FLORIDACHAPTER
WHOWE ARE
OUR MISSION
The Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Florida) is the statelevel resource for networking and professional development. With more than 3,200 professional planners, we are one of the largest chapters in the nation.
APA Florida provides statewide leadership in the development of sustainable communities by advocating excellence in planning, providing professional development for its members, and working to protect and enhance the natural and built environments.
MEMBERSHIPBREAKDOWN
Member areas of expertise:
APA Florida enjoys a strong mix of planning professionals from all levels of the public and private sectors, including:
Consulting firms working for local governments and developers
County/city planning/transportation departments
Federal and military agencies
Historic preservation agencies
Main Street programs
Regional Planning Councils/BOCCs/MPOs
State agencies
Water management districts
Appointed/elected county/city planning commissioners, managers | Military, spaceport, airport facilities | Ports and coastal waterways | Trail, greenways, parks and recreation | Transportation, multimodal, traffic engineering | Redevelopment, industrial, land use | Historic preservation and reuse | Stormwater, wastewater management | SmartCities, AV, innovation entrepreneurs | Aging in place, older populations | Students
2025LegislativePriorities
Hurricanes Helene and Milton reminded Floridians of the devastating effects natural hazards can cause to vulnerable coastal and flood-prone lands. APA Florida supports an integrated planning and emergency management system that increases resilience through mitigation, adaptation, and purchase of lands that restore natural features to lower the risk of repetitive loss in our communities. Such an approach will not only help communities adapt but enable them to preserve and expand natural habitats and increase access to open space and recreation opportunities. Managetheriskofrepetitivelossinvulnerableareas
Meettheneedsforhousing
Florida is experiencing an affordable housing crisis due to rapid growth, rising insurance costs, and insufficient housing supply. Removing regulatory constraints and providing density bonuses may help, but public investment is necessary to produce affordable housing for the state's diverse communities and workforce. APA Florida supports fully funding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and allowing local communities to use tools like zoning reform and inclusionary policies to create diverse housing options.
Investintheinfrastructurenecessarytosupportoureconomyandaproductiveworkforce
Investing in critical infrastructure, including efficient transportation, is essential for Florida's growth and economic success. APA Florida supports the development of passenger rail, including private operators like Brightline, and state-sponsored expansion of Amtrak service. Well-informed local land use decisions and complementary capital investments can also strengthen supply chain systems that speed goods, materials, and products to market.
Usetechnologytoexpandpublicparticipationinmeetings
Government advisory boards face challenges in achieving a quorum for public meetings due to physical in-person requirements This limits participation and results in a less diverse public participation process APA Florida supports the modification of state law to allow advisory boards to achieve a quorum through virtual communications to expand citizen participation in decision making processes.
Strenghtenstate,regional,andlocalpartnerships
Retain communities’ ability to govern their growth and development policies with local directives and conditions through stronger partnerships with regional and state agencies. APA Florida supports the collaboration of local, regional, and state expertise to foster understanding and coordination when developing legislation. In order to
curtail preemptive measures, we believe that involvement amongst differing sectors is imperative and that legislation is limited to matters of statewide significance. We are aware that statewide uniform policy is generally ineffective with our diverse state. Issues that Northwest Florida faces can be very different from those in South Florida.
APA President: Allara Mills-Gutcher, AICP president@floridaplanning org 850-319-9180
Executive Director: Stefanie Svisco ssvisco@floridaplanning.org
APA President-Elect: Edward Ng, AICP presidentelect@floridaplanning org 401-524-3263
Lobbyist: Lester Abberger lesterabberger@gmail.com
850-201-3272 e: connect@floridaplanning.org w: florida planning org
