Sustainable Southwest Florida A Climate Prosperity Strategy

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Sustainable Southwest Florida A Climate
Prosperity Strategy

• Climate Prosperity Project
• National Leadership Meeting
• San Jose, California
• February 21, 2009

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Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council

• 34 elected officials
• 6 counties
• 16 cities
• 5 State Agencies and
• Gubernatorial appointees representing education,
  business, environmental and economic development
  interests

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Climate Prosperity Leadership

• Southwest Florida
• Climate Prosperity Delegation
• Mayor Jim Humphrey, City of Fort Myers
• Chair, Southwest Florida Regional Planning
  Council
• Mayor Mick Denham, City of Sanibel
• Vice-Chair, Southwest Florida Regional Planning
  Council
• Ken Heatherington, Executive Director
• Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
• David L. Hutchinson, Planning Director
• Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
• Thomas Danahy, President
• Babcock Ranch, Kitson Partners Communities
• Henry Rodriguez, President, SDC Communities
• Board of Directors, Enterprise Florida, appointed
  by Governor Charlie Crist
• Ray Rodriguez, Vice President
• SDC Communities
• James A. Paulmann, Senior Vice President and
  Principal
• WilsonMiller and Century Commission member
• Tony Milner/Dell Jones

• A Growing Partnership
• RPC Energy Climate Committee
• Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
• Economic development organizations
• Chambers of commerce
• Private sector stakeholders engaged in climate
  prosperity
• Universities and community colleges
• Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
• Environmental organizations. and
• Southwest Florida Manufacturers Association.

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Challenges and Opportunities

• Challenges are Regional Issues cut across
  jurisdictions and disciplines--economic,
  environmental, political, social
• Growth has been significant in recent decades
• By 1990 population was more than five times the
  1960 population
• By 2008, regional population exceeded 1.5 million
  people
• Estimated to reach 2.3 million persons by 2030
• Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) rising, climate
  change effects may be dramatic and require
  planning and action and
• Rising Sea Level, worst case is 16 inches by
  2050.
• Solutions Require Integrated Action Communities
  and their issues are interdependent, yet
  community institutions often work in isolation
  and compete, rather than collaborate
• Solutions Should be Shared (Impact Requires
  Scale) Aggregating demand achieves economies of
  scale and reduces transaction costs for all.
• Need to Act Regionally We can achieve scale by
  working across institutional and jurisdictional
  boundaries.

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Challenges and Opportunities

• Diverse Features
• Mix of land uses and a historical urban and rural
  split with urban communities along the coastal
  areas, 1.5 million now, expected to reach 2.3
  million by 2030.
• Vulnerable Environment
• National environmental resources include the
  Everglades and Charlotte Harbor Estuaryfacing
  rising sea level (16 inches by 2050).
• Economically in Transition
• Foreclosures put Lee County No.1 in the nation
  Regional unemployment hit above 10 percent.

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Overall Goals and Objectives of Climate
Prosperity

• Jobs, Jobs Jobs Energize the Southwest Florida
  economy now and for the next generation
• Climate Change Reduce carbon emissions and
  prepare for changing conditions and
• Sustainability Integrate environmental
  objectives into regional development.

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Green Savings

• Green Communities Bring energy efficiency,
  renewable energy and smart growth to new and
  existing communities
• Retrofit Existing Communities
• Hurricane preparedness combined with energy
  efficiency, Expanded solar installation industry
  harnessing construction trade skills.
• Adopt green practices for in-fill and rebuilding,
  improved transit
• Smart Growth for New Communities
• Higher Standards zero energy homes, net
  metering, high efficiency air conditioning,
  advanced design
• Develop consistent standards for measuring carbon
  impacts.

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Green Opportunities

• Green Opportunity Capture the value of emerging
  and innovative clean tech and green supply-chains
  in the region
• Market Solutions Forming and expanding clean
  tech and green a value-chain (i.e. solar farms
  partnering with regenesis power)
• Assets Sun, agricultural land and a distinctive
  environment are key resources (i.e.
  sequestration- carbon trading)
• Change Restructuring of agriculture industry as
  well as awareness of climate change is driving
  new investments
• US Sugar acquisition for Everglades Restoration
• Inland Port and biofuel opportunities and
• Growth Growing population and quality of life
  (smart growth communities Babcock Ranch and
  the Green Mile).

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Green Talent

• Green Talent Prepare the workforce and
  entrepreneurs for new green jobs and greening of
  industry
• Universities and Community Colleges
• Work with Florida Gulf Coast University, Edison
  State College private schools
• School of Business/Engineering Incorporate
  smart growth and green focus across
  disciplines.
• College of Professional Studies Hospitality
  industry training for green practices.
• Workforce Boards
• Work with Southwest Florida Workforce Development
  Board to
• Estimate demand for new green occupations.
• Partner with industry to link to demand.
• Innovation
• Energy Discovery Innovation Institutes to do RD
• Identify and commercialize efficiency solutions
• Create new green incubators.

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Strategic Planning Process for Climate Prosperity

• Strengthen and Build Regional Partnerships
• Build on past successes
• Successful water quality initiatives and the
  SWFRPC committee model
• Climate Energy Committee
• Agreement Define regional objectives based on
  baseline data
• Integrate, Coordinate, Facilitate, Collaborate
• Leverage diverse array of competencies to diffuse
  innovation and best practices.
• Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
  (CEDS), Strategic Regional Policy Plan
• Link land use and development patterns to Climate
  Prosperity (implement recently adopted state
  legislation HB 697)
• Research and implementation projects.

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Action Steps
An Integrated Approach to Action

• Align
• Build on successful regional water quality
  initiatives and SWFRC committee model and work
  with Climate Energy Committee and New Partners.
  
• Assess
• Define regional objectives and options based on
  baseline and best practices.
• Aggregate Bring together stakeholders to pool
  shared needs and solutions
• Green Savings Apply best practices, aggregate
  and broker demand for community, industry and
  institutions.
• Green Opportunities Accelerate clean tech
  enterprise formation, expansion, attraction
  across region by matching inputs needed (capital,
  skills, infrastructure).
• Green Talent Develop workforce demand forecast,
  training programs, matching to industry.
• Act
• Integrate, facilitate, coordinate collaborative
  action through actual and virtual climate
  prosperity partnerships that link ongoing
  activities from CEDS to land use planning and
  state policy.

Task 1 Align Stakeholders Engage and confirm
partner commitments to collaborate on climate
prosperity
Task 2 Assess Potential Harness existing and new
information to define baseline and best practices
Step 4 Act Launch Initiatives Formalize and
launch actions via regional partnerships in Green
Savings, Green Opportunities, Green Talent
Step 3 Aggregate Define Shared
Priorities Convene and facilitate each target
group to identify green needs and actions
that can be worked on across region.
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Assets and Advantages

• Strategic Location, Unspoiled Environment
• Regional Targets Our cluster portfolio.
• Export driven industry clusters
• Tourism (accommodations, food services)
• Agriculture
• Retirement (health care and housing)
• Light manufacturing (aerospace parts)
• Electronic Controls
• Fishing and aqua-culture
• Mining (phosphates aggregate)
• Local serving clusters
• Education Florida attracts many students
• Information Services
• Wholesale trade
• Construction
• Financial services
• Health care
• Professional

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Obstacles and Impediments

• Current Economic Emergency-Were 1
• Foreclosures put Lee County No.1 in the nation
• 76 homes were foreclosed upon every day
• Regional unemployment hit above 10 percent as
  thousands search for jobs that no longer exist.
• Need for Matching Funds
• Antiquated Communities
• Platted Lots
• Resistance to Change
• Perceived costs
• versus benefits

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Financing and Resources

• Local Government resources
• Leverage Investments and Partnerships
• Federal Grants
• Non-Profit organizations and 501-3- c and
• Educational Institutions.

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Public Involvement

• Public Meetings Florida Sunshine law encourages
  transparency and public involvement
• Workshops Partner with American Planning
  Association, Florida Green Building Coalition,
  Chambers of Commerce, State and Federal agencies
• Website Information, Links, and Surveys
• Energy Star Partner,
• Green Business certification programs
• Outreach and Participation
• Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida
• Climate Prosperity Expo and Mega Region Conference

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Advice and Assistance

• Business Solutions
• Corporate approaches
• Risk assessment and risk management strategies
• Best Practices
• International Action
• Expand market analysis
• Reduce global GHGs
• Federal Action
• Reduce GHGs
• Provide cap and trade incentives
• Update transportation investment policy

• State Action
• Stakeholder education
• Participate with the Governors Action Team
• Local Action
• Stakeholder education
• Matching Funds
• Model Ordinances

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Southwest Floridas GreenPrint
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Climate Prosperity
is seeing
the opportunity
in the challenge!