In attendance: Meeting Attendees: Elaine Brown (Chair), Danita Andrews, Sarah Boren, Jeane Chappell, Harry Corbett, Jim Crooks, Logan Cross, Mick Cuthbertson, Gina Eubanks, Marilyn Feldstein, Bill Gassett, Gabriel Hanson, Robert Hawkins, David Johnson, Kellie Jo Kilberg, Bill Larson, Conrad Markle, Tom Patton, Granville Reed, Steve Rieck, Kathy Sandusky, Michelle Tappouni, Deborah Thompson, Joe Whitaker, and Stephanie Winters [If your name does not appear, but you were in attendance, please let us know.] Staff Members: Mickee Brown, Skip Cramer, and Demetrius Jenkins Meeting Time: Noon – 1:30 PM Chair Elaine Brown welcomed the study committee and thanked the group for their participation. The committee reviewed the results of the February 23rd group process check and the committee was advised that the summaries for February 16th and February 23rd would be emailed at the end of the week. The Chair introduced the day’s speaker: Brian Teeple, CEO of the Northeast Florida Regional Council. The speaker was asked to address the following questions. Based on the outcomes from Reality Check First Coast, the work of the Regional Community Institute of Northeast Florida, Inc., and other regional initiatives...

What are the opportunities for greater regional cooperation in Northeast Florida? Are there barriers thwarting greater cooperation?

Are the regional structures in place sufficient for the future economic competitiveness of Northeast Florida? Who - if anyone - in the region is missing from the conversation regarding the region’s economic development future?

On a large project that benefits the economic future of the entire region, like deepening the Jacksonville Channel, how might our region work together for planning and funding purposes?

What is the status of the effort to have the region classified as an Economic Development District (EDD)? What does that mean in terms of future economic competitiveness?

Brian Teeple’s written responses to the questions above are available at the Recession Recovery website, http://jccirecoverystudy.blogspot.com/p/meeting-handouts.html. Presentation Summary

First Coast Reality Check was held in 2009 and included over 500 participants from the seven-county region. Generation Check was held in 2010 to gather perspective about the future of the region from the youth who will be adults in 2060.

A regional vision is important, because many of the issues that our communities face – transportation, conservation, competing regionally and internationally – affect all of the counties.

Right now the region is growing in a low density pattern that does not preserve the character of our communities. As the region’s population continues to grow we must consider where people and jobs will be located.

The possible growth patterns suggested by reality Check are dispersed, multiple growth centers, urban compact, and corridor development. [Staff note: Go to www.realitycheckfirstcoast.com for more details about these growth patterns.]

Economic growth was a consistent theme among participants. The recommendations discussed toward that end are as follows:

Recession Recovery and Beyond

Study Committee Meeting Duval County

March 2, 2011

Clanzenetta “Mickee” Brown

JCCI Study Planner mickee@jcci.org

o Quality education systems o Best prepared college students o Capitalize on deep water ports o Develop inventory of shovel ready

projects o Maintain a high quality of life o Ensure that economic opportunities

available throughout the region o Small businesses receive support

and have access to training and capital

o Government and businesses work together – not against each other – in key areas like target sector incubators

o Regional focus on headquarters to support jobs and philanthropy

o Attract and create high quality jobs with benefits that promote individual well-being

o Seek super-regional relationships on both national and international levels

[Staff note: Reality Check has several focus areas that are intertwined. Economic growth is just one area.]

The regional visioning process is underway and will include the inputs from Reality Check. Town hall meetings are being throughout the region. The First Coast Consortium will vet and adopt the vision, which will inform the region’s Strategic Regional Policy Plan.

Questions and Answers with the Resource Speaker Q. Are development patterns consistent with what is happening in other communities in the United States? Most large urban areas are faced with similar choices when considering future growth. The four options discussed are the principal choices for planned growth. Q. Is growth management as important now that Florida’s population growth is slowing? Florida will continue to grow, but maybe not at the rate predicted prior to the recession. Planning for where growth will happen and how that growth will take place is still important. Q. Is k-12 education the most important recommendation for economic growth? The list of recommendations includes quality public education throughout the region. This is the first of many things that is needed to build a well-educated workforce, which is necessary for the economic future on the region. Q. How will the regional vision be implemented? The regional visioning exercise is being managed by the Regional Community Institute of Northeast Florida, Inc. (RCINEF). Once completed, local governments can implement the plan through a rewrite of their comprehensive plans. There is also power in sharing good ideas and having good leadership. Q. Can you give an example of one jurisdiction investing in another? Volusia and Flagler Counties entered into an inter-local agreement to build and staff a fire station to serve the Halifax Plantation area. Volusia County paid the cost of construction while Flagler County provided the equipment and firefighters to operate the advanced life support station. Q. Is there a best practices model for regional cooperation? The Portland model is a good one, but will not work in Florida due to parochialism and home rule. If we could start over, many of the systems in the seven counties region would work more effectively if they were executed regionally. Q. Can you give examples of regional cooperation that has worked well locally? Regional cooperation comes with trust. Cornerstone, the Super Bowl, and Reality Check are good example of strong cooperative efforts. Q. What is the focus for the region? We are struggling to find ourselves. We want to be everything to everyone, but as a maturing community it is time for us to choose.

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Q. What can we do to support the regional visioning process? Funds for the project are limited and greater participation is needed. Q. Is a regional betterment plan possible? The Better Jacksonville Plan was a “regional plan” because members of the regional community spent money (at the higher sales tax rate) in Duval County and many of the projects benefited people who live outside Duval County. Overall BJP was successful because it was multifaceted (something for everyone) and easy to understand. Q. What other groups besides the NEFRC are working regionally? WorkSource and Cornerstone work regionally and we have the Regional Transportation Planning Organization. However, there are not that many opportunities for interaction within the regional community. Q. Does Northeast Florida have a legislative caucus? NEFRC creates a list of legislative priorities for the region’s legislators, but there is not a caucus. The balance of legislative power is in Tampa right now. If south Florida’s delegation could overcome its differences, they would control the state. Q. In the absence of a regional government, who leads in regional communities? In some communities it is the mayor of the largest city. It might also be a leader emeritus, like John Delaney. The Jacksonville Civic Council – formerly the loosely associated non-group - has hired an executive director and developed a list of issues that it will take on as a group of business leaders. Q. Are there opportunities for clustered transportation oriented development? The region does not have many opportunities for developing transit anchored urban centers regionally. It is important to consider where people live. Q. We learned from the Indianapolis trip that the city’s mayors all worked toward implementing the same strategic plan. Maybe this region would work better with a plan, rather than choosing a leader? The private sector will have to lead the way. Today’s political leaders are focused on short term solutions to ensure re-election. Group discussion comments

The region needs an identity that capitalizes on common threads from county to county. We should be able to identify those three to five things that we want to promote.

Focus on the positives that embrace vigor and energy.

It is important to separate what can be done immediately from long term projects.

A vibrant downtown is important, but it requires building trust outside Duval County. Individuals in the outer counties must get accustomed to being part of a larger regional community.

Think globally and act locally. We must be aware of where people are suffering.

Knowing the value of a job can determine how much private capital needs to be invested in job creation. States with income taxes that invest in job creation are able to realize the return on investment via increased personal income tax collections. [Staff note: The value of a jobs can be measured in a variety of ways. Economic impact – For every direct job created there are indirect and induced jobs created (multiplier effect) which affects government revenue collections (taxes and fees) and economic growth (spending, saving, and investing). Market value – Amount an employer is willing to pay for a particular set of skills. Value to private industry – Increase in productivity, efficiency, or market advantage. Social value – Employed persons require fewer

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government services and interventions. Value to an individual – Personal Income and wealth, plus a sense of self-worth.]

How have other communities come out of the doldrums? [Staff note: Oklahoma City (taxes to improve quality of life improvements), Littleton, Colorado (focus on economic gardening), and Indianapolis (long term visioning and execution) are three cities that have taken different approaches to improve the economic condition of their communities - go to http://jccirecoverystudy.blogspot.com for more details.]

How do we make sure this study has a regional focus? [Staff note: Staff will prepare the Findings with a regional perspective. When brainstorming the conclusions and recommendations, the study committee will be asked to think regionally as well.]

The Chair reminded the committee to attend next week’s meeting and asked them to complete their group process check forms. The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM.