VISIONS - TBRPC18.215.191.197/wp-content/uploads/FOREdition2003.pdf · VISIONS Future of the Region 2003 4 T he Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council is breaking ground on a new era!

VISIONS

The Winners:

The McIntosh

The Goldner

Breaking Ground on a New Era

Future of the Region Edition 2003

A publication of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning CouncilA publication of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council

Convening the region for 41 yearsConvening the region for 41 years

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 Page 4

Regional Roundup Page 15

Council Capsules Page 17

Council Members Page 23

VISIONS Fu tu re o f t he Reg ion 2003

VISIONS is published twice annually by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, 9455 Koger Blvd,Suite 219, St. Petersburg, FL 33702. Telephone: (727) 570-5151. Fax: (727) 570-5118. Postmaster,please send change of address to Visions, 9455 Koger Blvd, Suite 219, St. Petersburg, FL 33702.The Visions logo is copyrighted. It is a registered trademark of the Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil. No portion of this magazine’s contents may be reprinted or reproduced electronically inwhole or part without the written permission of the publisher.

© TM 2003 TBRPC. All rights reserved.

VISIONS Future of the Region 2003 3


The Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil is breaking ground on anew era! On May 12, 2003, TBRPC

Council Members and staff, City of PinellasPark officials and staff of Help A Child,Inc., gathered at the site of the futurehome of the Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil (TBRPC).

The TBRPC has leased office space for27 years from Koger Equity, Inc. Twoyears ago, with anticipation of a leaserenewal, the Council began to look at var-ious ownership options.

“This project has encompassed threeChairmanships and will be completedwith a fourth,” said TBRPC Chair,Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd. “Thisprocess began under the leadership of for-mer Mayor Pat Whitesel, of the City ofPalmetto, and continued with the leader-ship of former Councilman Jerry King, ofthe City of Temple Terrace. It has been apleasure for me to continue with thisimportant endeavor.” Commissioner SteveSimon of Pasco County will oversee theproject to completion in January 2004.

Located in Gateway Corporate CentrePark, the 25,000 square foot facility will behome to the Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil and its tenant, Help A Child, Inc.

“We are very excited about the projectand the many partners which have madethe new facility a reality,” said ExecutiveDirector Manny Pumariega. “This projectwould not have been possible without thesupport of our member governments. Weare also grateful to our new neighbors, theCity of Pinellas Park and our new tenants,Help A Child, Inc.” ❖

BREAKING GROUND ON A NEW ERAA 25,000-square-foot facility, under construction in Pinellas Park, will soon be hometo the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and its tenant, Help A Child, Inc.

RREEGGIIOONNAALLLLYY SSPPEEAAKKIINNGG


At the ground!breaking: Opposite page" top �Current TBRPC members and officers join for!mer TBRPC chairs Pat Whitesel and Jerry King; below � Officials of the City of Pinellas Park join currentMayor William Mischler and former Mayor and TBRPC Chair Armand �Sandy� Burke in the celebration;This page" top � TBRPC staff and Executive Director Manny Pumariega; center � Help A Child" Inc# Staffand Executive Director Ms# Patsy Buker; below Project consultants join Roger Tucker" TBRPC counsel#

Key playersReal Estate Broker: Colliers Arnold" Inc#Financed by: Northern TrustCivil Engineer: Northside EngineeringGeneral Contractor: Gary SepsiArchitects: Hoffman and Associates

Harvard" Jolly" Clees" ToppeContractor: Bandes Construction Company" Inc#

At a glanceTampa Bay Regional Planning Council will occupy $%"&%% sq# ftHelp A Child" Inc# will lease approximately $&"%%% sq# ft#On!site parking for approximately $'%Boardroom capacity of up to $'% with retractable walls for twoseparate meeting facilitiesAdditional Executive BoardroomSeparate public access to Boardroom to allow for public usage#

The Charles A. McIntosh, Jr Award of Distinction thisyear goes to a model of innovation, the NorthGreenwood community in Clearwater, which is in the

process of being transformed. And in the process, it has been a model for public-

private partnerships both in spirit and financially.It was a neighborhood that was lagging economi-

cally, with a run-down apartment complex and little aesthet-ic or cultural landmarks. Now an attractive village is risinglike flowers in springtime.

First there's the North Greenwood Recreation andAquatic Complex, a state-of-the-art fitness facility with a dou-ble gymnasium, fitness center, teen lounge, recording studioand a popular water playground featuring a water slide anddiving area as well as a competition-ready pool.

Add to that a new library, opened in mid-January2003 with soaring architectural features, as well as anAfrican-American collection, a computer training and a meet-ing room for 100 people. More than $100,000 in privatedonations showed the private as well as public commitmentto the $1.3- million project.

Nearly completed is the renovation of the NorthGreenwood Apartments, a Key West-style rehab of 1950sapartments that makes a mark as a polished neighborhood.The renovations come courtesy of a partnership betweenBank of America and Clearwater Neighborhood HousingServices. At a cost of $14-million, 192 units are being com-pletely renovated.

And also nearing completion is another very publicimprovement, the transformation of N. Martin Luther KingJr. Ave. The main thoroughfare of the neighborhood all butinvites residents to put on their sneakers and walk the lovelystreet, enhanced by lush landscaping, decorative street lights,an elegant roundabout that slows traffic, better sidewalksand benches to give the invited pedestrians a break.

Part of the reason the change is so dramatic is allthese projects came to fruition within the same two-year peri-od, and they interconnect, notes Ken Sides an engineer for

THE McINTOSH AWARD

This year's principal Future of the Region award winner is the dynamic renaissanceof Clearwater’s North Greenwood, a community whose time is long from passed.

Recogni t ion


At a North Greenwood median" City of Clearwaterdevelopment services officials Jeff Kronschnabl" left"and Bob Hall" right" flank from left: RoxanneAmoroso" Bank of America; W# Pearl Johnson" chair!woman of Clearwater Neighborhood HousingServices" Inc# board; Marybeth Storts" Bank ofAmerica; and Isay Gulley" CNHS president and CEO#

the city of Clearwater who managed the traffic-calming project.The apartments are more inviting to families, who

would take advantage of the library and recreation center. Bymaking an intersection easier on pedestrians that slowed trafficdown, "the children, most of whom live north of the intersection,can reach the library and the recreation center that are to thesouth of the intersection.

"The idea was to provide safe crossings," Sides said.Isay Gulley, president and CEO of Clearwater

Neighborhood Housing Services (CNHS), noted that by tying theseparate elements of housing, streetscapes and recreation, "itsends a message of community rebirth.'' Though she can recallthe headaches of road closures and having to shuffle tenantsaround while the apartments were being renovated, she can rec-ommend to other agencies that the payoff of a dramatic changeseemingly all at once is worth the trouble.

"It's a lot of challenges that come with the impact of somany things at once, but the reward when it was all done, oh,everyone just welcomed the change,'' Gulley said.

"And the greatest part about having them close together

is you can get excited about the newness of it. At the same timeall the partners can take part and all feel proud and take creditfor their part in it.''

The change in the neighborhood is getting noticed on anational level as well. In May, CNHS won a coveted $50,000 grantfrom the Fannie Mae Foundation for leading the effort to revampthe Greenwood Apartments. The Maxwell Award of Excellencewas given to six nonprofit housing agencies this year. CNHS'prize was for "affordable housing preservation.''

It's the kind of redevelopment that is more than paintand sidewalks, it's changing a neighborhood mind-set, said long-time resident Lillie Henry, 47, who was among the determinedgroup of neighbors who helped push the changes.

"It seems like a bright shiny day when you walk aroundthe neighborhood now," Henry said. "It's like the colors are dif-ferent."

Now she is working on her neighbors to fix up theirhouses and yards to match the community's newfound pride.

"We still have a long way to go," Henry said, "but youhave to crawl before you can walk." ❖

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ssttrreeeettssccaappeess aanndd rreeccrree!!aattiioonn"" ��sseennddss aa mmeessssaaggeeooff ccoommmmuunniittyy rreebbiirrtthh##�� IIssaayy GGuulllleeyy" President"

CEO of ClearwaterNeighborhood Housing

Services" Inc#


McIntosh Winner: North Greenwood" Clearwater#

The scene could not have been bet-ter scripted by a Hollywood writer:Bob Stewart, Pinellas County com-

missioner, receives the very first award forregional leadership, an award named forformer four-term St. Petersburg MayorHerman Goldner, who was also founderof the Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil.

And Goldner, now retired toVirginia Beach, Va., sat in the audience asStewart was so honored. These two oldpolitical allies, and older friends, werethere to celebrate the council’s 40th yearand Stewart’s inaugural award.

Goldner and Stewart haveancient roots, by Pinellas County stan-dards. It was Goldner’s campaign for theU.S. Senate Republican primary, in thelate 1960s, that first lured Stewart intopolitics. At the time, Stewart was directorof public relations for Florida Presbyterian(now Eckerd) College.

“Herman was my attorney,”Stewart recalls. “I asked for a leave ofabsence so I could work on his campaign.”

Goldner lost. “We fought anuphill battle and didn’t prevail,” Stewart recalls. “That sort of gotme into politics. It made me very frustrated to see a man of intel-ligence and integrity fighting a campaign in a partisan structure.

“Herman had a regional perspective on issues that was-n’t very popular then,” Stewart notes. “It had a great influence onmy outlook and my participation in the policy arena.”

Stewart has successfully enjoyed several careers so far inhis life. Before coming to St. Petersburg, he worked three yearswith Rollins College in Orlando, and then was an on-air reporterfor an Orlando TV station, even a sportswriter for the OrlandoSentinel.

Once Stewart began his 36-year political career, he has-n’t looked back. He was first elected to the Pinellas County Boardof County Commissioners in 1994. In November 2000, he was re-

elected countywide as county commissioner for a second four-year term.

Stewart has held a variety of assignments and boardappointments – from chairing the Metropolitan PlanningOrganization (MPO) to participating in the county’s 2010Visioning Task Force to chairing the Tampa Bay Water Authority.

Stewart served as a member of the St. Petersburg CityCouncil from 1985 to 1994, including two years as vice mayor.He has served as past chair of both the Tampa Bay RegionalPlanning Council and the Area Agency on Aging.

He is even known as “Mr. Baseball” for his efforts in pur-suit of Tropicana Field and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He couldalso be called “Mr. Orchestra” and “Mr. Suncoast Tiger Bay Club”since he helped found both.

Recogni t ion

The Herman W. Goldner Award winner, County Commissioner Bob Stewart, has beenfulfilling for decades what he believes in: “You can make a difference in the community.”

THE GOLDNER AWARD


Once Bob Stewart began his ()!year political career" he hasn�tlooked back# He was first elected to the Pinellas County Boardof County Commissioners in $**&# In November +%%%" he wasre!elected countywide as county commissioner for a second

four!year term#

As former president and CEOof the St. Petersburg Family YMCA,Stewart spent a decade as vice presidentof marketing for Landmark Union TrustBank (now Bank of America).

In all that time, Stewartwidened his perspective of his commu-nity. His view is regional, not provincial.“In one sense, you’re elected by con-stituents in a specific county to servethe needs of that county,” he notes. Butoften, your decisions involve multi-communities. As chair of the Tampa BayWater Authority, for example, Stewartmust meet and negotiate with officialsfrom a number of municipal and coun-ty entities.

“Sometimes you have to takepositions that aren’t necessarily popularwith the home-based constituents inorder to provide service for the region,”he says. For example, the newly opened$110-million desalination plant will ben-efit an entire region of the west coast ofFlorida while providing 25-million gal-lons of potable water a day.

So how does he manage to doall this? “It’s just a matter of managingyour time and making a commitment tothese things,” he observes..

Stewart says he has enough on

his plate right at the moment. There isthe ongoing challenge of “battlingissues with the (state) Legislature thatgives us unfunded mandates. I’m notlooking for other mountains to climb.I’ve got plenty of hills to work with.”

And there’s never really asense of closure in politics, Stewartacknowledges. “Issues always pile upbehind you. (But) you can make a dif-ference in the life of a community. Youare helping to create these prioritiesand seeing these priorities completed.

“That’s the special thing. Ithink that’s what drives me.” ❖


Mark DeLillo likes to think ofTampa Bay Harvest (TBH), as acharity of “foodraisers not

fundraisers.” With 1,130 local volunteers

scouting out leftover or sale-dated foodfrom grocery stores, hospitals, schools,restaurants and hotels, it’s all about feed-ing the hungry. Fruit, vegetables, bakedgoods, even banquet meals headed for theDumpster now heap the plates of thearea’s homeless and poor.

DeLillo, a board member for theTampa Bay chapter of the internationalcharity, is just happy to know food isn’tgoing to waste. “We’re so unique becausewe’re not begging for money, but insteadtaking food that would otherwise go in

the garbage and getting it to the peoplewho need it the most,” DeLillo. “There arethousands and thousands of hungry peo-ple out there."

Volunteers deliver the items –often perishable – with pizza-deliveryspeed to 200 local charities that serve theneedy. That’s 36 million pounds deliveredsince 1989, when TBH was founded in theTampa Bay area. Their efforts earned thema first- place Future of the Region commu-nity service award from the Tampa BayRegional Planning Council.

Tampa Bay Harvest was one of sixorganizations honored at the 11th annualawards ceremony, which honored notableachievement in resource planning andmanagement in the Tampa Bay area.

Other first-place winners includ-ed Tampa Bay Water lauded for its MasterWater Plan – a drinking water supply planthat shifts supply to areas of greatest need– and the Southwest Florida WaterManagement District, which took homehigh honors for a water conservation kitthat also teaches K-3 students better read-ing skills.

This year’s event, a luncheon,was held at the historic Belleview BiltmoreResort and Spa in Clearwater.Presentations were made by Pasco CountyCommissioner, Steve Simon, who kept theaudience laughing as plaques were pre-sented and pictures snapped.

DeLillo decided to enter the com-petition as a way of getting the word outabout his organization – one of the “bestkept secrets” locally.

A Future of the Region award isimportant because it sheds light on hischarity. Hiring a public relations specialistis simply out of the question, he said. Tostay within its budget, TBH has only onepaid staffer, a full-time executive director,who works from home.

It is essentially a “virtual organi-zation,” with no office, secretary or over-head. All services go directly to the needy.Their largest donor is Publix.

DeLillo, who serves on the all-volunteer 20-member board of directors,is a commercial insurance broker by trade.He estimates the value of the salvagedfood at $1.50 a pound. That’s about $7million yearly that would have otherwisebeen spent to purchase food for the hun-gry.

He hopes that the money saved

HONORING NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTThe winners at the 11th annual Future of The Region Awards are making innovativechanges that are elevating the quality of life in the Tampa Bay region.

Recogni t ion


Community Service Winner: Tampa Bay Harvest#

will help pay for the kinds of services localcharities need the most: schooling, job-training, day care and medical care.Whatever you do, he says, don’t writethem a check. “If somebody walked upand said here’s $100, I’d tell them to driveto Publix and buy a bag of food.”

❖ ❖ ❖

A few of this year’s Future of theRegion Award winners also included:

Bloomingdale Biolog y HonorsTampa Bay Restoration Project:

On April 12, 2002, a team ofBloomingdale High School biology honorstudents planted the 100,000th plug ofSpartina alterniflora – also known assmooth cordgrass – into Tampa Bay.

“We happen to be in a uniqueplace – a coastal community in an envi-ronmentally sensitive state,” says scienceteacher Charles Tommelleo, who alongwith fellow science teachers, Mike DePauland Diane Huber run the school’s popularscience program.

“Rather than just learning

through books, students also learn byapplication,” he says. “There’s a tie there,a link, when you’re putting your own(effort) into the bay.”

The project, which has spanned adecade and involved a generation of high-school students, is different from othersimilar local high-school projects becauseof Bloomingdale’s strong science curricu-lum. The school is situated on 13 wetlandacres with a half-mile hiking trail and a

cluster of environmental buildings –including a domed science center - wherestudents cultivate their own plants.

Bloomingdale students havebeen running the school-sponsored nurs-ery since 1992, the year they first broughtthe cordgrass as well as mangrove plugs toE.G. Simmons State Park. The school isallowed to gather seeds annually fromstate- protected mangroves and grasses.

The program provides a schoolbusiness as well as a partnership withlocal government, parents and the busi-ness community. Cargill Fertilizer, afounding partner, paid for tools, educa-tional materials and construction sup-plies.

Tampa Bay Watch also joinedforces with the high school to help pro-duce estuary grasses. Once again this year,they transplanted about 6,000 salt marshplugs and 4,000 mangrove seedlings intothe bay, bringing fish, wildlife and wetlandback to the shoreline.

Supporters of the programbelieve that it has been effective because itnot only teaches students about environ-mental issues, but it also makes them feellike they were part of a process that


Continued on Page 14

Environmental Winner: Bloomingdale High School#

Development Winner: NetPark Tampa Bay#

SScceenneess ffrroomm tthhee FFuuttuurree ooff TThhee RReeggiioonn AAwwaarrddss LLuunncchheeoonn

SScceenneess ffrroomm tthhee FFuuttuurree ooff TThhee RReeggiioonn AAwwaarrddss LLuunncchheeoonn


helped restore Tampa Bay. “We want to empower them,” says Tommelleo. “We want

them to feel like they were part of the solution.” ❖ ❖ ❖

Florida African American Heritage Celebration: Imagine a festival of song, movies and stories – free to

anyone wanting to roam around and explore. This year’s FloridaAfrican American Heritage Celebration also brought the rare fea-ture films of the one-and-only African-American singing cowboy,Herb Jeffries to Largo’s Pinewood Cultural Park.

The festival, sponsored by Pinellas County and ThePinellas County African American History Museum took hometop honors in the Future of the Region Award’s cultural catego-ry. “It takes a lot to make something of this magnitude happenand be successful,” said Ronnie Goodstein, director of publicaffairs for Pinellas County.

The festival was held in February at Pinewood CulturalPark in Largo. It was successful because of its diversity of offer-ings for the public. Storytellers spun tales for children andadults. Gospel singers, jazz and blues musicians as well as tradi-tional African drummers and dancers added their unique energyto the event. The festival also featured traditional arts and crafts,ethnic foods as well as an appearance by the acclaimed Boys’Choir of Tallahassee. The award is important to the festival,Goodstein said, because “it helps to create exposure and havemore people excited about it.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Netpark.Tampabay: The creators of this workplace pride themselves in offer-

ing employees a little humanity. Daycare, copying, banking andmail services help save an hour or more of errands a day – espe-cially during the noon or after-work rush hour. A fitness center,outdoor nature trail and a food court – reminiscent of the dayswhen this building was Tampa’s old Eastlake mall – make it hardnot to appreciate some of the amenities.

The building is most notable, however, for what youdon’t see. Among other things, it’s outfitted with looped fiber

optics and a redundant power supply to make sure that workflowis never interrupted. The building is even pre-wired for newtelecommunications technology that we haven’t even heard ofyet.

The design is the work of the firm Hellmuth, Obata andKassabaum (HOK), which shepherded the building from a one-million square-foot mall to a high-tech office facility.NetPark.Tampabay received the top award in the Future of theRegion Awards development category. ❖

AWARDS from Page 13

Cultural" Sports and Entertainment Winner: Florida African!American Heritage Celebration#

Infrastructure Winner: Tampa Bay Water##

Public Education Winner: Swiftmud#

RREEGGIIOONNAALL RROOUUNNDDUUPP

Great Explorations gets new homeGreat Explorations is a place where you can be creative, make

discoveries and have fun. You can launch a tennis ball to the top of the museum, race a

car, become a computer animator, sail a ship, have a party, joina workshop, or just hang out in the coolest place in St. Pete.

Great Explorations hassomething for everyone in asafe space where kids (and

adults!) can be kids. In the brand new museum next to

Sunken Gardens you can relax,learn and have a great time doingthings you can’t do anyplace else.

All the exhibits at GreatExplorations are brand new andkid-tested for optimum fun and fas-cination, and they are located rightnext door to Sunken Gardens, justnorth of downtown St. Petersburg,so visitors can enjoy an entire day offun.

Great Explorations is openMonday –– Saturday, 10am to4:30pm Sunday, 12:00pm to4:30pm

How much does it cost? Children2 and under ... No charge Children

3-11…$7.00 Seniors…$7.00 Everybody else… $8.00.Group rates and memberships are available. Call for details

about the price and scheduling of field trips and special events.Allow two hours for a great visit. Great Explorations accepts AE,MC and Visa.

Contact Information: 1925 Fourth St. N St. Petersburg, FL33704 (727) 821-8992 Fax: (727) 823-7287. On the Web atwww.greatexplorations.org


❖ Play with sound

❖ Try a lie detector

❖ Be a pirate

❖ Build a tower

❖ Sing a song

❖ Have a laugh

❖ Sail a ship

❖ Design a pizza

❖ Create a movie

❖ Climb a wall

❖ Float a ball

GGrreeaatt tthhiinnggss ttoo ddoo::

RREEGGIIOONNAALL RROOUUNNDDUUPP

SunPass express lanes open in October

TAMPA -- Florida’s Turnpike will open the first “SunPassOnly” Express Lanes at the Suncoast Parkway’sAnclote Mainline Toll Plaza, on Wednesday,October 30, at 6 a.m.

These “SunPass Only” lanes willprovide convenience to SunPass cus-tomers, allowing them to travel atposted highway speeds around theoutside of the mainline toll facility onthe Suncoast Parkway, without goingthrough the toll plaza or stopping topay a toll.

The “SunPass Only” Express Lanes feature an electronictoll-collection system that utilizes overhead electronicreaders, installed on 100-foot wide monotube spans. Other SunPass System features include:

Two northbound and two southbound express lanes.Passing is permitted.

Express lanes diverge from and merge back into main-line Suncoast Parkway traffic.

Safety is most important. Motorists without SunPass,who have mistakenly entered the express lanes, shouldproceed with the normal traffic flow. DO NOT STOP TOREPORT THE ERROR. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE A U-

TURN. Please call the SunPass Service Center’stoll-free number if you entered the “SunPassOnly” Express Lanes in error, 1-888-TOLL-FLA (1-

888-865-5352). The SunPass transponder, the size

of a garage door opener, attaches tothe car windshield, behind the rear-view mirror. Tolls are electronicallydeducted from a prepaid account asdrivers travel through the expresslanes.

The cost of a SunPass transponder is $25.00 plus tax. Aone-time $25.00 prepaid toll deposit is required when theaccount is opened. SunPass customers then replenishtheir accounts when a low balance is reached.

SunPass makes driving throughout Florida easy.Motorists with SunPass may also qualify for toll discounts.

Purchase SunPass by calling 1-888-TOLL-FLA or usingthe Web site: www.SunPass.com.

MyTBI.com web site can be your friendThe Flor ida Department of Transportat ion (FDOT )

Web s i te for interstate construct ionin the Tampa Bay a rea ,www.myTBI.com, has the usual i temsone might expect f rom a transporta -t ion web s i te . General project infor -mat ion , photos , s a fe t y t ips , p ressreleases and more are avai lable .

In addit ion, the s i te of fers you theopportunity to s ign up for a f ree e -ma i l s e r v i ce to rece i ve p ro jec tupda tes , c losure news , and o therin fo rmat ion to he lp you makeinformed dec is ions regarding yourcommute.

Gett ing caught in a detour or lane c losure can bever y f rustrat ing when you have l i t t le t ime to spare.As major interstate construct ion cont inues in thearea, FDOT suggests that i t s Web s i te and e-mai lser v ice should become a couple of your best f r iends.Ei ther by receiv ing the e -mai l updates or logging into v iew more speci f ic project news and c losures ,

their web of fer ings are des igned to keep you updat -ed so you’re not caught of f guard.

MyTBI.com also of fers c losure informat ion v iaW i re le s s App l i ca t ion Pro toco l ,or WAP.

This technology a l lows you touse your mobi le phone or otherwireless devices such as person-a l d ig i ta l ass is tants to receivein format ion anywhere in yourcoverage area. Point your WAPbrowser to ht tp: / /mytbi .com/wapand bookmark this locat ion fornews on the go.

FDOT’ s web s i t e fo r theIn te r s t a te 4 p ro jec t s in theTampa Bay area was among the

f i rs t of i t s k ind in the nat ion, incorporat ing newweb technology to del iver the news you neededthen.

MyTBI.com has some of the same features thatwere or ig inal ly of fered, plus i t takes advantage ofnewer web technology to a l low them to keep infor -mat ion fresh and useful and del iver i t to you t imely .


What is the economicanalysis program?

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) utilizeseconomic analysis to help communities and organizations pre-dict how policy changes or economic events (activities) affectthe economy.

Some of the typical event impacts studied are businessexpansions, startups, closings, new housing sub-divisions, useof economic development incentives, and changes in inter-governmental revenues. An economic impact analysis tracesspending through the local economy and measures the cumu-lative effects of that spending.

The most common measure of economic impact is the num-ber of jobs created or lost, but other measures include person-al income, business production, value added and tax collec-tion.

“The Economic Analysis Program provides critical informa-tion for governments, economic development agencies, cham-bers of commerce, service organizations, policy makers, publicinterest groups and businesses,” said Avera Wynne, TBRPCPlanning Director.

The Economic Analysis Program employs a number of toolsto provide the community with high quality and low costanalysis. Our tools include: strong data sources in the RegionalInformation Center, IMPLAN® (a basic input/output model),REMI Policy Insight® (a highly sophisticated econometricmodel), and extensive staff training.

The program is continually seeking ways to better serve thecommunity. The new REMI Policy Insight® 5.3 is a 14 region

model; it includes not only the 4 counties that make up thecouncil, but Hernando, Polk, and Sarasota counties.

These seven counties make up the Tampa Bay Partnershipand by adding them TBRPC is better able to serve the greaterTampa Bay region.The new version also includes the sixcounties that comprise the Orlando Metro area, i.e., Brevard,Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties.

CCOOUUNNCCIILL CCAAPPSSUULLEESS


Spatial growthmodeling

The first phase of development for the Council’s SpatialGrowth Model is complete. Staff now has the capacity to runalternative scenarios on future land development patterns in theTampa Bay region. The model provides a visual depiction of theimpacts that written policy will have on the built environment.Example scenarios include: the status quo; redevelopment andinfill; preservation/conservation of natural resources; infra-structure maximization; and disaster events.

The model is being constructed as four county nested mod-els for analysis of individual counties and a region wide modelfor regional analysis. Staff and Council members alike are excit-ed. “I think the Tampa Bay area is ripe for having this type oftool for the policy-makers. We could use this to look at waterresources, development patterns, social services, economic

development – there’s no limit to the variables we could use.”stated Council Chair Barbara Sheen Todd. On the web atwww.tbrpc.org/spatialgrowth.

Small business survival kit available in CD form

Council received additional fundsthrough the state’s Florida PreparesProgram to prepare and distribute thenew Business Disaster Planning Kitstatewide.

The Kit, an interactive CDRom andguidebook, is being updated toinclude new guidance to assist busi-nesses to prepare for technological,as well as natural, hazards.

There is renewed interest in disas-ter planning with recent national andworld events.

Businesses know that to stay inbusiness the business owner must pre-pare for all types of emergencies, frompower outages to terrorist strikes to sabo-tage and violence in the workplace.

“A solid business continuity plan is thefirst line of defense,” stated MannyPumariega, Executive Director, TBRPC.

While the CDRom is targeted towardsmall businesses, those with 50 employeesor fewer, it is not just for small business.Traditionally, large corporations withsophisticated Business Continuity Plans

(BCP’s) will focus on their InformationTechnology (IT) functions. While protect-ing their information and data bases is acritical function, many will overlook theeven more crucial component, the humanelement.

“The human assets – employees, clients

and customers – are the most valuableassets.” explains Holley Wade, BusinessContinuity Planning Manager withHillsborough County EmergencyManagement. “The Kit will bring it all

together.”Distributing the CDRom statewidewill involve the creation of regionalbusiness alliances across the state.TBRPC will subcontract with the tenother Florida Regional Councils toestablish these working committees.

The committees will review allmaterials, provide local emergencymanagement perspectives and plansand get the word out through theInternet, business alliances and

chambers of commerce seminars andexpos.

“Basically, we’re kicking this project upa notch,” stated Betti Johnson, TBRPCProject Manager. “More than 50,000copies will be distributed.”


The summer of COOPs and COGs

A sudden emergency such as an explo-sion, fire, tornado or hazardous materialcontamination could severely disrupt theability of a local government to functionand provide essential services. What canbe done if an agency’s facility weredestroyed or determined to be uninhabit-able? Is there a plan in place to immedi-ately relocate to an alternate facility and

continue normal business functions? Whatabout communications? Where are theback-up data and vital records? Well if thereisn’t a plan currently in place, all Floridacounties and many municipalities will havethis type of plan in the near future.

The Continuity of Government (COG)Plan identifies the chain of command ifleaders/managers are injured or killed or,simply, out of town. A Continuity ofOperations Plan (COOP) is an emergencyplan that describes how an agency will

resume operations after anemergency or loss of servicessuch as water or power at theirkey facilities. Currently, theTampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil is working with PascoCounty as well as the cities ofPlant City and Temple Terrace todevelop a COOP/COG for eachof their critical services fundedby the Florida Division ofEmergency Management. Thecritical services include:

Emergency Management, EMS, 911, FireRescue, Law Enforcement, and PublicWorks. Through the COOP process, spe-cialized plans for essential functions will bedeveloped and strategies to reduce the riskand maximize the ability of these criticalservices to respond to the emergency willbe identified.

The COOP plans take an “all-hazards”approach. While the COOP could be imple-mented following a hurricane if the stormseriously damaged or destroyed the facility,we also need to be able to put it into actionif a fire or explosion takes out the policestation with no warning. Rather than a hur-ricane, we use the Oklahoma City incidentas a point of discussion - sudden destruc-tion, no warning. “The COOP is designedto help our communities get back on-lineand enable them to resume essential serv-ices and emergency operations for theirresidents as soon as possible,” statedManny Pumariega, Executive Director.

COOPs and COGs are due to the State byApril 2004.



First Responder Training

The Tampa Bay Local EmergencyPlanning Committee (LEPC) receivesapproximately $24,000 annually inHazardous Materials EmergencyPreparedness program grant funds fromthe U.S. Department of Transportation,passed through the Division ofEmergency Management in Tallahassee.

Each LEPC, through its TrainingSubcommittees, determines where train-ing needs are greatest. In recent monthsthe bulk of the training has gone to hos-pital emergency room and security/safetypersonnel in the form of hazardous mate-rials Awareness and Operations Training,a 3-day course which starts with the basicsand concludes with decontaminationexercises. Students must actually wearthe personal protective equipment (PPE)and exercise knowing what constraintsthey would face in a real emergency andhaving to work under such conditions.

Training is also provided to fire, lawenforcement, emergency medical servicetechnicians, and public utilities workers,all of whom could become “first respon-ders” if they were first upon a hazardousmaterials incident. All training is coordi-nated through the Tampa Bay RegionalPlanning Council LEPC staff.

EPCRA Compliance

A prime function of the Tampa BayLocal Emergency Planning Committee(LEPC) is to ensure that all facilities pos-sessing hazardous materials comply withthe Emergency Planning and CommunityRight-to-Know Act (EPCRA), federal andstate law, to register their chemical inven-tories annually.

To assist in this process, LEPC staff con-ducts How-to-Comply Workshops duringthe first quarter of each year for any facil-ities needing assistance in completing theannual paperwork. This year 16 work-shops were held in Hillsborough,

Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas Counties. Aspecialized presentation was also made atEssilor Lenses in St. Petersburg. The pres-entation was tele-conferenced to theirfacilities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, andMassachusetts -- the first “nationallybroadcast” compliance training by LEPCstaff. While state laws on compliance varyslightly, the basic federal legislation mustbe followed. These workshops were allsuccessful in assisting facilities to meettheir filing deadlines.

Disaster assistance

Picking up the pieces of your life or yourjob after a disaster is difficult. The recov-ery period you endure is usually long andarduous, even after the disaster has longsince disappeared. Imagine if you had the

foresight and the money to make thepreparations necessary to reinforce yourhome before the disaster. By doing thisyou would save thousands of dollars onrepairs that could suddenly creep up aftera storm. Now imagine that you have theability to prepare a plan for your entirecounty in preparation for a disaster.

The Tampa Bay Regional PlanningCouncil along with Hillsborough andManatee counties are working to preventthe damage brought on by a disaster andto provide a safer community for you andyour family.

After a disaster, our area would receivedisaster assistance from the local and fed-

eral governments. In accordance to anew federal regulation, to continue toreceive disaster assistance, every countyin every state must design a LocalMitigation Strategy (LMS).

Locally, this new plan is a requirementin order for our cities to receive disasterassistance. After November 1, 2003, inorder for a county or municipality to beeligible for funding under the Pre-disasterMitigation Program (PDM), the LMS mustbe approved and in place as a workingdocument.

With the development of the LMS, citiesand counties will; save lives and propertyby being prepared for a natural disaster,receive more post disaster fundingthrough pre-arranged mitigation projects,and save money because the cost of miti-gation are less than the cost of recoveryand rebuilding.

RMP Audits

Facilities throughout the nation pos-sessing hazardous materials above identi-fied thresholds, which can be releasedinto the atmosphere, such as chlorine gasor anhydrous ammonia gas, etc., mustcomplete and file with the U.S.Environmental Protection Commission aRisk Management Plan (RMP). It becomesthe responsibility of the states to auditthese plans to ensure compliance. In theTampa Bay area two recent audits weresuccessfully conducted at the City ofClearwater Wastewater Treatment Plantand in Tampa at the Clorox Company.

For 2003-04, the Division of EmergencyManagement has identified 34 facilitiesstatewide, of which 10 are in the TampaBay area. Facilities for audit are priori-tized based upon a number of criteria toinclude accidental release histories, sizeof chemical inventories, proximity to pop-ulated areas, etc. LEPC staff assists in theaudits and provides facilities with follow-up assistance and information asrequired.


Barbara Sheen Todd, TBRPCChair, needs no introduction to the majorityof Tampa Bay residents. She is the formerChair of the Pinellas County Board ofCounty Commissioners with an extensivebackground of public service. She has beenelected County Commissioner, District 5, forfour terms, and was elected CountyCommissioner, District 2, in 1996.

Commissioner Todd is a member andPast Chair of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)Transportation Planning Board. She also holds memberships inthe following organizations: Pinellas Planning Council, PinellasArts Council, and the Tampa Bay Child Safety Task Force (PastChair).

Barbara Sheen Todd’s other public service includes theUnited States Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations(appointed by former President Bush), National Association ofCounties (NACo) (Past President), Women Officials of NACo (PastPresident), and the Florida League of Cities (Board of Directors),to name a few.

Commissioner Todd attended Florida State University,she has three children and three grandchildren, and has been aresident of Pinellas County for over 30 years.

Steve Simon, TBRPC Vice Chair,was elected to the Pasco CountyCommission in 1998. He served as Vice-Chair in 2000 and Chair in 2001. He is amember of the Clean Fuel Florida AdvisoryBoard, the Metropolitan PlanningOrganization and former member of TampaBay Water.

Commissioner Simon is a licensed

real estate and mortgage broker and has taught adult educationcourses for state licensing in insurance, securities, mortgage bro-kerage, real estate and appraising for over 20 years.

Commissioner Simon’s community service includesserving as president of the Nature’s Hideaway HomeownersAssociation for four years. He has also served as treasurer andboard member of the West Pasco Girls Softball Association. Hevolunteers as coach and umpire for girl’s softball.

Commissioner Simon attended Queens College and hasbeen married to Lillian Simon for over 28 years; they have twodaughters. The Simons moved to Florida from New York Cityover 25 years ago.

Jane W. von Hahmann, TBRPCSecretary/Treasurer, is serving her first termas a Manatee County Commissioner. Shewas Third Vice Chair during 2001 and2002. She has served as the First Vice Chairof the Civic Center Authority and Chair ofthe Manatee County Port Authority.

Other affiliations include theSarasota/Manatee Metropolitan PlanningOrganization, the Manatee River Fair Board,

and the Environmental Lands Management & AcquisitionCommittee (ELMAC).

Commissioner von Hahmann’s community involvementincludes 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 anactive member of Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church, forwhich she serves as a choir member, a liturgical reader and aEucharistic minister.


CCHHAAIIRR

VVIICCEE CCHHAAIIRR

SSEECCRREETTAARRYY//TTRREEAASSUURREERR


Meet the officers

Regional Directory � a goldmine of contacts

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council produces an annu-al publication called the Regional Directory of the Tampa BayRegion.

The Directory contains phone numbers, addresses, websiteaddresses, departments, and contact persons in local and stategovernment. The Directory also includes news media listings,

chambers of commerce, election infor-mation, and environmental agencies.

The Directory will be available in mid-June and can be purchased for $15.00per copy through the Council’s RegionalInformation Center.

If you would like a copy of the region-al directory, please send your name andaddress, or your e-mail address, to [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 autoregistration. Be a part of an environmental success story–the restoration of Florida’s

largest 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

Corps of Engineers to studyharbor projects

“General Re-evaluation” studies are under way toexamine historic, existing and future port conditionsand all federally-authorized navigation projects. Theresults will determine if alterations are needed toimprove safety and efficiency of vessel operation.Tampa Bay’s ship channels can’t quite accommodatePanamax vessels - the largest capable of using thePanama Canal. This size is the most economical fortransporting commodities throughout the Gulf andbeyond. Since the channels are narrow, whenFantasy-class cruise vessels, anhydrous ammonia carriers andliquid propane vessels are in the channel, no other ships canmeet or pass them. Additionally, there are no emergency

anchorages to han-dle ships in distress.The Port of St.Petersburg plans tobecome more activein the commercialand cruise marketbut is hindered byundersized accesschannels. Thesec i r c u m s t a n c e s ,along with futureport plans, will be

evaluated during the next two to three years. Input is beingreceived from the ports, commercial/industrial shippers, har-bor pilots and environmental resource managers.



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, x240

Community VisioningGerald Smelt, Principal Planner, x288

Developments of Regional Impact (DRI)John Meyer, Principal Planner, x255

Economic Analysis ProgramAngela Hurley, Planner, x257

Emergency Preparedness and Planning: HurricaneGuide, Small Business Disaster KitBetti Johnson, Principal Planner, x242

Regional Information CenterJessica White, Research Planner, x278

Tampa Bay Local Emergency Planning Committee(LEPC)

Bill Lofgren, Principal Planner, x248

Public InformationWren McAllister, Manager of Administrative Services/Public

Information, x221

Credits

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council extends gratitude to the following fortheir contributions to the 2003 Future of the Region edition of Visions:

All organizations that entered this year’s Future of the Region Awards Program;Florida Department of Transportation; Great Explorations, Inc.; Mr. Herman W.Goldner and Michael Goldner; Ruth Eckerd Hall; and the Tampa/HillsboroughConvention and Visitors Association.

Staff

Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council 9455 Koger Boulevard, Hendry Building, Suite 219, St. Petersburg, FL 33702

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

TBRPC Administrative StaffManny L. Pumariega, Executive Director

Avera Wynne, Planning Director Roger S. Tucker, General Counsel

Wren McAllister, Editor

213 Manny Pumariega Executive Director215 Avera Wynne Planning Director251 Roger Tucker General Counsel242 Betti Johnson Principal Planner, Emergency Mgmt - Hurricane248 Bill Lofgren Principal Plan. LEPC Sara III-Haz.Mat.217 Bobbi Jaroy Secretary (Planning)222 Dave Brawley Graphics Press Operator288 Gerald Smelt Principal Planner, Gov’t Services Coordinator212 Greg Miller Planner273 Rebeca Searcey Planner 278 Jessica White Research Planner214 John Jacobsen Accounting Manager280 Nancy Harrison Accounting 238 Karen Wilfong Payroll/Accounts Payable255 John Meyer Principal Planner, DRI Coord. and IC&R Coord.213 Lori Denman Secretary (Administration)239 Marshall Flynn Principal Planner, Info Systems Mgr, GIS235 Sue Young Secretary (Planning)270 Ashon Nesbitt Intern240 Suzanne Cooper Principal Planner, ABM (Environmental)221 Wren McAllister Manager of Administrative Services/Public Information

Agendas go high-techWe have updated Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council meeting agen-

das to include links to specific reports for individual agenda items.Readers can now go on our Web site, www.tbrpc.org, view variousCouncil meeting agendas, and click on the link to a particular report.

If someone has further questions regarding an agenda item, the on-line agendas now include email links to the appropriate staff contact.


CCOOUUNNCCIILL MMEEMMBBEERRSS

Officers

Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd, Chair

Pinellas County

Commissioner Steve Simon, Vice ChairPasco County

Commissioner Jane W. von HahmannSecretary/Treasurer

Manatee County Board of CountyCommissioners

Manny L. PumariegaExecutive Director

Councilwoman Mary Alvarez City of Tampa

Comm/Mayor Pro tem Jim ArcherCity of Tarpon Springs

Mayor Scott BlackCity of Dade City

Commissioner Chris BurgessCity of South Pasadena

Mayor Larry BustleCity of Palmetto

Ms. Anita L. CastriotaGubernatorial Appointee

Pasco County

Mr. Bob CliffordEx-Officio, Florida Dept. of Transportation

Ms. Jill CollinsGubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Commissioner Harriet CrozierCity of Largo

Ms. Wilhelmina CurtisGubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Commissioner Michael SparkmanCity of Plant City

Mayor Ward FriszolowskiCity of St. Pete Beach

Ms. Deborah GetzoffEx-Officio, Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection

Mr. Housh GhovaeeGubernatorial Appointee

Pinellas County

Councilman Rev. James T. GoldenCity of Bradenton

Mr. Watson L. HaynesEx-Officio,

Southwest Florida Water Management District

Commissioner Frank HibbardCity of Clearwater

Mr. Kenneth Hoyt Gubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Councilwoman Jo JeterCity of Temple Terrace

Mr. Robert KersteenGubernatorial Appointee

Pinellas County

Commissioner Deborah KynesCity of Dunedin

Commissioner Bob Lang fordCity of New Port Richey

Councilwoman Virginia LittrellCity of St. Petersburg

Mayor Mary MaloofCity of Treasure Island

Councilman Bob MatthewsCity of Seminole

Ms. Michelle R. MillerEx-Officio, Enterprise Florida

Ms. Lona “Ann” O’ReillyGubernatorial Appointee

Pasco County

Vice Mayor John E. PhillipsCity of Gulfport

Commissioner Jan PlattHillsborough County

Mr. Todd PressmanGubernatorial Appointee

Pinellas County

Councilman Jim RoneckerCity of Oldsmar

Mr. Roshan L. ShikarpuriGubernatorial Appointee

Pinellas County

Councilman Ed TaylorCity of Pinellas Park

Philip WallerGubernatorial Appointee

Hillsborough County

Pat WhiteselGubernatorial Appointee

Manatee County

Vice Mayor Keith ZayacCity of Safety Harbor


Anticipated CompletionJanuary 2004

Documents

VISIONS - TBRPC18.215.191.197/wp-content/uploads/FOREdition2003.pdf · VISIONS Future of the Region 2003 4 T he Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council is breaking ground on a new era!