REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES FALL 1997

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES FALL 1997

A Quarterly Publication of the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council

Vol. I No. 2

Fall 1997

INTERSTATE-75 CORRIDOR COUNCIL

The North Central Florida and Withlacoochee Regional Planning Councils (RPC), in conjuction with the Florida DOT District Offices III and V, have recently established the Interstate-75 Corridor Council which will be charged with supporting the state in developing and implementing a highway beautification plan for I-75 from the Georgia line to Wildwood.

All local governments along or abutting the corridor are being requested to appoint one elected official to join the RPCs and DOT on the Corridor Council which will plan for the physical improvement of the corridor and its interchanges, create a program for interchange maintenance, and consider uniform outdoor advertising standards and alternative advertising methods.

Charles Justice, Executive Director of the North Central Florida RPC, noted that "this program will also offer the Planning Council's `The Original Florida' Tourism Task Force an opportunity to establish further its identification as a tourism destination by coordinating its promotion efforts with

THE ORIGINAL FLORIDA'S

HIDDEN COAST

The Council recently entered into a second two-year contract with The Ford Foundation to continue the on-going effort of the region's rural coastal counties in addressing economic development problems created in part by the net-ban.

A task force made up of

residents of Dixie, Levy and Taylor counties, which provided overall direction for the program the first two years, decided early on to concentrate its efforts on enhancing employment opportunities utilizing the area's natural resources, i.e., forest products, aquaculture and eco-tourism.

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	TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES UPDATE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS (CDBG) - Council staff will soon begin preparing applications for local governments in the region for FY 1998 CDBG funds. They have been successful in obtaining 12 grants for a total of $6.435 million over the past 2 years. Contact Scott Koons, Director of Local Government Assistance, at (352) 955-2200 ext. 104, for more details concerning this free service. *EVALUATION AND APPRAISAL REPORTS (EAR)* - Council staff have recently completed draft EARs for the coastal counties of Dixie and Taylor, and for the coastal community of Perry. They are scheduled to prepare EARs for 7 inland counties and 4 communities over the next 2 years.		OTHER NEWSWORTHY ITEMS Did you know that . . . . ? . . . "The Original Florida" tourism promotion program has hosted 80 travel writers who have published 274 articles in newspapers and magazines reaching an estimated readership of over 48 million during the past 3 1/2 years . . . . . . Tourism-related businesses can now sign up to be listed on "The Original Florida" Internet Homepage Directory (and linked directly to their homepages if they have a one of their own) for a mere $25 per year--this mode of advertising literally puts the businesses' name on a directory that is accessed by the world's population. Call W.D. Higginbotham, Jr., at (352) 955-2200, ext. 106, for details . . . . . . ADCO's SBA 504 loan program can loan up to $1 million on a project provided that it does not exceed 40% of the total project cost--examples of projects financed by ADCO are listed below. Call Blake Harper at (352) 955-2199, ext. 107, for details. . . Type of Business Total Project Cost Professional Office $ 409,000 Funeral Home 479,000 Convenience Store 770,000 Doctor's Office 1,120,000 Manufacturer 1,520,000 Franchise Motel 2,660,000 ADCO's financing helped a growing professional business in Ocala.
	*HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS* - Council staff assisted 8 of its 11 counties with the biennial updates to their hazardous materials emergency response plans during
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(Hidden Coast Continued) Photo: Dixie County Advocate			(I-75 Corridor Continued)

			both DOT informational signage and private businesses' advertising." The first meeting of the Corridor Council is scheduled to be held October 29 at the Holiday Inn, West, in Gainesville. The "Regional Perspective" will continue to monitor and report on the progress of the Corridor Council in future issues.


		Official opening of Salt Creek Recreational Area, Dixie County, April 7, 1997.

	The task force was successful in assisting two of the counties in obtaining "enterprize zone" designations from the State of Florida, a program which provides financial and tax incentives to private businesses which locate or expand their operations within these zones. Other activities completed or currently in progress are the development of a promotional brochure extolling the business and recreational opportunities of the three-county area, establishment of a hiking/biking nature trail from the Aucilla River in Taylor County to Cedar Key in Levy County, and the planning of an annual "bird watching" event which will be promoted nationally through the Internet. The task force recently agreed to accept a proposal to become part of the larger, 11-county North Central Florida Economic Development Partnership which will provide the coastal counties greater promotional exposure as being part of "The Original Florida's Hidden Coast." Future activities currently being planned include assisting with development of small businesses, which could benefit all three sectors (eco-tourism, forest products, aquaculture), and coordinate the development and promotion of eco-tourism "vacation packages."

			(T.A. Activities Update Continued)

			this past fiscal year which ended September 30. With the advent of increasingly sophisticated software to delineate evacuation zones around sites utilizing or storing hazardous materials, this service is much appreciated by county governments. The next cycle will begin in October, 1998.



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	*AWARDS AND HONORS* At its Fifth Annual Transportation Disadvantaged Conference recently held in Sarasota, the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged made the following awards to people and agencies working in the North Central Florida ("The Original Florida") Region: *1997 Outstanding Coordinating Board of the Year Award to the Bradford County Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board;* *Special (Agency) Award for Outstanding Leadership to Suwannee River Economic Council; and* *Special (Individual) Award for Outstanding Leadership to Lynn Franson-Godfrey, North Central Florida Regional Planning Council* At a state-wide meeting held in Clearwater this past May, ADCO was recognized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as the "Most Improved Certified Development Company in Florida." Also, the National Association of Development Companies (NADCO) recognized ADCO as having tied for the fastest growth of small CDCs at its national meeting held this past April in Tucson, Arizona.

	North Central Florida Regional Planning Council 2009 NW 67 Place, Suite A Gainesville, FL 32653-1603 *OFFICERS* Charles S. Chestnut, III Chairman D. Thomas Sawyer Vice-Chairman Dale McPherson Secretary-Treasurer Charles F. Justice Executive Director Charles L. Kiester Assistant Executive Director and Editor

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