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VISIONS

A publ icat ion of the Tampa Bay Regional P lanning Counci l

Convening the region for 43 years

2005 Future of The Region Edition

MISSION STATEMENT

To serve our citizens and member governments by providing a forum to foster communication, coordination and collaboration in identifying and

addressing issues and needs regionally.

Future of the Region Awards:

The McIntosh Award Page 6

The Goldner Award Page 8

Honoring Notable Achievement Page 10

Award Luncheon Pictorial Page 12

Departments:

Regionally Speaking: ABM Celebrates 20 Years Page 4

Regional Roundup Page 14

Council Capsules Page 18

Council Members Page 26

VISIONS Fu tu re o f t he Reg ion 2005Vol. 4 No. 1

VISIONS is published twice annually by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, 4000 GatewayCentre Blvd., Suite 100, Pinellas Park, FL 33782. Telephone: (727) 570-5151. Fax: (727) 570-5118. Postmaster, please send change of address to Visions, 4000 Gateway Centre Blvd., Suite100, Pinellas Park, FL 33782. The Visions logo is copyrighted. It is a registered trademark of theTampa Bay Regional Planning Council. No portion of this magazine’s contents may be reprinted orreproduced electronically in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher.

© TM 2005 TBRPC. All rights reserved.

VISIONS Future of the Region 2005 3


On March 14th, the Council recognizedthe achievements of its Agency on BayManagement on the agency’s 20th

anniversary in two ways: Mr. Richard Eckenrod, Executive Director of

the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, gave a retro-spective on Tampa Bay and the Agency duringthe Council’s meeting; and founding membersof the Agency were recognized during theFuture of The Region Awards luncheon.

Mr. Eckenrod recounted the progress ofmanaging Tampa Bay’s recovery, and said:“The achievements of the Tampa Bay EstuaryProgram would not have been possible with-out the foundation of intergovernmentalcooperation and broad stakeholder involve-ment established by the Council and theAgency on Bay Management.”

He capsulized the 34 years of effort by high-lighting some of the accomplishments in iden-

RESTORATION AND PROTECTIONThe Agency on Bay Management celebrates 20 years dedicated to the restoration,

protection, and wise use of the Tampa Bay estuary.

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Several of the persons honored

during the 20thanniversary

recognition of theABM, including

founding members ofthe agency, gathered

for a group picture,above. The agency

has spearheadedmany projects aimed

at improving thewater quality ofTampa Bay and

protecting its naturalhabitat.


AAggeennccyy MMiilleessttoonneess��: A conference held at the University of SouthFlorida recommended establishing a baywide manage�ment committee��::Save Our Bay citizens group formed in response toa plan to dredge the ship channels��:: The Tampa Bay Area Scientific InformationSymposium (BASIS) compiled information on TampaBay pointing out the ecological interconnectedness ofthe estuary’s components its potential for restorationand areas where further study was needed� TBRPC cre�ated the Tampa Bay Management Study Committee��:: The Tampa Bay Management Study was pub�lished��: Tampa Bay Management Study Commission wascreated by the Florida Legislature and directed to exam�ine the opportunities for and the constraints to devel�oping a unified comprehensive management strategyfor Tampa Bay�� :: The TBMSC completed The Future of Tampa Bayguidance document� Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil established the Agency on Bay Management��: Surface Water Improvement and Management(SWIM) Act passed with Tampa Bay named as a priori�ty water body�

The Grizzle�Figg Bill passed requiring all discharges toTampa Bay to achieve Advanced WastewaterTreatment quality� This resulted in significantly�improved Bay water quality��::ABM led the effort to nominate Tampa Bay to theNational Estuary Program� ABM formed the Task Forceon Resource�Based Water Quality Assessment and pre�

pared “Goals and Strategies for Tampa Bay” a guidingdocument for the Tampa Bay National EstuaryProgram��:: Tampa Bay received National Estuary Programdesignation�Shrimping was banned in Upper Tampa Bay�

��:: Held BASIS focused on “The Watershed�”At ABM’s prompting Hillsborough County performedan overlay study aimed at resource protection of theCockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve��:: “Symposium on Human Impacts on theEnvironment of Tampa Bay” was held��: BASIS � “Putting Our Knowledge To Work”focused on using the results of research to implementBay restoration protection and management�

ABM established the Manatee Protection StrategiesTask Force to investigate options for Tampa Bay and in�� published a guidance document��:: TBRPC gained legislative approval of the TampaBay Estuary Specialty License Plate� (As of March �� over �� has been raised for restoration and edu�cation efforts by TBEP and TBRPC�)��:: With a grant from the Pinellas CountyEnvironmental Fund and other funding partnersTBRPC began publishing Bay Soundings the quarterlyenvironmental journal� ABM established the Piney PointTask Force to assist the Florida Department ofEnvironmental Protection in handling the abandonedphosphogypsum operation��:: ABM formed the Recreational Boat Launch TaskForce to research new or improved boat launch sites inlower Tampa Bay� ❖

tifying and addressing the issues confronting bay stakeholders.During the Future of The Region Awards luncheon Mayor

Mary Maloof, current Chairwoman of the Agency on BayManagement, recognized several founding members and pastChairs of the Agency and described their contributions to Bayimprovement. Present at the luncheon were:

Ms. Jan Platt, past Tampa Bay Regional Planning Councilmember and Chair, and a driving force in the creation of theAgency on Bay Management. Jan was Chair of the Agency fromits inception through 1989, and again in 1993 and 1994.

Mr. Dick Eckenrod, now Executive Director of the TampaBay Estuary Program.

Dr. Ernie Estevez of Mote Marine Laboratory.Ms. Mary Figg, State Representative and Vice-Chair of the

Tampa Bay Study Commission in 1984 who was responsible forthe legislation creating the Tampa Bay Management StudyCommission and the Grizzle-Figg bill, passed by the state legisla-ture in 1987, which resulted in tremendous improvement inTampa Bay’s water quality.

Mr. George Henderson, an Administrator with the Fish andWildlife Research Institute.

Mr. Robin Lewis of Lewis Environmental Services, Inc.Mr. Rich Paul, recently-retired Manager of Audubon’s Coastal

Islands Sanctuaries.Mr. Tom Reese, an environmental attorney.Mr. Jake Stowers, Assistant Pinellas County Administrator.Ms. Sally Thompson, a Hillsborough County citizen.Mr. Bill Ockunzzi, who was the Regional Planning Council’s

Executive Director when the Agency was formed.Mr. Dick Fletcher, of WTSP/Channel 10, who was a Regional

Planning Council member and Chair of the Agency from 1990through 1992.

Mr. Doug Robison, with Post Buckley, who was the first sup-port staff for the Agency .

Mr. Peter Clark, of Tampa Bay Watch, who was support stafffor the Agency for seven years.

Ms. Suzanne Cooper, who has been staff to the Agency forthe past 11 years. ❖

The Dr. Pallavi Patel Performing ArtsConservatory is a 45,000-squarefoot, four-story addition on the

north side of the Tampa Bay PerformingArts Center site and is the first expansionin the history of The Center.

“The significance of innovative planninghas never been more important than it istoday,” stated Commissioner Jane vonHahmann, Chair of the Tampa BayRegional Planning Council. “Our annualFuture of the Region Awards Program pro-vides honor and recognition for notableachievements in both the public and pri-vate sector for resource planning andmanagement. We were very excited to beable to present the highest honor of theprogram, The McIntosh, to the PatelPerforming Arts Conservatory.”

The Conservatory shares an open-aircourtyard with the Carol Morsani Hall’snorth lobby, facilitating easy communica-tion between the public areas of theschool and Morsani Hall. It offers instruc-tion ranging from children’s to master classes forcollege students and professionals. Three floors aredevoted to the programs of the Education andHumanities Department, which serves more than100,000 children and adults annually. Those floorsalso include administrative and support spaces. Thefourth floor will accommodate The Center’s admin-istrative functions.

The first floor of the conservatory connects direct-ly to the main building and provides access to theexisting rehearsal hall, theatres and dressing rooms.The major space on the first floor is the fullyequipped two-story tall TECO Energy FoundationTheatre off the central lobby. The TECO Theatre is

THE McINTOSH AWARDThis year's principal Future of the Region award winner is the Patel Performing ArtsConservatory, which is a prime example of resource management and planning.

Recogni t ion


supported by a connecting technical theatre workshop, dressingrooms, and costume shop. This integrated suite creates a perfectenvironment for teaching all elements of the performing arts. Animportant element of the first floor is a library and a secure archives,as well as a conference room.

The second floor includes a Sound and Lighting Laboratory thatoverlooks the TECO Theatre. Full height sliding glass doors allowinteractive teaching between the two spaces. An adjacent isolationbooth wall facilitates audio/visual production and post-productioninstruction. A grid of catwalks provides a safe, yet real-life trainingenvironment for theatrical lighting. An adjacent multipurpose roomprovides rehearsal space for the Tampa Bay Youth Orchestra as wellas training spaces for all disciplines. The education and humanitiesdepartment offices are located here to maximize interaction amongthe staff, faculty artists/instructors and students.

The third floor houses a suite of large and small classrooms, twodance studios, and a multimedia classroom with adjacent controlroom and office. Support spaces include dance dressing rooms,instructor dressing rooms and storage. There is a significant amountof space devoted to ballet and dance studios, which require sophis-ticated flooring and acoustics to provide the dancers with the prop-

er resilience and to prevent the transmission of impact noise to thespaces below. The third floor also includes a uniquely sophisticatedmultimedia room to teach audio record sciences, digital photogra-phy and film making. The fourth floor allows the consolidation ofThe Center’s administrative functions and also frees up spaces with-in the existing building for the expansion of performance relateddepartments.

As a compact four-story addition to an existing facility, the PatelConservatory required minimal land area, thus minimizing itsimpact on the environment. Manny Pumariega, Executive Directorof the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, said: “The conserva-tory was also able to make use of existing city parking garages; there-fore no additional parking was required. As an addition to an exist-ing urban facility, there were also no new utility connectionsrequired which certainly is an example of responsible planning.”

The Patel Conservatory provides The Tampa Bay Performing ArtsCenter vast possibilities to set new standards for arts training and todevelop a nationally recognized resource in the Tampa Bay region.The Conservatory focuses on the training and exploration of theperforming arts for arts professionals, as well as community mem-bers seeking a better understanding and appreciation of the arts. ❖

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Patel Conservatory representatives hold their winning trophy�

For Louis E. Miller, receiving the2005 Herman W. Goldner Awardfor Regional Leadership was per-

fect validation for the goals he set forhimself when he came to Tampa Baynine years ago.

As Executive Director of theHillsborough County Aviation Authority,Miller oversees not only the much-laud-ed Tampa International Airport but alsothree other, smaller general aviation air-ports -- Peter O. Knight, Plant City andVandenberg airports.

“I thought it was a real honorto be recognized,” Miller said. “You’relooking at a regional award, which issomething I’ve said we need in theTampa Bay area — regional concepts,not parochial attitudes.”

In fact, Tampa International isvery much a regional airport. At least 35percent of its passengers come fromPinellas County and another 13 percentfrom as far away as Manatee and Sarasotacounties.

“When you’re talking abouttransportation issues — all transportation: freeways, roads, light rails— it has to be looked at regionally,” Miller noted.

One key transportation issue high on Miller’s agenda is aregional light rail system. That’s a must, he said. “We need it soonerrather than later — a fully integrated light rail system of some kind sim-ply because our roads are getting overly crowded,” Miller said.“Agencies are doing as good a job as they can to keep traffic movingbut our growth is so explosive.”

Miller suggests that the light rail system in Washington, D.C.,provides a good model for the Tampa Bay area. “It’s got 115 miles ofintegrated system that ties in Northern Virginia, Washington, Marylandand Washington National Airport (and) 19 to 22 percent of their pas-sengers come to and leave the airport on that rail system which takesa lot of pressure off their traffic and parking.”

Tampa International is ready to embrace a light rail system,

Miller said. The right-of-way has been secured for a rail stop at the pro-posed new terminal, entering from the south and exiting from thenorth. “It’s not in the 20-year plan,” Miller said, regretfully, “but weneed to get it back.”

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Miller has served as ExecutiveDirector of the aviation authority since 1996 after starting his profes-sional career as internal auditor for a Salt Lake City corporation, sub-sequently becoming a partner in a public accounting firm. Followingthat, he served for five years as Deputy Director of airports in Salt LakeCity and was responsible for finance and administration of the airportauthority. He was promoted to Executive Director of the Salt Lake CityAirport Authority, where he served for 14 years as its CEO.

While in Salt Lake City, Miller won several honors. He wasinducted into the Utah Travel Council’s Tourism Hall of Fame,received the 1993 Freedom of Enterprise Award from the Utah

Recogni t ion By F red Wr igh t

The Herman W. Goldner Award winner, TIA executive director Louis Miller, is as much concerned about the congestion in ground transportation as traffic in the skies.

THE GOLDNER AWARD


Tampa International Airport Executive Director Louis Miller holds the GoldnerAward in the presence of TBRPC Executive Director Manny Pumariega leftCouncil Chair Jane von Hahmann right and Vice Chair Bob Kersteen�


Association of Certified Public Accountantsand was honored as the 1994 Service to theIndustry Award from the Utah chapter of theAssociated General Contractors of America.

Here in Tampa Bay, Miller is activein community service. He is on the boards ofthe Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau,the Tampa Bay Partnership, the MetropolitanPlanning Organization, the Greater TampaChamber of Commerce, the PolicyCommittee of the Committee of OneHundred and past president of the WestshoreAlliance.

He also serves as an elected boardmember of the Airports Council International(ACI), an organization of airport operationsworldwide. He previously served as 1994Chairman of the North American region ofthe ACI.

In the Tampa Bay area, the GoldnerAward isn’t Miller’s first sign of recognition. InJanuary 2004, the Clearwater Chamber ofCommerce presented him with the 2003Tourism Person of the Year Award and in May2003, he was given the Outstanding PublicAdministrator Award by the SuncoastChapter, American Society of PublicAccountants.

The Goldner Award is given annual-ly to an individual who exemplifies the spiritof regional cooperation, dedication to his/hercommunity and notable achievement inencouraging future vision. The award isnamed for Goldner because, in addition tobecoming mayor of St. Petersburg in 1961, heis considered the founding father of theTampa Bay Regional Planning Council.

Miller’s colleagues cite his organiza-tional skills as a foundation for the award.“I’ve been very impressed with his dedication

and his ability to deal with enormous prob-lems,” observed Alfred S. Austin, Chair of theHillsborough County Aviation Authority.

Austin recalls that he, Miller andtheir wives were in Montreal on 9/11 when allplanes in North America were grounded. Itwas Miller who found the group a mini-van.They made the drive in just over two days,Austin recalled.

“He was on the cell phone continu-ously with his staff back in Tampa, givingdirections. He’s organized. He’s intent. Heloves his job and it shows.”

Austin also points to Miller’s skills asa CPA. “He’s very good with numbers,” Austinsaid, and numbers count when it comes tooperating TIA. “We originally intended to maxout at 20-million passengers (a year),” Austinsaid. “Through (his) planning and adjustmentto create more space, now that capacity is 25-million, which buys us a few more years.”

Stephen Mitchell, Vice Chairman ofthe aviation authority, agrees that Miller hasthe ideal skills for the job. “He’s an expert oneverything that has to do with running an air-port.

“We’re continually looking into thefuture, led by (Miller), to make sure the air-port is prepared for the future. We’ve movedforward on a schedule that is really held ingood stead. All that only happens becauseyou have a high quality leader like Louis,” hesaid.

More immediate on Miller’s agendais LINKS, the airport interchange project,scheduled to start in 2006. When all threephrases are finished, the billion dollar projectwill have a major impact, improving access inand out of the airport, Miller said.

Currently, on a bad traffic day,

motorists trying to exit the airport to theVeterans Expressway or the CourtneyCampbell Causeway can back up all the wayto the terminal. The LINKS improvementswill take years, Miller admitted, but willrelieve the congestion in stages.

Ironically, for someone in charge ofone of the most popular commercial airportsin the world and whose membership with theACI takes him to meetings around the world,Miller admits he doesn’t like to travel all thatmuch.

But he said he does like the aviationindustry. A lot. “Once I got into the industry,I loved every minute of it. It’s far more chal-lenging than I ever dreamed — with bank-ruptcies, security, cost of fuel — a very, verydifferent environment. All that makes it verychallenging,” he said.

Miller admits also that commercialflying has “gotten to be a bit of a hassle. Asprofessionals in the industry, we’ve got toeliminate that hassle and make it as smooth aspossible.”

Miller said his membership in theACI has proved invaluable. “I can learn fromothers and others can learn from us,” he said.“There’s no perfect way to do things. Weshare what we do. We all have the same goalin mind — a smooth transition to get passen-gers to air transportation and back.”

In his spare time, Miller, who is nota pilot himself, admits he and his wife like todrive the state’s roads. “We do a lot of drivingaround in Florida,” he said. “We drive to FortMyers or drive over to the east coast of Floridaand go to the Jacksonville area for the week-end to see what Florida has to offer.” ❖

“When you’re talking abouttransportation issues — alltransportation: freeways

roads light rails — it has tobe looked at regionally�”

– Louis Miller TIA executive director

HONORING NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTThe winners at the 13th Annual Future of The Region Awards are makinginnovative changes that are enhancing the quality of life in the Tampa Bay region.

Recogni t ion

Community ServiceCommunity Foundation of Tampa Bay

“Building teams…discovering self… interacting withothers…strengthening our leaders…clarifying our goals… lis-tening better… and learning more…” this philosophy shinesboldly on the front cover of the Community Foundation ofTampa Bay 2004 Annual Report. The Foundation took top hon-ors in the category of Community Service at the 13th AnnualFuture of the Region Awards for serving as a unifying force forbuilding a better region through creative philanthropy, visionand leadership.

Over the past 15 years the Foundation has developedregional initiatives, administered endowments for over 75 area-wide nonprofits and worked with nearly 500 donors from allthree counties. The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay is not

a fundraising group; it exists to support the good work andfundraising efforts of area nonprofits and the donors whosephilanthropic objectives are met by those nonprofits.

Cultural/Sports/RecreationConversion of Plant City Stadium

The conversion of a Major League Baseball stadium andits practice fields scored a homerun in the category ofCultural/Sports/Recreation for the City of Plant City. Originallybuilt in 1987, the Plant City Stadium was the spring traininghome of the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team from1988 to 1997.

Because the facility was designed as an adult profes-sional baseball stadium, it was only utilized three months out ofthe year. After an eight- year stint, the Reds opted to move theirspring training operations to Sarasota leaving the stadium andits practice fields vacant. The Reds departure just happened to


Foundation donor Mildred Frank accepts a bouquet atthe Children’s Home.

coincide with the International Softball Federation deciding tomove their operation from Oklahoma to Plant City.

The City, along with assistance from HillsboroughCounty, renovated the stadium into a multi-functional softballand community event complex. The conversion of the stadiumhas opened another avenue of recreational opportunities forarea residents.

DevelopmentCity of New Port Richey Re-development Plan

Taking top honors in the Development category wasthe City of New Port Richey’s Redevelopment Plan. Facingblighted conditions and a limited tax base, the City of New PortRichey commissioned TBE Group, Inc. to complete the first bor-der to border Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) in the his-tory of the state. Adopted in May 2001, the CRA could poten-tially generate up to $72 million over the next 20 years as a taxincrement finance district.

While most CRA’s focus on only a small concentratedarea within a City, New Port Richey examined the City’s entirecommunity and was able to envision the interconnectivity ofeach area’s specific needs and issues. The City’s innovativeapproach and initiative has spread to neighboring cities as well,proving that its predicament was not a unique condition. In2001 its neighboring city, Port Richey, followed suit with its ownborder-to-border CRA creation.

While only three years into implementation the City ofNew Port Richey’s CRA has already yielded over $2 million in

revenue for the City in TIF Funds allowing the City to conductsix neighborhood plans, assisting dozens of homeowners andbusinesses with property improvements, and completing adowntown market study and streets assessment.

EnvironmentPinellas County Environmental Fund

A unique partnership between Pinellas County and theNational Fish and Wildlife Foundation was recognized with theprestigious first place award in the Environmental category. ThePinellas County Environmental Fund (PCEF) strives to conserve,restore and enhance the natural resources of the Tampa Bay areafor its citizens and visitors through education, innovation andsustainable conservation partnerships. The PCEF providesdirect and substantial benefits to the environment and its water-sheds by funding projects which protect and foster awareness ofimportant species of fish and wildlife. Other funding areasinclude research leading to improved management of habitats,education through innovative programs and restoration/waterquality enhancement programs.

The PCEF is the first partnership of its kind in thenation, bringing together the National Fish and WildlifeFoundation with a county government to help implement theregion’s comprehensive restoration plan for Tampa Bay. Theextraordinary variety of year-round opportunities for enjoyingthe outdoors, from fishing and boating to hiking and birding, isa major part of the bay area’s attraction and is vital to its eco-nomic prosperity.

The PCEF advocates maintaining the quality of life inthe Tampa Bay region hinges on conserving and restoring itsmagnificent array of natural resources, with Tampa Bay as thecenterpiece.

InfrastructurePartial Privatization of the Outdoor Advertising Program

First Place in the Infrastructure category went to theengineering firm of TBE Group, Inc. for Partial Privatization ofthe Outdoor Advertising Program. The Florida Legislature deter-mined that control of signs adjacent to Florida highways is nec-


See NOTABLE Page 23

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Pupils Get Early BaptismIn Environmental Concerns

In celebration of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s Agencyon Bay Management’s (ABM) 20th Anniversary, the Council waspleased to recognize future “ABM-ers” from Twin Lakes ElementarySchool. The students at Twin Lakes created an exhibit entitled“Disappearing Wetlands.”

“Students of all ages learned about the value of wetlands to people,plants and animals, and about ways to protect these important naturalhabitats,” said Mayor Mary Maloof, Chair of the Agency on BayManagement. “The ABM is thrilled to see young people learning to befaithful stewards of their environment.”

The students and teachers recreated their exhibit for the recent 13thAnnual Future of the Region Awards Program and Luncheon. Originallythe students created the environmental display for this years FloridaState Fair Exhibit in which it received the "Best of Show" award.

The students collaborated with research scientists in authentic prob-lem solving learning to explore the plight of our future water resources.

They read, researched, and learned how wetlands are formed; whatspecies depend on them for survival; and why they are disappearingand what we can do to protect and restore them.

With the assistance of researchers, investigations were conducted to

help the students discover how extremely important the earth’s wet-land ecosystems are to the overall health of our planet.Students used art, poetry, literature, hands on scientific investigations

and took action by teaching others through service learning. Themosaic tiled backdrop depicting the wetland scene portrayed thediverse populations of flora and fauna in our local disappearing wet-lands. The project was a school-wide effort and also involved high school

volunteers whom obtained a Youth as Resources grant and fundingfrom the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The art teacher,Miss Heather Morrow and science resource teacher, Mrs. Virginia Frissellworked with all students to complete the authentic wetland exhibit.Twin Lakes Principal, Mrs. Tricia McManus, loves to share what the stu-

dents have learned with the community and setting the exhibit up atthe TBRPC Luncheon was a great opportunity to show our students thatindeed what we learned about the water resources is important to lead-ers in the communities around us. “These experiences for our stu-dents will develop young leaders to ensure that our natural resourceswill be protected in the future. Students can make a difference,” saidMcManus. “We would like to thank the Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil for providing the opportunity and venue to share our learningwith real people who care.”

Twin Lakes Elementary group from left: character education teacher Doreen Pumariega, science resourceteacher Virginia Frissell, students Bryanna Rivera-Roque, Samantha Tribble, Eliot Virgil, Kristalyn Fernandez,Michael Pursley, Bryan Willis, Benjamin Bucholtz, art teacher Heather Morrow and Principal Tricia McManus.

Gov. Bush Gets PeekAt Planning Software

Numerous policy and resource planningactivities can benefit from a software modelsuite under development by the TampaBay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC).The Council had the opportunity todemonstrate those benefits to GovernorJeb Bush when he was visiting the TampaBay area.

The Governor met with TBRPCExecutive Director, Manny Pumariega; for-mer Chair and Pinellas CountyCommissioner, Barbara Sheen Todd; andTBRPC Planning Director, Avera Wynne todiscuss the TBRPC’s development of thisimportant technological tool.

The suite is called Decision Support (DS-GIS) and is a GIS-based application thatwill include land use, transportation, envi-ronmental, economic, fiscal, emergencymanagement and domestic security mod-ules. DS-GIS will generate land use sce-narios, in selected time steps, through a 50-year time horizon, modeling populationchanges, land use policy decisions, envi-ronmental constraints, and other factors.The basic land use components of themodel are operational. Staff is currentlycompleting work on the economic devel-opment module and beginning work onthe emergency management and environ-mental modules.

The opportunity to meet with theGovernor came on the heels of a visit to theCouncil by the Department of CommunityAffair’s Secretary, Thaddeus Cohen.Relating to growth management issues,Secretary Cohen supports RegionalPlanning Councils as leaders in this type oftechnology.

Former Pinellas County CommissionerBarbara Sheen Todd has been a long timesupporter of this initiative of the Council.“I think the Tampa Bay area is ripe for hav-ing this type of tool for the policy-makers,”Todd said. “We could use this to look atwater resources, development patterns,social services, economic development –there’s no limit to the variables we could

use. And the planning council can serve asa major technological resource center.”

Community AffairsSecretary Visits TBRPC

On Friday, January 7, 2005, the TampaBay Regional Planning Council hosted ameeting with Florida Department ofCommunity Affairs Secretary Thaddeus L.Cohen. Speaking to a group of 40 individ-uals representing state legislators, mem-bers of the regional planning council, elect-ed officials, and local planners, SecretaryCohen’s presentation was entitled “A NewPartnership for Growth Management.”

The following are highlights of theSecretary’s presentation. They includeidentification of six principles for growthmanagement reform:

❖ Build on recommendations of theGovernor’s Growth Management StudyCommission;

❖ Increase availability and affordabilityof technology;

❖ Increase local government accounta-bility;

❖ Emphasize citizen role in communityforum, rather than judicial forum;

❖ Enhance regional planning; and❖ Focus on State Priority Interests.❖ Implementation of new partnerships

involving citizens, local governments,regional planning councils, and the stateand the identification of specific roles to beplayed by each participant.

❖ Updating of the DRI process andremoval of duplication.

❖ Planning for annexation.❖ Planning for agricultural and rural

areas.



Department of Community Affairs Secretary Thaddeus Cohen speaks

Gov. Bush met with TBRPC Planning Director Avera Wynne, left, ExecutiveDirector Manny Pumariega, right, and former Chair Barbara Sheen Todd.


511 Moves Tampa BayIn The Right Direction

On September 2, the Florida Department ofTransportation (FDOT) District Seven announced that a 511Traveler Information Service is now available to Tampa Bay trav-elers in seven counties (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk,Manatee, Sarasota, and Hernando).

By dialing 511, Tampa Bay travelers can access free,around-the-clock, traffic and road condition updates on selectroad segments. The Tampa Bay system features advanced voice-activated technology. After a user calls 511, the system respondsto voice commands to provide information for a specific route.

In addition to obtaining information over the tele-phone, 511 users will have the optionof accessing traveler information via theInternet (www.511tampabay.com)where they can also choose to receiveup-to-the-minute traffic conditions withe-mail updates. 511 Tampa Bay will bethe third Traveler Information Servicein the State of Florida, with SouthFlorida and Orlando already in use.

The 511 Tampa Bay TravelerInformation Service is operated byMobility Technologies’’ Traffic Pulsedivision on behalf of FDOT. Traffic Pulse gathers traffic and roadcondition information from a variety of sources including roadsensors, police scanners, FDOT Road Rangers, the FloridaHighway Patrol (FHP), cameras, and web monitoring.

The cost to operate and maintain the system is approx-imately $5-million over five years. 511 Tampa Bay is a jointeffort between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),the Florida Department of Transportation, and MobilityTechnologies.

How did 511 begin? The Federal CommunicationsCommission designated 511 as the single traffic informationtelephone number for use by states and local jurisdictions onJuly 21, 2000. Since then, many states and cities have imple-mented 511 traffic information services to benefit travelers, andeventually the single-number service should be availablenationwide. The service is provided free of charge.

What information is available through 511 Tampa Bay?511 Tampa Bay provides traffic and transit information, includ-ing up-to-the-minute travel times for select routes, for theTampa Bay area via phone or web site. 511 Tampa Bay providesusers with access to state-of-the-art traveler information, includ-ing:

* Current traffic information for area roadways and

roadway segments.* Public safety alerts for the Tampa Bay area, includ-

ing Amber alerts.* Event information including day-of schedules for

major concerts or sports events.* Mass transit information including buses, trains,

airports and seaports. * Live-camera images for select roadways (web site

only).How is traffic information gathered? Roadside sensors

monitor traffic along portions of the Tampa Bay area Interstatenetwork of I-275, I-4 and I-75 using approximately 100 solarpowered, wireless sensors to gather lane-by-lane data onspeeds and vehicle counts. The data permits the calculation of

travel times which are refreshed at 60-second intervals. This AdvancedTraveler Information System is a jointeffort of FHWA, FDOT and the TrafficPulse division of MobilityTechnologies. Road condition infor-mation not part of the Interstate sys-tem is collected from a variety ofother sources. How many miles of roadway will 511

Tampa Bay cover? 511 Tampa Bay willcover approximately 750 miles of

select roadways throughout the region; 85 of which will bemonitored by roadside sensors on specific Interstate segments.

How much does a call to 511 cost users? 511 is a pub-lic service of the State of Florida and the telecommunicationsindustry. There is no charge to Tampa Bay land line users.Cellular phone users will pay normal airtime and roamingcharges, according to their cellular service contracts. Pay phoneusers are responsible for the 35- to 50-cent minimum toll fee.

How do 511 Tampa Bay phone users find informationfor one particular roadway? 511 Tampa Bay phone users can saythe road they are seeking information for at any time during acall.

What if users are on the phone and they want to con-nect to another 511 system? The telephone service providers inthe Tampa Bay area have set up their systems so when users dial‘‘511’’ they reach the 511 Tampa Bay service. However, thismeans that in some areas between Tampa Bay and Orlando,users may get 511 Tampa Bay when they want 511 Orlando. Ifthis happens, users should say “transfer” at the main menu andfollow the prompts to transfer to another system.

– Reprinted from the Tampa Bay Commuter, publishedby Bay Area Commuter Services.




After a storm, willyou still be working?

Teleworking means working froma location other than the regularoffice, such as a home office oranother off-site facility. An off-sitefacility can be a company’s ownsatellite office located near anemployee’s residence or it can be aremote office (telecenter) estab-lished specifically for teleworkersfrom several companies.

Increasingly, companies are find-ing that teleworking is not only aneffective business strategy thathelps address issues such as improv-ing employee retention, reducingfacility costs and increasing produc-tivity, but also an essential tool inpreparing for, and recovering from,a catastrophic natural or man-madedisaster.

Whether it is “home-based” or“remote-office based,” teleworkingmoves the work to the employee,rather than moving the employee tothe work. Teleworking can play aninstrumental part in keeping yourbusiness productive and opera-tional, regardless of the conditionof your office building in the after-math of a disaster.

Recent disastersand teleworking

During the winter storms of 1989and 2003, numerous North Americabusinesses continued their opera-tions through teleworking.Although the winter storms resultedin power outages for millions of res-idents and workers, many employ-ees could work because power didnot go out for everyone.

The tools were simple: com-puters, phones, pen and paper.Although the 1994 Northridge and1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes hand-icapped many California based busi-nesses, about half of the impactedpopulation worked from home orremote offices.

In both incidences, theroadway infrastructure collapsedwhile the telecommunications infra-structure allowed people to get towork electronically. Once again,not everyone sustained power out-ages.

In the aftermath of the 9/11attacks, numerous NY and NJ basedfirms implemented telework pro-grams to overcome security con-cerns and to deal with the loss ofreal estate and technology infra-structure.

During the SARS breakout of 2003,many Hong Kong based firms optedfor teleworking to conduct “busi-ness as usual,” thereby minimizinghuman contact while still workingclosely with customers.

In economically competitivetimes, you may find it difficult to

think about or plan for the unex-pected. However, the lessonslearned from worldwide disasterscan help your company prepare for,and recover from, a crisis that couldotherwise put you out of business.

A crisis is not a good time totry to collect information on tele-working and one cannot underesti-mate the importance of manage-ment’s support in order for tele-working to work effectively.

A plan of action is neededto ensure business continuity dur-ing a crisis. Research what plansyour company may already have fordisaster preparedness.

If teleworking is not a partof these plans, consider it. ContactJessica White of Telework TampaBay for more information on how touse telework as an emergency man-agement/disaster recovery tool.

Contact: Jessica WhiteTelework Tampa Bay(727) 570-5151, ext. 38Toll-Free 1-888-736-8640Website: www.tbrpc.org

Telework Questions?


Ensuring Continuity OfGovernment Functions

TBRPC continues to assist localgovernments with the development oftheir Continuity of Operations Plans(COOP) Plans. TBRPC is working withPasco County, Pinellas County and thecities of Port Richey, Zephyrhills, St.Petersburg, Clearwater, Dunedin,Tarpon Springs, Largo and Pinellas Park.

The COOP is basically a “busi-ness continuity plan” to ensure that gov-ernment can stay in business even if thegovernment itself is a target of a natural,technological or civil disaster.

A COOP is being developed foreach of the departments which areresponsible for six critical services:emergency management, EMS, 9-1-1,

fire rescue, law enforcement and publicworks. Additional departments includ-ing Utilities, Personnel and InformationTechnology are also being developed.

“While the COOP Plans areessential if our local governments cancontinue providing services after anemergency, the focus of the COOP plantypically has more to do with servers andbackup communications than searchand rescue operations and distributionpoints (of emergency supplies),explained Pinellas County EmergencyManagement Director, Gary Vickers.

Alafia River WaterQuality Protection

Staff recently completed areport for Tampa Bay Water on mecha-nisms for protecting the Alafia as asource of drinking water.

Tampa Bay Water has a waterwithdrawal point on the Alafia River atBell Shoals, and is permitted to take tenpercent of river flow, ranging from nowithdrawal allowed when flow is below80 million gallons per day (mgd) to amaximum of 52 mgd when flow exceeds520 mgd. The water is either sent to thewater treatment plant directly or to theC.W. “Bill” Young regional reservoir forstorage.

The wholesale provider is alsoanalyzing the potential to withdraw

about 11 to 15 mgd of addition-al surface water from the river,accompanied by augmentationusing reclaimed water from theTampa’s Howard F. CurrenWastewater Treatment Plantdownstream of the withdrawalstructure. As an importantcomponent of the region’sMaster Water Plan it is impera-tive that the Alafia’s surfacewater quality be protected fromcontaminants. The report identified a number

of structural, non-structural, and educa-tional tools that could be used to ensurenot only that the river is safe for publicuse, but that its natural resources aremaintained as well.

Council Wins Awards ForDisaster Survival Kit

On Wednesday, April 20, 2005the Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil was honored to receive twoawards for the Florida Business DisasterSurvival Kit from the Tampa Bay Chapter

of the Florida Public RelationsAssociation (FPRA).

The Image Awards competitionis a two-tiered award program conduct-ed annually to recognize outstandingpublic relations programs in the bayarea and to encourage and promote thedevelopment of public relations profes-sionalism in our state.

The Florida Business DisasterSurvival Kit was submitted to the ImageAwards Competition as an Audio/VisualTool of Public Relations.

The Kit won the Judge’s Awardwhich is presented by judges for an out-standing entry that achieves maximumresults while using a minimum amountof money and the Grand Image Awardwhich is presented to the best winningentry in Divisions B, C and D for tools ofpublic relations.

Business JournalHonors Council

“As with many things in life,sometimes nothing beats the original.Such is the case with the Tampa BayRegional Planning Council,” reports theTampa Bay Business Journal.

The Tampa Bay RegionalPlanning Council was proclaimed the2004 Government Organization of theYear by the Tampa Bay BusinessJournal. The recognition took place atthe Renaissance Hotel adjacent toInternational Mall and was hosted by Mr.Arthur Porter, publisher of the Journaland Ms. Jen Holloway, Anchor for BayNews 9. The inaugural event includedrecognitions in several categories andwas well attended by both private andpublic sector entities and organizations.Commissioner Jane von Hahmann,Chair of the Regional Planning Council,Mr. Bob Kersteen, Vice-Chair, Mr. MannyPumariega, Executive Director and WrenG. Krahl, Manager of Administration/PublicInformation, were all on hand to receivethis prestigious award.

CCOOUUNNCCIILL CCAAPPSSUULLEESS


All Discipline TrainingEnhances Area Security

The Tampa Bay RegionalPlanning Council (TBRPC) and theRegion IV Domestic Security Task Force(RDSTF) are working together to pro-vide All Discipline Training (ADT) forfirst responders across the region. Thiscollaborative effort is being funded byan Office of Domestic Preparednessgrant, passed to each county throughthe Florida Division of EmergencyManagement.

The eight counties involvedagreed to combine their funds into atraining consortium. This will allowcounties with smaller training grants toparticipate in a wider range of classesthan if they held training on their own.As a result, more first responder person-nel throughout the region will receivetraining.

Some of the training providedthrough ADT includes the NationalIncident Management System, Weaponsof Mass Destruction (WMD) awareness,WMD/HazMat response, and numerousother awareness, performance, andplanning courses related to WMD andterrorism.

One primary benefit of AllDiscipline Training is that it is not limit-ed to fire and law enforcement person-nel. Other disciplines eligible to receivetraining include emergency manage-ment officials, public works personnel,and government administrators.Expanding training to include these dis-ciplines will help all first respondersprovide a cohesive, regional response inthe event of a natural or terrorist disas-ter.

Training will be coordinatedthrough TBRPC staff and local RDSTFand emergency management officials.

Council Helps AssessCertain Vulnerabilities

Natural disasters and the con-tinued threat of terrorism make identify-ing and assessing vulnerabilities in thecommunity a critical task. To betterunderstand the vulnerabilities facingHillsborough County, local emergencymanagement officials contracted theTampa Bay Regional Planning Council toprovide a standardized security assess-ment of 250 facilities throughout thecounty. This assessment is fundedthrough the Office of DomesticPreparedness’ State Homeland SecurityGrant Program.

The project involves on-site vis-its by a facility assessment team, whowill use a standardized program to iden-tify critical infrastructure projects. “Thisis the best use of the grant money toserve the most people with a neededproject. This will benefit city and countyagencies and organizations throughoutHillsborough County,” says Dan Fulcherof Hillsborough County EmergencyManagement. “These assessments willallow the owning agencies to identifydeficiencies, develop corrective meth-ods with reasonable timelines, andbudget their completion over time.”

Fulcher also recognizes thatthis project would not be possible with-out the cooperation of all involved. Thecities of Tampa, Plant City, TempleTerrace, numerous Hillsborough Countyagencies and organizations, and theTampa Bay Regional Planning Councilhave contributed to the collaborativeefforts of this project. The completedassessment will continue makingHillsborough County a safe place for res-idents and visitors.

2005 Regional DirectoryTo Be Available in June

The Tampa Bay RegionalPlanning Council produces an annualpublication called the RegionalDirectory of the Tampa Bay Region.

The Directory contains phonenumbers, addresses, website addresses,departments, and contact persons inlocal and state government. TheDirectory also includes news media list-ings, chambers of commerce, electioninformation, and environmental agen-cies.

The Directory will be availablein mid-June and can be purchased for$15.00 per copy through the Council’sRegional Information Center. If youwould like to be notified when the direc-tories are available, please send yourname and address, or your e-mailaddress, to [email protected].




Comprehensive PlanAmendments Reviewed

During the first quarter of2005, the Council issued eight compre-hensive plan amendment reports. Ofthe 21 amendments reviewed, 19 werefound to be regionally significant. Oneproposed amendment associated withthe Sunlake Centre DRI in Pasco Countywas found to be procedurally inconsis-tent with the Strategic Regional PolicyPlan. Notable among the amendmentsreviewed were the following:

Text amendment submitted bythe Town of North Redington Beachrelated to concerns with the impact ofthe conversion of tourist facilities tocondominiums;

Proposed Community Plans forRuskin, Riverview and Apollo Beach sub-mitted by Hillsborough County; and

Three amendments submittedby the City of Temple Terrace associatedwith the implementation of its down-town redevelopment planning efforts.

SRPP RevisionsGet Public Scrutiny

During January and February2005, the Council staff held eight work-shops to solicit public comment on theproposed revisions to the StrategicRegional Policy Plan (SRPP).

With the conclusion of the pub-lic workshops and the receipt of addi-tional comments from local and region-al reviewing agencies, the final revisionsto the SRPP were in March.

At its March 14th meeting, theCouncil authorized staff to proceed torulemaking pursuant to the require-ments of Rule 27E-5, FAC. On April 5th,the draft revisions to the SRPP were for-warded to the Executive Office of theGovernor and state, regional, and local

agencies and governments for reviewand comment. It is anticipated that therevised SRPP will be adopted at theCouncil’s September 12th meeting.

Economic DevelopmentStrategy Wins Approval

On April 30, 2003, the TampaBay Regional Planning Council was des-ignated as an Economic DevelopmentDistrict (EDD).

Two primary benefits of belong-ing to an EDD for the region’s countieswill be an increase in the federal share ofthe cost of regional economic develop-ment projects under the EconomicDevelopment Administration’s (EDA)economic adjustment program, as wellas the elimination of the need for theTampa Bay region’s counties to maintaina Comprehensive EconomicDevelopment Strategy (CEDS) requiredfor eligibility in most EDA programs.

A requirement for EDD desig-nation is the maintenance of aComprehensive Economic DevelopmentStrategy (CEDS) for the region.According to EDA requirements, theTampa Bay EDD updates the region’sComprehensive Economic DevelopmentStrategy (CEDS) on an annual basis.Working with the EDD’s economicdevelopment partners, TBRPC staffupdated the CEDS in Spring 2005.

At its April 11, 2005 meeting,Tampa Bay Regional Planning Councilapproved the updated CEDS.

Each winter, staff will convenethe EDD partners to revisit the CEDSand update the document again toensure its relevance to the region’seconomy.

In fall 2004, the Districtreceived a $37,000 matching grant fromEDA to conduct a manufacturing supplychain study for the Tampa Bay region.

The Tampa Bay Partnership is a

valuable partner in this effort. The studywill include all four council countiesplus Hernando, Polk and Sarasota coun-ties.

Through survey methods, theproject will identify advantages and dis-advantages that local manufacturersencounter when purchasing inputs pro-duced by other local (regional) manu-facturers and will also identify missing‘links’ in local supply chains.

Results of the survey will com-plement the existing extensive‘rearview’ understanding of regionalpurchases of inputs with a ‘forwardview’ look at trends over the near term.

The project will provide keyinformation for enhancing regionalcompetitiveness and valuable marketinformation to local economic develop-ers and entrepreneurs.

The survey is expected to bemailed out in Summer 2005.

Small business survival kit available in CD form

The Council, in cooperationwith its Business Continuity PlanningAlliance, completed the “FloridaBusiness Disaster Survival Kit” under agrant from the Florida Division ofEmergency Management.

The new CD-ROM and com-panion website provides guidance forbusinesses to prepare for civil and tech-nological emergencies in addition tonatural hazards.

“We strived to provide businessowners a viable tool to prepare for andminimize their risk from all types of haz-ards, natural or man-made,” said MannyPumariega, Executive Director.

The new product is availablestatewide through the Florida RegionalCouncils, emergency management agen-cies, local governments and chambers ofcommerce.

For more information, go towww.fldisasterkit.com.



Economic AnalysisProgram Offered

Tampa Bay Regional Planning Councilhas offered its Economic Analysis Programto public and private sector clientsthroughout Florida and the Tampa Bayregion since 1999.

The Council began its Economic AnalysisProgram to help communities predicthow policy changes or economic eventswill affect the economy. Event impactswhich can be analyzed by the EconomicAnalysis Program include business activi-ties, new housing subdivisions, economicdevelopment incentives and intergovern-mental revenue changes.

The Economic Analysis Program can pro-vide critical information about the econo-my and population changes for govern-ments, policy-makers, public interestgroups and businesses.

Economic impact analysis involves theuse of historical data, input-output tablesand equilibrium models to assess theimpact of a particular event or industry onthe local and/or regional economy. Ourtools include Implan® (a basic input/out-put model), REMI Policy Insight® (a highlysophisticated econometric model) andextensive staff training.

Since January 2005 the Council’sEconomic Analysis Program has conductednine studies for public and private sectorclients on subjects including transportationimpact studies, industry impacts on thestate and regional economy and otherissues, such as redevelopment alternativesfor Plant City, the impacts of the potentialdevelopment of a biomedical industry clus-ter in Hillsborough county, and a minorleague baseball team stadium inGainesville.

The Economic Analysis Program can be

viewed on the Internet athttp://www.tbrpc.org/economic/eap.htmand many recent studies can be down-loaded from the program website. Formore information or to receive a programbrochure, please contact Randy Deshazo at(727) 570-5151 x 31 or [email protected].

Tampa Bay is getting better ...YOU CAN HELP!

Reel in your tarpon tag today and help keep Tampa Bay on the road to recovery.Please request a Tampa Bay Estuary license tag the next time you renew your auto

registration. Be a part of an environmental success story – the restoration of Florida’slargest open-water estuary. When it comes time to renew your car, motor home or boattrailer license plate, or even before, choose the Tampa Bay Estuary specialty plate. You

will be contributing directly to projects that restore Tampa Bay’s natural habitats andimprove water quality – ensuring the survival of

inhabitants like the spectacular Silver King Tarpon that’s pictured on the plate.

Tarpon illustration by Russ Sirmons

Commissioner Jane W. vonHahmann, Chair, is serving her secondterm as a Manatee County Commissioner.She is the immediate Past Chair of theBoard of County Commissioners.

She has served as the First Vice Chairof the Civic Center Authority and Chair ofthe Manatee County Port Authority. Otheraffiliations include the Sarasota/ManateeMetropolitan Planning Organization, the

Manatee River Fair Board, and the Environmental LandsManagement & Acquisition Committee (ELMAC).

Commissioner von Hahmann’s community involve-ment includes the District 3 Advisory Board, SAC at Sugg MiddleSchool (Chair 1999/2000) and Cortez Waterfronts Florida(Chair).

A graduate of the University of Central Florida, she is anative Floridian, and is married with three sons.

She is also an active member of Saint Peter and PaulCatholic Church, for which she serves as a choir member, a litur-gical reader and a Eucharistic minister.

Mr. Robert “Bob” Kersteen, Vice-Chair, is a gubernatorial appointee whoholds degrees in both business and law.

He retired in 1999 from GTE after a37 year career in various executive man-agement positions.

Mr. Kersteen, a former councilmanfor the City of St. Petersburg, has volun-teered on the City’s EnvironmentalDevelopment Commission for 14 years

with 10 years as chairman or vice chairman, also as a formermember of Workforce of Pinellas and is currently a member ofthe Sierra Club.

Mr. Kersteen has served numerous years as Presidentof Westgate Elementary and Tyrone Middle School’s PTAs andSAC Committees.

He further involved himself as President of the AzaleaYouth Soccer League and the Azalea Youth Sports foundation.Mr. Kersteen has been a resident of St. Petersburg since 1963.

Ms. Jill Collins, Secretary andTreasurer, is a gubernatorial appointeefrom Hillsborough County and is Vice-President of Land Acquisition for AshtonWoods Homes in Tampa, Florida.

Ms. Collins was first appointed tothe TBRPC by Governor Jeb Bush in2000. She was recently re-appointed in2004.

Currently, Ms. Collins serves as FirstVice-President for the Florida Regional Councils AssociationPolicy Board. She also serves on the Governor’s AffordableHousing Study Commission, the Affordable Housing TaskForce for Hillsborough County and the Real EstateInvestment Council.

Ms. Collins attended Eckerd College in St.Petersburg, Florida and Southeastern College in Lakeland,Florida and holds a Florida Real Estate Salesperson License.

Her numerous recognitions include the recipient ofthe National Association of Industrial and Office Properties(NAIOP) Tampa Chapter President’s Award (1998), theInternational Development Research Council (IDRC) FloridaChapter Award for Outstanding Service (1998-99) and theTampa Bay’s Under 40 Award in 2000.


CCHHAAIIRR

VVIICCEE CCHHAAIIRR

Meet the officers

SSEECCRREETTAARRYY//TTRREEAASSUURREERR

At the annual meeting the Council’s new officers are con-gratulated by outgoing Chair Commissioner Steve Simon.


essary to protect public investment instate highways and to attract visitors byconserving the natural beauty of the envi-ronment adjacent to our roadways.

Further, effective inventory con-trol of billboards preserves and promotesrecreational travel while ensuring thatinformation presented to the travelingpublic is safe and aesthetically presented.

The TBE Group received aFlorida Department of Transportationcontract to inventory outdoor advertisingsigns, update database information andconduct site reviews of new and com-pleted sign locations.

Another benefit of the projectincluded the prohibition of new bill-boards on undeveloped land, both ruraland residential. Part of this process alsoincluded reporting illegal signs, photo-graphing signs and verifying signremovals.

Public EducationClearwater Main Library

Boasting the latest in technolo-gy, the new Clearwater Main Library is avast departure from the old one and ithas become a recognizablelandmark throughout theTampa Bay area. It alsoearned recognition as thisyear’s top winner in thePublic Education categoryof the annual Future of theRegion Awards. With dra-matic views and an innova-tive design, the newClearwater Main Libraryserves as a signature build-ing for downtownClearwater.

In addition toproviding the latest inlibrary services, the build-ing serves as an anchor inthe downtown core and aprime site for special

events. Features of the forward looking

library include a local history center, acafé, a 13,000 square feet children’slibrary, storytime room, teen space andtechnology center.

The Main Library holds a collec-tion of over 225,000 items in all formatsand serves as the central library system

with five locations.Panoramic views of Clearwater

Beach, Caladesi Island and the Gulf ofMexico as well as soaring interior spacescaptivate library patrons from through-out the Tampa Bay region. A regionalresource, the library provides education-al materials and event space to citizensthroughout the Tampa Bay region. ❖

NOTABLE from Page 11




New Developments InThe Tampa Bay Region

Following PreapplicationConferences, two new projects haverecently been introduced to the DRIreview process. The projects are:

DRI #262 – Two Rivers,Pasco County. This 3,500+ acremulti-use project is located in south-eastern Pasco County at theHillsborough County line, betweenMorris Bridge Road (C.R. 581) and U.S.301.

Anticipated for completion in2027, the project is proposed for 7,000residential units, nearly 1.4 million sq.ft. of office and 680,000 sq. ft. of retail.The parcel is identified as “262” on themap.

DRI #263 – HillsboroughCounty Mine ConsolidationSubstantial Deviation, HillsboroughCounty. Mosaic Phosphates Co. hasrequested a 1,600-acre expansion ofthe current mining operations.

Other modifications beingrequested include the removal of8,600 acres that have been previouslymined and reclaimed including theAlafia River State Park site.

The proposal will not effectthe current mining completion orreclamation schedule and no addition-al water demand is anticipated.

The nearly 54,000-acre site,identified as “263” on the map, is gen-erally located at the southeastern cor-ner of Hillsborough County.

The following projects remainunder review: Sunlake Center (#248),Bexley Ranch (#255), NorthwestSector (#256), Pasco Town Centre(#257), Epperson Ranch (#258),Lake Hutto (#259) and WiregrassRanch (#260). Cumulatively, ifapproved, these projects wouldaccount for an additional 36,000 resi-dential units, 8.4 million sq. ft. of retailand 5.5 million square feet of officespace over the next 20 years.



Who are we and what we doThe Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council offers a wide vari-

ety of services and products. Can we provide a service to you?Among the services and programs the Council offers:

economic modeling and analysis; community visioning andcharette planning; spatial growth modeling; environmentaltechnical assistance and analysis; hurricane and hazard pre-paredness planning; the official Hurricane Guide; the SmallBusiness Disaster Kit; GIS mapping; and technical assistanceto local governments.

Our Regional Information Center is open to the public from9 a.m.- 4 p.m. weekdays. The center serves as a Florida StateData Center; official U.S. Census affiliate; provides technicalassistance; and is a clearinghouse for technical assistance andadministrative materials related to planning and developmentin the Tampa Bay Region.

TBRPC Programs and Staff Contacts727/570-5151

www.tbrpc.org

Agency on Bay ManagementSuzanne Cooper, Principal Planner, x32

Community VisioningGerald Smelt, Principal Planner, x28

Developments of Regional Impact (DRI)John Meyer, Principal Planner, x29

Economic Analysis ProgramRandy DeShazo, Senior Planner, x31

Emergency Preparedness and Planning: HurricaneGuide, Small Business Disaster KitBetti Johnson, Principal Planner, x39

Regional Information CenterRebeca Searcey, Communications Planner, x41

Telework Tampa BayJessica White, Senior Planner, x38

Tampa Bay Local Emergency Planning Committee(LEPC)

Bill Lofgren, Principal Planner, x33

Public InformationWren G. Krahl, Manager of Administration/Public

Information, x22

Credits

– Bay Area Commuter Services (BACS)– James Shadle, wildlife photographer

Staff

Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council 4000 Gateway Centre Blvd., Suite 100, Pinellas Park, FL 33782

Phone: (727) 570-5151 FAX: (727) 570-5118 Suncom: 513-5066 Suncom FAX: 513-5118

www.tbrpc.org

TBRPC Administrative StaffManny L. Pumariega, Executive Director

Avera Wynne, Planning DirectorRoger S. Tucker, General Counsel

Wren G. Krahl, Manager of Administration/Public Information, Editor

17 Manny Pumariega Executive Director30 Avera Wynne Planning Director 40 Roger Tucker General Counsel22 Wren Krahl Manager of Administration/Public Information19 John Jacobson Accounting Manager32 Suzanne Cooper Principal Planner, ABM (Environmental)17 Lori Denman Administrative Assistant31 Randy DeShazo Senior Planner11 Marshall Flynn Prin. Planner, Info Systems Mgr, GIS26 Nancy Harrison Accounting 10 Bobbi Jaroy Planning Secretary39 Betti Johnson Principal Planner, Emergency Mgmt - Hurricane33 Bill Lofgren Prin. Plan. LEPC Sara III-Haz.Mat.29 John Meyer Principal Planner, DRI Coord.18 Greg Miller Planner41 Rebeca Searcey Communications Planner28 Gerald Smelt Principal Planner, Gov’t Services Coordinator21 Mike Spina Senior Planner38 Jessica White Senior Planner15 Karen Wilfong Payroll/Accounts Payable14 Sue Young Planning Secretary

CCOOUUNNCCIILL MMEEMMBBEERRSS

Officers

Commissioner Jane von Hahmann, Chair

Manatee County

Mr. Robert Kersteen, Vice ChairGubernatorial Appointee,

Pinellas County

Ms. Jill Collins, Secretary/TreasurerGubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Executive DirectorManny L. Pumariega

Members

Mr. Richard Albrecht Gubernatorial Appointee Pasco County

Councilwoman Mary AlvarezCity of Tampa

Commissioner Scott BlackCity of Dade City

Mayor Larry BustleCity of Palmetto

Mr. Bob CliffordFDOT Ex-Officio

Vice Mayor Harriet CrozierCity of Largo

Commissioner Robert DaughertyCity of South Pasadena

Commissioner Bill DodsonCity of Plant City

Mayor Ward FriszolowskiCity of St. Pete Beach

Mr. Julian Garcia, Jr.Gubernatorial Appointee,

Hillsborough County

Dr. Lois GerberGubernatorial Appointee

Manatee County

Ms. Deborah GetzoffFDEP Ex-Officio

Mr. Housh GhovaeeGubernatorial Appointee

Pinellas County

Reverend James T. GoldenCouncilman

City of Bradenton

Mr. Michael GujuGubernatorial Appointee

Pinellas County

Commissioner Ken HaganHillsborough County

Council Member Ken HallowayCity of Temple Terrace

Mr. Kenneth Hoyt Gubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Ms. Angeleah KinslerGubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Ms. Janet KovachEx-Officio, Southwest Florida Water

Management District

Commissioner Deborah KynesCity of Dunedin

Deputy Mayor Bob Lang fordCity of New Port Richey

Councilwoman Virginia LittrellCity of St. Petersburg

Mayor Mary MaloofCity of Treasure Island

Councilman Bob MatthewsCity of Seminole

Council Member Janice MillerCity of Oldsmar

Ms. Michele R. MillerEx-Officio, Enterprise Florida

Commissioner John MorroniPinellas County

Commissioner Peter NehrCity of Tarpon Springs

Council Person Carlen PetersenCity of Clearwater

Vice Mayor John E. PhillipsCity of Gulfport

Commissioner Steve Simon, Past ChairPasco County

Councilman Ed TaylorCity of Pinellas Park

Mr. Philip WallerGubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Ms. Kathleen WolfGubernatorial Appointee

Pasco County

Vice Mayor Keith ZayacCity of Safety Harbor

VacantGubernatorial Appointee

Pinellas County


The Natural Essence Of FloridaCaptured In Remarkable Detail

Wild Florida PhotographyJames Shadle

3305 Clyde Road Place, Valrico FL 33594(813) 363-2854

www.wildflorida.net

17383 vision 5 - tbrpc · council capsules page 18 ... multimedia room to teach audio record...

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