a Washington, D.C. summit. ''Through daily decisions about budgets, laws, regulations or zoning, policy-makers can help develop healthier and more viable communities,'' write Leadership for Healthy Communities Director Maya Rockeymoore Cummings and the partnering leaders in the introduction to the toolkit. 

The first part of the toolkit addresses active living and the built environment, including transportation, land use, open spaces, parks and recreation, quality physical activity in and near schools, and safety and crime prevention. The second part focuses on healthy eating, specifically on quality school nutrition, supermarkets and healthy food vendors, farm-fresh local foods, restaurants, and food and beverage marketing. The toolkit can be downloaded at
http://www.leadershipforhealthycommunities.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=352&Itemid=154 .

LANDSCOPE AMERICA INTERACTIVE MAPPING
The National Geographic Society and NatureServe have launched an online interactive mapping tool focusing on conservation and open space.  LandScope America uses an interactive map viewer to bring together maps, data, photos and stories and present them in dynamic and accessible formats. It also provides useful tools and resources for strategic conservation planning and priority-setting.  You can use the interactive map to zoom smoothly from a national view to state and local perspectives anywhere across the country. Released in December 2008, LandScope America can be accessed at http://www.landscope.org/introduction/ .

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 RFQs/RFPs are listed in this newsletter and posted to APA Florida's website at no charge.  APA Florida does this as a service to its members. Please take advantage of it.  Email a one paragraph summary to the Chapter Office at fapa@floridaplanning.org for posting. Include deadline and web link.
 
   RFQ - Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council requests qualifications from consultants to provide various planning services related to the Council's mission and activities on a "As-Needed" basis.  The primary areas of expertise sought include emergency management planning and community visioning and planning activities.  Visit www.tbrpc.org (after 6/24/09) for details.

GRANTS:

EPA ANNOUNCES $10 MILLION IN GRANTS TO "CLIMATE SHOWCASE COMMUNITIES"
EPA has announced the availability of up to $10 million in first of its kind, "Climate Showcase Communities" grants to local governments, councils of governments, and tribal governments to establish and implement climate change initiatives that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Eligibility for the program includes local governments (e.g., a county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments), federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and inter-tribal consortia.

The agency expects to award approximately 30 cooperative agreements, each one ranging from $100,000 to $500,000. Approximately 5 percent of the funds ($500,000) are set-asides for tribal governments. EPA requests proposals to create replicable models of sustainable community action, generate cost-effective greenhouse gas reductions, and improve the environmental, economic, public health, and social conditions in a community. A 50 percent cost-share is required for recipients, with the exception of tribal governments and intertribal consortia which are exempt from matching requirements under this grant. Over the course of the grant program, EPA will offer training and technical support to grant recipients, and share lessons learned with communities across the nation.

Proposals are due by July 22, 2009, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Grants are expected to be awarded in January 2010. For more information, go to http://epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-programs/state-and-local/showcase.html .

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Newest JOB MART advertisements now posted:

CITY PLANNER (2 POSITIONS) (City of Statesboro Georgia); PLANNING TECHNICIAN/PLANNER (Monroe County);  COMMUNITY/DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR (City of Eatonville); PLANNER I/II (Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council - Ocala); PLANNING TECHNICIAN (City of Largo); ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (City of Deerfield Beach)

We encourage you to visit APA Florida's JobMart website at http://www.floridaplanning.org/jobs2.asp for salaries, descriptions, minimum requirements and application deadlines.  Also, don't forget about APA Florida's resume posting feature at http://www.floridaplanning.org/membership/resume_select.asp.

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June 25-26, 2009:  The DCA Growth Management Workshop, will be held at the Hilton in Walt Disney World Resort.  AICP CM credits are being requested. Check http://www.dca.state.fl.us/   for details.

July 22 -24, 2009:  The Florida Chamber will host its 23rd Annual Environmental Permitting Summer School at the Marco Island Marriott Resort.  Its Water School will be held on July 21-22nd at the same location.  To register, go to http://www.floridaenet.com/.

July 22 -24, 2009:  The UF Center for Building Better Communities will hold its 2009 Planning Forum: Planning and Design Training Classes  in Kissimmee. Many of the classes are approved for AICP CM credit. Go to http://buildgreen.ufl.edu/cecampus/planning_forum/Planning_Forum_Osceola.html for details.

July 23-25, 2009:  The Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects will hold its 2009 Annual Conference at the Sanibel Harbor Resort and Spa in Fort Myers.  To register, go to http://www.flasla.org/conference.htm .

July 29, 2009:  The Florida Biofuels Association will sponsor a meeting on Moving Biofuels into Production in Florida at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.  Go to
http://www.flbiofuels.org/PDF/Registration-Form-Strategic-Meeting.pdf for details.

July 29-31, 2009:  The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will hold its 2009 Farm to Fuel Summit at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.  To register, go to http://www.floridafarmtofuel.com/summit_2009.htm .

July 29-31, 2009:  The UF Center for Building Better Communities will hold its 2009 Planning Forum: Planning and Design Training Classes  in Port Charlotte. Many of the classes are approved for AICP CM credit. Go to http://buildgreen.ufl.edu/cecampus/planning_forum/Planning_Forum_Charlotte.html for details.
 

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