Southeast Florida Regional Leaders to Discuss Key Issues in Joint Meeting.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Next Monday, April 3rd at noon, the policy boards of the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils will hold a special joint meeting at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach to discuss shared challenges and opportunities for increased regional collaboration in the areas of affordable housing, transportation, economic development, land use, and water supply planning. Members of the public are welcome at the meeting.

The Council boards will hear presentations from special guests including Dr. Robert Burchell of Rutgers University regarding strategies and next steps moving forward to facilitate the creation of additional affordable and workforce housing in the region. James Murley, executive director of the FAU CUES, and Greta Von Unruh, executive director of the Economic Development Research Institute, will comment on the state of the region and regional trends and indicators. Florida DOT Secretary James Wolfe (Dist. 4) and South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) executive director Joe Giulietti will discuss regional transportation issues. Ralph Marrinson, chair of the Regional Business Alliance, will elevate issues identified by members of the regional business community. Sue Hershey, a member of the Martin County School Board and TCRPC, will provide an update on the work of the Regional Education Alliance. John Mulliken, director of Water Supply Planning with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) will present information related to water supply and management issues. Additional presentations will provide information on the FEC Corridor Study and the work of The State Road 7 / U.S. 441 Collaborative.

The South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council boards is comprised of county- and city-elected officials, gubernatorial appointees, and ex-officio members representing the SFWMD, FDOT, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) from the 7-county region of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties. The region's estimated population of 5.9 million residents in 2004 - a population greater than that of 35 states - is expected to grow by approximately 40% to 8.3 million residents in 2030.

"Our council boards and staff have a long history of working together across jurisdictional boundaries. The counties that form Southeast Florida are closely linked in terms of housing, employment, transportation, our natural environment and water, and the economy. Never before has the need for Southeast Florida to develop a regional vision and consensus around how to move forward as a region been more critical. We (the Councils) are doing our part to ensure that the lines of communication are open and that we are working together and with other regional stakeholders to address the big issues," said North Miami Vice Mayor Michael Blynn, Chair of South Florida Regional Planning Council.

"Clearly, as the work of the Councils with the SFRTA and The State Road 7 / U.S. 441 Collaborative illustrates, the integration of land use and transportation planning and smart urban design on a regional scale is the key, particularly along the region's primary transportation corridors, to creating additional employment, housing, transit, and economic development opportunities that will accommodate growth in a way that minimizes adverse impacts on our natural environment and open spaces. We must encourage the region's metropolitan planning organizations to work even more closely with the Councils to ensure that the region's land use and transportation investments are mutually supportive," said Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons, Chair of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.

The Councils will hold their next joint policy meeting later this year. For more information about the April 3rd meeting agenda please contact the South Florida Regional Planning Council at [phone] or visit http://www.sfrpc.com .