Florida Planning Magazine | Fall 2022

FLORIDA PLANNING

laws followed intended to harness sprawl and protect the natural resources that attracted millions of tourists to Florida annually. We know the history of the past 50 years. So we asked a few planners to give us their opinion on where we are headed. We asked them to tell us:

OTHER FEATURES

President’s Message - p. 3

In Memoriam - p. 39

Member Q&A - p. 40

APA Working for You - p. 41

Planners on the Move - p. 43 Consultants Directory - p. 45 Events - back page

[APA FLORIDA] KEY CONTACTS - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Name Phone E-mail

APA Florida Executive Committee

President Wiatt Bowers, AICP 904-363-8488 president@floridaplanning.org

Immediate Past President Laura Everitt, AICP, Esq., LEED GA 813-327-5450 pastpresident@floridaplanning.org fx

President-Elect Whit Blanton, FAICP 727-464-8712 presidentelect@floridaplanning.org

Treasure Coast Section Kori Benton, AICP 727-462-2518 treasurecoast@floridaplanning.org

Student Representative Bob Bernhart 941-504-1852 students@floridaplanning.org t

VP-Professional Development Henry Bittaker, FAICP 561-523-0687 profdevelopment@floridaplanning.org f

Secretary Lara Bouck, AICP, PE 407-481-5672 secretary@floridaplanning.org

San Felasco Section Juan Castillo 352-393-8698 sanfelasco@floridaplanning.org

Sun Coast Section Katrina Corcoran, AICP suncoast@floridaplanning.org

VP Membership/Outreach Ennis Davis, AICP 904-396-5727 membership@floridaplanning.org

University Liaison Laura Dedenbach, AICP, Ph.D. 352-294-1493 university@floridaplanning.org

VP Communications Melissa Dickens, AICP 813-273-3774 communications@floridaplanning.org

Gold Coast Section Fabian De La Espriella, AICP 786-245-5202 goldcoast@floridaplanning.org

Capital Area Section Macy Falcon, AICP 850-380-2812 capitalarea@floridaplanning.org

EPG Representative Sofia Garantiva, AICP 813-276-8330 ypg@floridaplanning.org

Promised Lands Section Jason Green, AICP promisedlands@floridaplanning.org

Broward Section Daniel Keester-O'Mills, AICP 954-786-5541 broward@floridaplanning.org

Heart of Florida Section Laura Lockwood-Herrscher, AICP, CPM 863-860-5105 heartoffl@floridaplanning.org

Treasurer Allara Mills Gutcher, AICP 850-319-9180 treasurer@floridaplanning.orgaf

Orlando Metro Section Luis Nieves-Ruiz, FAICP 407-245-0300 orlandometro@floridaplanning.org

VP Section Affairs Tony Palermo, AICP 239-321-7926 sectionaffairs@floridaplanning.org

Atlantic Coast Section Brad Parrish, AICP 321-567-3776 atlanticcoast@floridaplanning.org

VP Continuing Education Jill Quigley, AICP 954-641-5680 certmaintenance@floridaplanning.org

First Coast Section Ray Spofford, AICP 904-265-3189 firstcoast@floridaplanning.org

VP Conference Services Thuy Turner, AICP, LEED AP BD+C 954-610-1633 conferencesvcs@floridaplanning.org

Emerald Coast Section Randy Woodruff, AICP 850-689-7347 emeraldcoast@floridaplanning.org

Executive Director Julia “Alex“ Magee 850-201-3272 fapa@floridaplanning.org

Ad. Assistant/Bookkeeper Suzie Gray 850-201-3272 adminbk@floridaplanning.org

Communications Manager Patti Shea 850-201-3272 staff@floridaplanning.org

Legislative Representative Lester Abberger 850-524-2779 lesterabberger@nettally.com

Graphic Design (Consultant) Summer Taylor 727-452-2416 summer@exaktmarketing.com

All other inquiries, contact APA Florida at 850-201-3272 or e-mail fapa@floridaplanning.org

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

We are in a season of change within APA Florida.

Our longtime Executive Director, Alex Magee, is retiring at the end of the year. (Read her goodbye message on pp. 38) Your chapter leadership has been working on a transition plan since the summer, and we recently adver tised the position. We received more than 25 applications, and the search committee is conducting interviews in early November. We are hop ing to have a new Executive Director announced by Thanksgiving.

Our chapter leadership is also transitioning. New officers will start their terms in January, and some of our current chapter offi cers will roll off the board. I want to personally thank them for their service to the organization and its members. This definitely has not been an easy two years, but with their tireless efforts, we have moved the chapter forward in many respects. Here are just a few:

1. Not only was it great to get back together again for FPC22, but it was the second largest conference we have ever held. The Orlando host committee worked for years (remember we were supposed to be there in 2020) putting the event together.

2. We have elevated Patti Shea’s role to s full-time communications manager. She will help our new leadership craft a communications strategy for 2023, and I fully expect we’ll all notice the enhancements.

3. Our CPAT pilot program is finally happening. Vice President of Membership & Outreach Ennis Davis is leading a team to East Palatka this month to help the community envision where they see themselves in the future. (Read about the project on pp. 25)

4. The EDI committee continues to implement creative pro grams, advocate for inclusion throughout our profession and communities, and develop new policies and strategies that will help the chapter diversify. This issue also marks the end of my time as APA Florida President. I’ve been involved in chapter leadership for nearly 25 years, at both the section and chapter levels. I’m proud of everything we have ac complished, but even more excited about what we will accomplish in the years to come. With that, I’ll turn the reins of these articles over to President-Elect Whit Blanton.

Wiatt Bowers, AICP

The author Hunter S. Thompson once wrote “when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

That’s practically a job description for Florida planners. We see it all here. We deal with unique and oddball circumstanc es across this flat, vulnerable peninsula built on porous limestone, where a drive from Key West to Pensacola is about the same travel time as Pensacola to Chicago, and we’re once again experiencing growth of 1,000 people every day. We work hard to bring order to chaos, clarity to conspiracy theories and wild speculation, and sage advice to help manage political and public expectations of future outcomes.

Fifty years of growth management gives you bruises that don’t completely heal, along with the wisdom that helps you manage the crazy and keep the focus on a better future for everyone. The last few years have been weird, and that will probably continue. It makes it even more imperative that we stand for strengthening and sustaining our communities for the well-being of all Floridians. Our voice needs to resonate on how we create economic opportunity for all by invest ing in transit at all scales, enabling diverse and attainable housing in every community, ensuring social connectivity and connectedness, and managing the effects of climate change.

Planners are the keepers of the vision, derived from countless meetings, charrettes, surveys, and work with other professionals. We stand for what’s right and responsible. We know where the bones are buried and have the insight to avoid past mistakes as we tackle the fundamentals of creating quality, livable, and affordable places, consistent with our Code of Ethics.

In the wake of Hurricane Ian and increasing economic disparity and uncertainty, our talents are needed today more than ever. It’s critical for planners to lead by showing how our state and its diverse com munities and regions can thrive amid global and national changes. Through the work and words of APA Florida, our volunteers, and planners across Florida, we play an increasingly vital role in bringing equitable opportunity and security to all Florida residents. It’s our responsibility to step up to make this state stronger socially, eco nomically, and environmentally.

Join us on this important mission.

Whit Blanton FAICP

APA Florida President beginning Jan. 1, 2023

An Emerging Planner’s Perspective on the Future of Planning in Florida

By Jarrell Smith

Urban and regional planning is regarded as a multi-faceted field with specializations including, but not limited to, housing and community development, hazard mitigation, environmental planning, urban design, economic development, historic preservation, and land use and transportation planning. Although there are numerous specializations, the core of the planning process involves meeting the needs of today while considering future impacts and needs.

As planners, having an awareness of mega trends, new technologies, and changing political powers prepare us for our role in leading initiatives that improve individuals’ livelihoods. More specifically, the incorporation of the smart mobility concept is poised to have a notable impact on the planning field in Florida. What is smart mobility? The idea of smart mobility involves connecting users to multiple modes of transportation while ensuring quality service to users and ultimately enhancing economic productivity. Key components of smart mobility include real-time information systems; predictive maintenance; intelligent parking management; intelligent traffic management; automated toll collection; integrated ticketing system; smart surveillance; connected vehicles; and mobility as a service (MaaS). Notably, all of the aforementioned items rely on some degree of artificial intelligence. Together, these items create a system of computing devices that collect and share data over networks without requiring human-to-human or human-tocomputer interaction, also known as the internet of things (IoT). Imagine the time that can be saved from sitting in traffic congestion. Smart mobility will also empower an aging U.S. population to access essential services and continue participation in recreational activities. According to the U. S. Census Bureau’s 2020 population estimates, more than 55 million Americans are age 65 or

Jarrell Smith

FLORIDA PLANNING

older, and one-fourth of these older Americans live in one of three states: California, Florida, and Texas.

Although clear benefits to pursuing smart mobility initiatives exist, planners should identify the major challenges that may limit the adoption of smart mobility models and prepare themselves to facilitate discussions with the various stakeholders connected to the smart mobility ecosystem. For instance, smart mobility will require a significant investment in new infrastructure. Ask yourself, what mechanisms are in place to fund new infrastructure? What best practices exist for educating the public on the benefits of smart mobility initiatives?

Planners in Florida should also examine what service frameworks exist in other states and/or countries, and determine which of those models can be incorporated within Florida’s unique jurisdictions. This process will likely involve a context-based approach, which may lead to new service structures that will meet the unique needs of Florida.

Finally, special attention should be devoted to incorporating best practices related to cyber security. Due to the imminent increase in data sharing and connected devices, networks will be more

vulnerable to external attacks and breaches. Furthermore, planners should explore unique ways of including stakeholders such as mobile service providers, technology companies, and electricity providers within the planning and rulemaking process.

Undoubtedly, in the coming years, the way we move from one place to the next will change significantly. At the core of this change, will be the adoption of new technologies that incorporate artificial intelligence. Although the adoption of the smart mobility concept has a direct nexus to the transportation planning specialty specifically, all other facets of planning, including housing and community development, hazard mitigation, environmental planning, urban design, economic development, historic preservation, and land use will be impacted.

Consequently, all planners should prepare to help communities navigate the varying components that comprise the smart mobility ecosystem.

Jarrell Smith is an emerging transportation planner at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB). He can be reached at jarrellsmith@vhb.com.

Working Statewide So Communities Are Livable for People of All Ages

By 2030, one out of ever y five people in the United States will be age 65 or older. By 2034, the nation will have more older adults than children under 18 for the first time ever. That’s why AARP is working with local leaders nationwide to help towns, cities, counties, rural areas and even entire states become more livable for people of all ages.

In a livable community, people of all ages can … • Live safely and comfortably

Enjoy public places • Spend time outdoors

Get around without a car

Go for a walk

Ride a bike

Work or volunteer

Shop, socialize and be entertained • Access healthy food • Find the services they need and

where they live a lifelong home.

/aarpfl @AARPFL

BUT WHERE IS YOUR ACTION?

By Devan Leavins and Laurel Harbin, AICP, Ph.D.

The biggest impact on the future of planning is relying on policy to initiate action, yeah, we said it!

Many of the words written into our plans feel like broken promises to the everyday citizen, as these wellintended statements never resulted in visible improve ments. This sentiment is a reoccurring theme in lowerincome urban and rural communities. How many of us have gone to engage these communities, only to realize that the people showing up are still waiting to see the visible results that were discussed with planners 10-plus years ago?

The outcome of previous efforts likely resulted in planning ideas to improve the community and may have even led to policy language to “prioritize” or “encourage” investment in the area, but unless there was a physical project that the community can see, those are just words on paper. In this scenario, well-intended planning policy became undelivered promises.

This isn’t to say that the role of policy hasn’t been effective in shaping communities in ways that we don’t see. Policies to prohibit noxious land uses that would have otherwise been located in areas where land is cheap and would have disproportionately impacted lowincome residents is essential. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. The policies not working are the ones

Preparing the next generation of youth leaders with on-site and hands-on planning exercises. Photo credit: Elizabeth Emmanuel

Meeting people in their community for the Southside Action Plan in Tallahassee. Photo credit: Devan Leavins

Connecting practicing planners and students with community members outside the office and classroom settings on a mobile workshop of the Frenchtown neighborhood in Tallahassee. Photo credit: Devan Leavins

that describe ideal development without creating actions to get there. Here’s how we can do better:

Embrace private development. Local government can’t solve all the problems in communities hurting for investment. If the ideal scenario described in policy is to be achieved, there must be some momentum in the private market. We need planners and citizens to be champions for developers willing to build in communities where financial risk is high, particularly if those developers are willing to bring housing options and critical infrastructure. Until planners be come developers, it is important to find and support development that improves communities, even if it’s only one house, duplex, quad, or business at a time. Shift planning focus from words to actions. The policies that promote public investment need to be implemented, and that requires looking beyond the comprehensive plan to what is actionable. More focus is needed on how to work with the available resources and coordinate with other disciplines to move good ideas from paper into visible projects. This is especially true of planners in local government where we tend to stay in our silos. Planners will do better for the community by working with, rather than against, the engineers, maintenance crews, and

construction workers that we need to turn policies into actions. For planners, this means getting out from behind our desks and working on interdisciplinary project teams with people that bring different skill sets to the table.

Prepare the next generation. Too many planning graduates come fresh out of school thinking they can solve community disinvestment by writing “good” policy and advocating for neighborhood issues. That optimism is great and should be valued, but it begs the question of how planning programs are preparing students for actual planning practice. The challenge of doing planning, rather than learning about it, is that you’re faced with a number of obstacles that make it hard to do good work. Chances are that work may even challenge the ideologies that you put on a ped estal while you were in the safety of academia. In lower-income communities this is especially important, where book knowledge is less valuable than street knowledge and the ability to commu nicate with folks that have never heard of Jane Jacobs. Planning education should prioritize project experience in our graduate programs, connect and engage students with practicing planners, and focus on ways to implement community projects that have been sitting on shelves for far too long.

The reality is that local planning policy doesn’t necessarily make a difference to communities that need change the most. For many lowerincome communities and neighborhoods, the need is urgent. It’s an emergency situation that can’t wait for a policy analysis and adoption process This is where action planning steps in- if we can shift our focus from policy language to community action, planning will play a more meaningful role. Time to focus on getting things done.

Laurel Harbin, AICP, Ph.D, is the Special Projects Principal Planner for the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department. She can be reached at laurel.harbin@talgov.com. Devan Leavins is the Special Project Administrator for the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department. He can be reached at devan.leavins@talgov.com.

Laurel Harbin, AICP, Ph.D.

Devan Leavins

Health Planning:

Challenges & Opportunities

Cassidy Mutnansky, AICP

The planning profession has always been rooted in promoting public health and well-being. The early days of our profession included plans and policies aimed at preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

Planners today have an evolved focus on addressing the shifting public health problems of the 21st century, particularly creating environments that promote healthy behaviors and access to health-promoting resources. In my experience, much of the discussion now surrounding health planning is about how we can be more intentional in integrating health equity considerations into our planning processes, and we will need to focus more on folding it into planning projects as the world population grows.

Following are some challenges and opportunities in “health planning” from my experience straddling the two professions.

Challenge: Cross-Sectoral Collaboration Opportunity: Shared Vision and Common Goals

Cross-sectoral collaboration is difficult. There are many barriers to creating meaningful opportunities to collaborate across sectors, such as competing priorities, high turnover, understaffing, and the amount of time it takes to build truly impactful partnerships. In the context of collaboration between the public health and planning fields, I believe there’s an additional layer of difficulty in a lack of understanding of each profession.

How many times have you heard “What is urban planning?” or “What do planners do?” The Public Health field faces a similar lack of awareness. Public health goes far beyond your doctor’s office. The public health field includes professionals across a variety of specializations and sectors that focus on population health.

A lack of understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and specializations/expertise within each profession is a major barrier to collaboration. While public health may have “birthed” the planning profession, over the last century, our professions have become siloed and far more specialized, which has kept us out of the same professional circles.

The good news is, while there are barriers to collaboration, planners and public health professionals often have similar goals, especially when it comes to equity and improving quality of life.

As an example, planners interested in food systems planning often first consider the issue from a spatial “food desert” perspective. Simultaneously, public health professionals are tackling other barriers to healthy food, such as “Do people know how to identify healthy food? Do they know how to prepare it? Can they afford healthy food?” In essence, both professions are looking at similar end goals, but are often separately addressing different root causes through complementary solutions.

This shared interest can make it easy for planners and public health professionals to work together on a food system plan with comprehensive strategies tackling all the barriers to consuming healthy foods. Food systems planning is just one example; this same shared vision also exists across several other planning disciplines.

Challenge: I have no background in public health. Where do I start?

Opportunity: Health in all policies, plans, programs, and projects

Planners are everywhere. We’re in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. We focus on different disciplines: comprehensive planning, zoning, economic development, parks, real estate, transportation, etc. In all of these roles, planners influence the social determinants of health, which are the conditions in the environments where people are

born, live, work, play, and age that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life risks and outcomes. Every day we make decisions during the planning process that can improve equitable population health outcomes. Here are just a few opportunities/ideas to consider:

• Incorporate health-promoting goals, policies, and strategies into the following: comprehensive plans; sustainability/ climate action plans, transportation plans, redevelopment plans, area/master plans, park master plans, etc.

• Integrate health considerations, including data, into decision-making frameworks related to project prioritization and scenario planning (e.g., capital improvement projects, transportation projects, grant review criteria, prioritization matrices, etc.).

• Consider how your land development regulations and adopted levels of service impact equitable access to health-promoting resources, such as healthy food retailers and parks.

• Implement healthy design strategies into capital improvements, park, transportation, and land [re] development projects. This may include incorporating specific language in RFP/RFQs or adopting design standards.

Find ways to meet local public health professionals in your community and actively engage them in planning. Can you invite someone from the public health field to sit on your standing committee or a project advisory committee? Could you invite them to be part of your citizen’s planning academy? Could you host a “Planning 101 & Public Health 101” open house and networking event? At a minimum, ensure that local public health professionals are informed of planning processes through your usual communication channels.

No matter what type of planner you are, or where you work, there are so many opportunities to integrate health equity considerations into your planning processes. The field of health planning is open to all who want to intentionally bring a health lens to their work.

Cassidy Mutnansky, AICP, is an economic development coordinator at the City of St. Petersburg. She can be reached at cassidy.mutnansky@stpete.org

We proudly support the American Planning Associa on and the 2022 Florida Planning Conference.

Our mul disciplinary LAND DEVELOPMENT, ZONING & ENVIRONMENTAL team consists of land use, environmental, property rights, and li ga on a orneys, in-house planners, GIS mapping , and Government Affairs professionals working collabora vely to provide effec ve and innova ve legal and business solu ons to clients across Florida.

CYNTHIA SPIDELL* Associate Director of Planning

*Non-Lawyer

TINA EKBLAD* Director of Planning VINET TE GODELIA Shareholder KEN METCALF* Director of Planning & Development Services

DAVID SMITH* Director of Development & Zoning

NICOLE NEUGEBAUER A orney

SEA-LEVEL RISE, CLIMATE CHANGE FUNDING

CREATIVITY IS KEY TO RESILIENCY & PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

By James F. Murley

If you look at an aerial photo of Florida from 100 years ago, you’ll see a landscape so different from today’s that you might not believe it’s the same place. This will also be true in 100 years.

Florida is shaped by its seas, expansive Everglades, and of course by us, the people who live here.

While we can’t predict what Florida’s future photo will look like, we do know some things with certainty. Forced to adapt to climate change, Florida is on the cutting edge of innovation, testing promising strategies that build resilience into planning and management. Good governance coordinating across all levels of government and engaged citizens will make communities safer and more prosperous.

We can expect at least 2 feet of sea level rise by 2050; with 6-10 feet likely by 2100. It’s also getting hotter, with more days and nights of extreme heat already disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities. Hurricanes are becoming more powerful, dropping more rain. As Hurricane Ian showed in September, hurricanes can strengthen quickly, striking at any time during the season. Every Florida community, both coastal and inland, must be prepared.

Despite these risks, more people are moving to Florida. As planners, we must also adapt to keep our state safe, relevant, and

prosperous – a place where future generations can thrive. Recognizing the need to strengthen ties between planning, policymaking, and a reinvigorated funding environment, coupled with my years of experience in planning and in government, I have a few recommendations:

INTEGRATE

The Florida Legislature has stepped up, telling cities and counties that to apply for DEP grants, they must do formal vulnerability assessments. This is an ideal situation where communities are incentivized to do the right kind of planning. DEP has also made it clear that it will prioritize funding of resilience projects based on vulnerability. This signals that the governor and legislature are willing to address the realities of climate change.

Miami-Dade’s approach to getting Resilience Florida funds is to have plans in place showing DEP-integrated solutions to multiple challenges. For example, our recent Adaptation Action Area Planning in the Little River area focused on a communitycentered approach addressing issues of affordable housing, access to green space, septic-to-sewer conversions, flood remediation, and more. We were awarded funding for multiple projects already making a difference for residents. When you have an integrated plan demonstrating multiple co-benefits, the funding flows.

James F. Murley

Miami River THEN

Miami River NOW

FOR ADAPTIVE PLANNING Six Concepts

The biggest impact on the future of planning will not be a singular topic or trend, but rather the shift from rigid planning standards and processes to more adaptable and iterative methods.

This will not be easy. As professional planners, we need to adhere to rules, laws, and regulations. We are also expected to reduce our organization’s liability, which is easily accomplished by maintaining status quo measures that have survived decades of legal and public scrutiny.

Here’s the problem: Many of those standard practices have inequitable and unsustainable outcomes baked in, both obvious and subtle. Even our planning vocabulary carries bias, for example when the term “neighborhood character” becomes a stealth substitute for exclusionary zoning.

In some cases, the standards themselves are viewed as hazardous. Transportation engineering standards mandate roadway features that induce speeding through wide lanes

and intersection curvature. Any reform sparks uncomfortable questions on the liability of continuing current practice. This is not isolated to transportation but affects land use and economic development planning as well.

Finally, traditional planning is heavily based on forecasting tools that extrapolate from previous trendlines. With so many disruptive trends occurring at once, this backcasting-to-forecasting approach is fraught with uncertainty.

So how do planners make the shift from traditional to agile? Here are six concepts for adaptive planning.

1) Foresight and anticipatory planning: APA has developed an entire Knowledgebase dedicated to the foresight and helping planners prepare for an uncertain future. You’ll find resources on scenario and resilience planning, as well as articles and trend reports.

2) Pilot projects: Pilots are a popular process for testing novel concepts and new technologies. A small-scale project is deployed, tested, tweaked, and if successful, scaled. Pilots have also been an effective way to test urban and street design concepts. Planners have used events showcasing pilot projects for public outreach for a “try it before you buy it” experience.

Lisa Nisenson

Lisa Nisenson

LISTS CONCEPTS

3) Quick Build: Because infrastructure projects have long lead times, new companies are producing modular, yet durable, installations. These installations commonly consist of paint, flexiposts, bollards, modular furnishings, and planters. Like pilots, a quick build project can be used to assess design options. or incrementally build to a larger project where budgets or opposition stood in the way of a larger project.

4) Flexible Codes: Form-based codes are an example of regultions that can adapt to changing uses. Mixed-use buildings are likely a community’s strongest tool for changing tastes and trends. E-commerce is transforming building uses and types, so be prepared to address blurred lines among manufacturing, logistics, distribution, retail, and delivery.

5) Performance-Based Planning: Technology, combined with a focus on outcomes, has led to a rise in performance-based planning. In essence, a community will establish key metrics and monitor the asset – whether it’s a roadway, park, or parking. If that metric is breached, project managers will adjust operations. For example, with performance-based parking, once a downtown’s parking

occupancy is consistently above 85%, the manager can raise prices, adjust time limits, or seek peripheral parking. This is a good method where more robust management measures are anticipated, though the timing is unsure. In tracking metrics, managers have the data in hand to make the case for larger investments.

Related to performance-based planning is active management, or the ability to regulate operations in real-time. This too is enabled by cost-effective technologies. For planners, this brings a proactive approach that replaces or augments older systems that rely on enforcement and reactive governance.

6) Resilience Planning: Resilience planning is becoming a mandated process, often tied to funding criteria. This approach is also forward-looking and proactive, forcing communities to identify risks, determine vulnerability, and adaptive capacity. The planner’s job will be to help shape and prioritize preventative measures and mitigation projects. The diagram below shows the full process pre-and post-disaster (cite: Hudec, Oto. (2017).

Lisa Nisenson is the vice president of new mobility and connected communities for WGI, Inc. She can be reached at lisa.nisenson@wginc.com.

ON THE FUTURE OF PLANNING A Student Perspective

By Bob Bernhart

The planning profession, by nature, is tasked with addressing myriad issues in the social, built, and natural environments. Planners are stewards of the community’s vision, but the foundational principles and history of the field also call upon them to constantly push beyond the status quo, predicting and proactively re solving issues that may not be recognized yet by the broader population.

In a rapidly changing, globally interconnected world, there is no shortage of pressing topics to consider: climate change, unpredictable public health crises, and disaster mitigation are just a few that have been top of mind for planners in re cent years. Perhaps the most insidious problem that planners face, however, is also one of the most complex in terms of developing actionable solutions: rising economic inequality.

This issue is not new, nor has it been ignored by the pro fession; on the contrary, many forward-thinking planners and communities have set out to address economic disadvantage through various strategies, some with promising results.

The challenge takes on Sisyphean proportions when the ripple effects are considered, however. Income inequality shackles entire communities across generations. It precludes access to basic human needs—safe and adequate housing, reliable transportation, food security. It divides communities both spatially and socially, and any hard-fought progress can seemingly be halted or reversed by unforeseen circumstanc es, as we’ve seen in the wake of the pandemic.

Within the planning profession, there has been a criti cal turn towards recognizing the legacy of segregation and oppression and its long-term, compounding impacts on com munities. Modern phenomena continue to present barriers to progress as well, though: the erosion of bargaining power for workers, alarming disparities in educational and technologi

cal access, and challenges to the very democratic processes that structure political affairs are just a few of them. What are planners to do in a world where fuel is constantly being thrown on the fire?

You guessed it—there is no simple answer. But in the planning profession, with the tools and knowledge at our disposal, perhaps playing to our strengths can set us on the right path.

Addressing the symptoms of economic inequality through programs and interventions is critically important work, but planners are well-positioned to explore structural solutions that get to the heart of the issue. A three-pronged approach to the structural elements of economic disparity, specifically focused on social, physical, and environmental conditions, could be key to tackling such a complex problem. In the social realm, access to planning discourse and public participation, especially for historically disenfranchised groups, can help ensure a balanced community vision and corresponding poli cies are incorporated into comprehensive plans.

In the physical realm, integrating land use, transportation, and infrastructure planning with an unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for all community members can help break down barriers to progress in the built environment. Finally, the environmental realm provides an arena in which meaningful, measurable achievements—in terms of both guarding public health and ensuring the long-term sustain ability of community and economic development strategies— can be realized.

Good planning is not a panacea for the economic woes of American society, but planners should recognize their unique potential to enact progress on a structural level and continue to proactively address the constantly shifting needs and priorities that communities juggle as the years go by.

Bob Bernhart is a planning graduate student at the University of South Florida and a fellow with the Hillsbor ough County Planning Commission. He can be reached at bernhartb@plancom.org

International Cities Vitality: Life is on the Road

By Aladin M. Yassin, PhD, Camila Chapela, MUP, and Aiah Yassin, AICP

People expect to connect and enjoy the place where they live. Vitality is an ultimate planning challenge as it is difficult to define, capture or deliver with the tools we currently use. We found that the interaction between private spaces and public right of way is a main factor in sustaining vitality. We discuss examples demonstrating how two of the most vibrant Cities in the world benefit from this connection.

COYOACAN, MEXICO CITY: THE SPILLING LAND USE

In most vibrant Mexican public spaces, pedestrians ebb and flow from buildings to the street. Just like coffee spilling out of a cup, a restaurant serving customers on the sidewalk, or teenagers walking out the school are creating a “Spilling Land Use” effect. In Mexico, streets, life, and human interactions exist in movement; in and out of public-private boundaries, enriching the urban experience. People are not limited to an administrative jurisdiction, a zoning district, or a geographically limited territory such as a cartographically fixed polygon. Spilling Land Use effect considers the fact that land use exists inside and outside the limits of private property and public roads.

In successful public spaces like Coyoacan, people eat while walking on a street, or buy merchandise on a sidewalk. Crowded political rallies and religious parades may occupy the right of way. These un-contained human activities can be registered as

Aladin M. Yassin, PhD

Camila Chapela, MUP

Aiah Yassin, AICP

Coyoacan Dia de Muertos

[INTERNATIONAL CITIES] VITALITY

continued from page 17

pedestrian traffic or encroaching commercial and civic uses on public land. However, spilled activities provide the conditions for social interaction like music, live events, food, art, crafts, commercial sales, and collective events like street parties.

Considering the Spilled Land Use effect in the planning process is an overlooked factor to bring vibrancy into our cities. The energetic charge of human unpredictability is used to set urban vibrancy in motion. With imagination and anticipation, we can provide our cities with proper regulatory tools to enrich the urban experience.

HISTORIC CAIRO: 1000 YEARS OF SUCCESS

Historic Cairo is a walled medieval city. The city was designed with one main road with the Bazaar market. Streets and alleys branch out of the main road like a tree. For more than 1,000 years, each alley had housed the families and artists of a specific profession. For example, the Nahaseen “Copper Makers” Street is the neighborhood of all the manufacturers of copper products. Their workshops, houses, and stores are contained in one place. The integration of land uses in these alleys around one economic activity created a sense of unity and ownership of the public realm with the private owners. This urban fabric of Old Cairo is what kept its everlasting vitality with its unique soul continuing to provide the same services for more than a millennia.

Continuous revitalization programming has brought the vibrancy of Old Cairo to life through the years. Programs include: 1) limiting the El Moez road access to pedestrian uses only, 2) repurposing historic buildings for the art uses, and 3) allowing spaces for religious and artistic festivals. These programs made Old Cairo an open museum, a venue for the arts and a vital place for worship and music.

Our examples show how the use of public spaces, especially roads, provides vitality to a city. The core of public life is beyond the parcel limits because human life occurs disregarding land ownership and jurisdictional territories. Conscientious programming of the interaction between public and private spaces could improve the user’s experience socially and economically.

We recommend that planners ought to consider the Spilling Land Use symbiotic relationship to vitality factors in their review and decision making process. We also encourage them to better understand of how planning practices and proper programming of a public space can be the reason for its success.

Dr. Aladin Yassin is a professor in urban and regional planning at the University of Cairo. He can be reached at aladinyassin@gmail.com. Camila Chapela, MUP, is a senior planner at Hillsborough County. She can be reached at tc.chapela@gmail.com. Aiah Yassin, AICP, is a planning project manager for BCC Engineering. She can be reached at aiahaladdin@gmail.com

Coyoacan Street Venue

El Moez Road Bazaar

Old Cairo Street Museum

B U R NO U T Beating

By Adrienne Burke, AICP, Esq., Ennis Davis, AICP, Lori Cox, AICP, Sondie Simon, MSP, MPA, Tara Salmieri, AICP

Who would have thought a panel on wellness at a 2022 Florida Planning Conference would have been so well attended?

That’s what the Beating Burnout panel thought as they were closing the interactive session attended by more than 60 people who gave their attention, energy, and personal stories on the impacts of burnout to them in their personal and professional lives.

Overwork and exhaustion are common in the planning profession, both in the public and private sectors. Long days bleed into long nights and lost weekends as deadlines must be met. The session was led by 5 AICP-certified Planners, each with a personal passion for developing their own mental, emotional, and physical wellness, while also offering that to their communities. The panel came together to ask the question:

What is the impact of burnout on planning as a profession and on the work we do? And what can we do about it?

Planning as a profession is increasingly engaged in the intersection of community health and planning, especially following the complex societal and economic impacts of the global pandemic. Community health and well-being are interdependent. Lack of thoughtful, regenerative care for communities is detrimental; so is a lack of self-care and the resulting emotional and physical impacts associated with burnout to people.

We all know burnout, but this feeling is actually a syndrome defined by the World Health Organization.

According to WHO, burnout is: A syndrome resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

The panel described the three dimensions that characterize burnout in the workplace, as well as their own experiences in their professional lives:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion

• Increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, or

• Reduced professional

efficacy

This trend of burnout, as the panel discussed, is causing real illness in the people of our industry as well as a lot of shifting in our industry. As reported in the American Psychological Association’s 2021 Work and Well-Being Survey results, “More than two in five intend to change jobs, up from one in three in 2019 ... The survey found that there is an association between the stress an employee feels during the day and the likelihood that they will seek new job opportunities within the next year.”

As we have seen, this trend has been playing out over 2022 with the “Great Resignation”, or the “Big Quit”, where more than 4.3 million Americans left their jobs in January 2022 alone (U.S. Department of Labor, JOLTS report, March 2022). The study also reports job resignations are still up 23 percent above pre-pandemic levels. Researchers at career guidance service JobSafe polled

Bayshore Drive Collier County

2022 APA Florida Great Places in Florida

PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNER

EDITORS NOTE: Hurricane Ian has impacted the Bayshore Drive corridor, but APA Florida is optimistic that the community will rebound like the rest of southwest Florida ravaged by the storm. The corridor was confirmed as the winner before the hurricane swept through the area, but the timing of the storm delayed this announcement. Voting occurred between Aug. 29 – Sept. 23. The below article was written before Hurricane Ian. Stretching nearly 2 miles in unincorporated Collier County, Bayshore Drive has transformed from an underutilized corridor to a complete street and community asset, setting the standard for other jurisdictions looking to bring health, well-being, and vibrancy to outdated roadways. Bayshore Drive promotes healthy and active lifestyles, advances the community’s quality of life, and fosters social activity while protecting and enhancing appreciation for the environment.

[2022 GREAT] PLACES WINNER

Its physical design prioritizes accessibility for all users. Street design elements incorporated in both the public and private realm manifest the vision for a waterfront cultural arts district.

Bayshore Drive is designed as a complete street, accommodating four lanes of vehicle traffic plus green painted bike lanes, and sidewalks shaded with street trees and decorative lighting. This design provides for the safety of users of all ages and abilities, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, motorists, and freight handlers.

Completed in June 2021, the Bayshore Drive and Thomasson Drive Roundabout creates a gateway at the southern end of the corridor. The southeast corner of the intersection features a public plaza with benches, a memorial plaque, and signage dedicated to Del Ackerman, a local business owner and contributor to the Bayshore community for 57 years. These attributes enhance comfort and safety for those who use the corridor for healthy, active living and essential mobility.

Sidewalks are heavily used along both sides of Bayshore Drive to connect businesses, community amenities, adjacent neighborhoods, and nearby destinations. Signalized crossings, enhanced crosswalks, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and pedestrianscale lighting contribute to the quality of the pedestrian experience and encourage walking activity. Bayshore Drive is linked by pedestrian connection to nearby Sugden Regional Park and East Naples Community Park.

Bike lanes along Bayshore Drive are painted green to highlight and promote awareness of cyclists to reduce potential vehicular

encroachments. These were the first Green Bike Lanes completed in Florida and are still used as a model for other communities nationwide. Transit facilities also serve the street, and an electric shuttle is planned to support the “park once” environment along the nearly two-mile corridor.

Adjacent land uses help cultivate Bayshore Drive as a Great Healthy Place. Healthy living and social interaction are embraced and encouraged among restaurants, retailers, and businesses. More than a dozen restaurants and grocers provide an eclectic assortment of authentic foods from around the world, celebrating the Indian, Mexican, Italian, Hispanic, and Haitian/Caribbean cultures, as well as craft beers and wine. Fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, organic, vegetarian, and gluten-freee options are available. Celebration Park at the southwest corner of Bayshore Drive and Becca Avenue is one of the first food truck parks of its kind, featuring 8 permanent food truck stalls, open plaza-style seating, and a waterfront tiki bar overlooking Haldeman Creek. The venue is a highly successful community gathering place for special events, live music, arts, and an assortment of culinary delights.

Other retailers along the corridor provide healthy activities for residents and visitors. Three60 Market provides kayak, paddleboard, jet ski and boat rental via Haldeman Creek with access to the Gulf of Mexico. Hot Yoga Naples provides classes and programs focused on wellness. Naples Outfitters provides kayak purchase and rental options. The plans and vision for Bayshore Drive to be an equitable and healthy living space have been realized as residents move to

Bayshore Drive and Thomasson Drive Roundabout

[2022 GREAT] PLACES WINNER

from page 21

the corridor and businesses continue to locate and expand providing more diverse and health-conscious options.

Bayshore Drive provides a variety of opportunities for civic engagement while fostering community identity and empowerment.

Through Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), local law and code enforcement formed partnerships with residents. The initiative resulted in empowering the community to report illicit activity and to collaborate on beautification improvements that have come to fruition.

The Bayshore logo and theme of “Creativity in Bloom” branded the community as a destination for local artists and entrepreneurs to live and work in the district. The community has embraced its identity as a cultural arts district. Bayshore Drive has been recognized by Gulfshore Life Magazine as “Southwest Florida’s Coolest New district.” The 2021 adoption of Bayshore Gateway Triangle CRA Public Art Pilot Plan provides guiding principles, goals, and program management strategies for public art projects. The identity is evident through various installations provided by local artisans, and businesses such as “Things I Like,” offering contemporary arts and custom jewelry.

Through public, private, and cooperative efforts, Bayshore Drive has elevated opportunities for enhanced experiences and interactions, empowering the community with a strong sense of place and identity.

Naples Botanical Garden (NBG) exemplifies best practices in environmental stewardship and sustainability. The 170-acre site features tropical gardens, natural habitat restoration, and a locally

sourced food garden. The grounds are a model for sustainability, with low-impact design stormwater solutions like rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable surface and gravel parking lots. A recipient of the American Public Gardens Association’s prestigious Award for Garden Excellence, NBG welcomes over 220,000 visitors annually with the mission of connecting people with nature through display, action, education, conservation, and science.

The Everglades Wetland Research Park, a research and teaching program of Florida Gulf Coast University, is located on the campus of NBG and provides community events like the 2022 Moonlight on the Marsh Distinguished Lecture Series.

Shade trees lining Bayshore Drive help reduce the urban heat island effect. To address increased parking demand, a new public parking lot features 37 parking spaces, 2 rideshare pull-offs, and low impact stormwater design, plus space for one electric car charging station.

Businesses along the corridor also incorporate sustainable and resilient design methods. Celebration Park incorporates permeable pavers, native vegetation, passive cooling technologies, and mangrove preservation. Guidepost Montessori School is sustainably designed with a focus on nurturing the physical, social and emotional well-being of preschool children and is currently expanding. All these aspects along the Bayshore Drive corridor help contribute to the greatest accomplishment we could all hope to achieve as planners and as visionaries for a Great Healthy Place, which is to instill the principles of healthy living, social engagement, and a sustainable environment in the next generation.

Center:

Right:

Left: Local art installations along the corridor.

Bayshore Drive Banners, Celebration Park food trucks, Celebration Park resiliency

Montessori School along the corridor, Green bike lanes to protect bikers

Section Grant Projects

By Tony Palermo, AICP

To best serve the needs of all the APA Florida Sections and promote member professional development, earlier this year chapter leaders awarded three rounds of grants to its 12 sections statewide through three grant programs: Non-Competitive Grants, Competitive Grants, and new POP Grants.

Each Section is eligible to receive up to $1,500 in NonCompetitive grant funds each year. In 2022, the sections received a total of $9,159 in Non-Competitive Grants to enhance programming in their communities.

Each section is also eligible for Competitive Grant funding. This year sections received a total of $8,841 in Competitive Grants.

The POP Grants Initiative is designed to promote and encourage people-oriented, small-scale planning projects within their respective communities. This initiative will be led by APA Florida sections who will organize and conduct these projects with their communities in mind. The projects should promote placemaking and citizen engagement within communities.

Two sections (First Coast and Orlando Metro) applied for POP Grants and were awarded a total of $2,800. Orlando Metro received $1,800 for the Unsung Heroes Mural Project and First Coast received $1,000 for the LaVilla Community Crosswalk Painting.

Congratulations to all sections and section leaders for your successful programming this year and for taking part in the firstever POP Grant awards.

Look

at some

section grants results: BROWARD: PORT EVERGLADES TOUR

Attendees met with port planners who updated the group on the port’s current and future projects then set off for a tour of the harbor. The first stop on the tour was the Harbor Master’s crow’s nest. They showed us their equipment and these images show the view of their “office.” Then Port Everglades gave us a behind-thescenes tour of a cruise terminal, discussed how the onboarding has changed since COVID & a sneak peek of the VIP Lounge.

PROJECTS

SUN COAST: WEBINAR HOSTED BY PETER NORTON

The APA Florida Sun Coast Section hosted author Peter Norton for a virtual event on August 4. Peter discussed his book, Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving, which challenges the assumption that driverless cars will solve all of our problems. Peter also answered questions in a Q&A format. The first 25 members who registered received a free signed copy of Autonorama. With 50+ people registered, this was an engaging and insightful event!

ORLANDO METRO SECTION: MURAL CONTRIBUTION

The section made a $1,800 contribution to the Parramore “Rising Up” mural project after additional funds were needed to complete the project. The seven-story mural’s theme of rising up against all odds aims to educate the public and honor those who built the history of the Parramore District. It honors the heroes of the community, who are people that provided their services during segregation, with attention to the history of the Wells’ Built Hotel, which hosted artists and musicians during their stay in Orlando, as well as professionals – lawyers, doctors, nurses, and educators –who provide their services to the Parramore community at a time when its residents could not obtain services elsewhere.

Images courtesy: Harry Lim of Harry Lim Photography

East Palatka for Pilot Project Chapter CPAT Picks

Volunteers Set to Help this Historic Community

By: Patti Shea

"East Palatka is a Gullah Geechee community that is rich in history, cultural heritage, and opportunity. APA Florida and the CPAT pilot team look forward to working with the community to leverage revitalization and economic prosperity opportunities for residents and small businesses," Davis said.

In July, CPAT Leader Ennis Davis, AICP, visited East Palatka and met with community leaders to learn more about their short- and long-term goals.

The community of East Palatka is a historic truck farming neighborhood, with Gullah Geechee heritage, located along the St. Johns River in eastern Putnam County between Palatka and Hastings.

Community leaders and residents reached out to APA Florida asking for assistance in identifying revitalization strategies to spark economic development and small business opportunities for East Palatka residents while also preserving the community’s history, cultural heritage, and sense of place.

One idea is to embrace the concept of “Placekeeping” as opposed to “Placemaking”, to tell East Palatka’s story to users of the Palatka-to-St. Augustine Trail (East Coast Greenway), a former Florida East Coast Railroad line, which runs through the community’s center.

Enter APA Florida CPAT (Community Planning Assistance Team) volunteers.

“East Palatka is a Gullah Geechee community that is rich in history, cultural heritage, and opportunity. APA Florida and the CPAT pilot team look forward to working with the community to leverage revitalization and economic prosperity opportunities for residents and small businesses,” Davis said.

Ennis took the community’s CPAT application to the chapter executive committee, which approved moving forward as a pilot project since this will be the first CPAT the chapter has conducted. The chapter is reimbursing volunteers for their travel, food, and lodging expenses.

The group of volunteers – consisting of historic preservation, zoning, land use, parks, and transportation experts – recently made a site visit to collect data and information, as well as meet with residents. Volunteers include Ennis Davis, AICP, Adrienne Burke, AICP, Esq., Devan Leavins, Ray Spofford, AICP, CNU-A, Josephine Medina, AICP, and Kylie Pope.

East Palatka’s picturesque canopied and brick roads are ideal for agritourism and ecotourism. By helping the community “Placekeep” instead of “Placemake,” the CPAT aims to help preserve its rural character and hopefully give community leaders the tools to empower residents to begin sharing its long and intricate history with visitors. Key considerations are to preserve the historic buildings and sites while enhancing the small business offerings for residents.

Top, left - The Palatka-to-St.-Augustine Trail (part of the East Coast Greenway) runs through the community's center.

Right: Brick roads are a common sight in East Palatka.

[CPAT] PICKS EAST PALATKA

from page 25

The challenges facing East Palatka echo many historically excluded communities throughout Florida:

• Historic preservation

• Affordable housing

• Small business development

• Access to healthy and fresh foods

• Economic development

• Job creation in the community

• Heir property issues

Due to production deadlines, we could not give a complete account of what the CPAT learned during its Nov. 4 - 6 site visit. Stay tuned for the winter Florida Planning Magazine issue, or check out the chapter website. We will post updates as the project progresses, as well as site visit images, and interviews with East Palatka residents and CPAT volunteers.

Patti Shea is the communications manager for APA Florida. She can be reached at staff@floridaplanning.org

Bottom Left: One of the many intact brick roads found throughout East Palatka. Top/Bottom Right: The historic Patersonville Cemetery.

2022 FLORIDA

CONFERENCE IN PHOTOS

PLANNING

THANK YOU TO THE 2022 FLORIDA PLANNING CONFERENCE SPONSORS

DIAMOND ANNUAL

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Congratulations to the 2022 Leadership Award Recipients!

Each year APA Florida, through its Planning Leadership Awards, recognizes individuals or organizations for their leadership on planning issues. These awards are APA Florida’s highest honors.

APA Florida’s Planning Leadership Awards Program consists of the Leadership Awards and the Chapter Award for Best EDI Workplace. Please read about this year’s recipients.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Dr. Petra Doan

During her career, Dr. Petra Doan has had a tremendous influence on planning through her leadership in planning education, pathbreak ing research on planning for queer communities, and her role as advisor and mentor to hundreds of planning students, faculty, and professionals.

While the planning profession was advocating the need for equity, diversity, and inclusion, Dr. Doan — through research, mentoring, training, and active involvement in the profession — dramatically and substantively altered the foci and outcomes for planners and the communities we serve.

She recently concluded 33 years as a faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State University. She supervised 14 completed dissertations (with two more in the process) and 90 graduates in the Master of Science in Planning Program (28 of these also served overseas in the Mas ter’s International Program with the Peace Corps). Beyond that, Dr. Doan has mentored countless undergraduates, master’s students, and Ph.D. students who have gone into careers in planning here in the U.S. and globally where their work has made tremendous posi tive impacts on their communities. As a long-time faculty member and then the director of FSU DURP’s doctoral program, hers has been an influential voice in shaping the direction of planning education helping to bring greater recognition to the importance of global planning education, diversity, and inclusion, and planning for marginalized communities as part of planning curricula.

Beyond her work as an educator, Dr. Doan became a leader in the subjects of international development, gender, and plan ning for the LGBTQ+ community. Dr. Doan began her research on planning for queer communities at a time when this was a largely ignored subject in planning scholarship. Her work raised the vis ibility within the planning spheres of this community and provided other scholars and practitioners with frameworks for understand ing and lessons for implementation to improve the well-being of community members.

Dr. Doan has authored numerous books and articles to help those in our planning field understand the obstacles facing

gendered and sexual minorities. She has presented her work at countless planning-related conferences and workshops and has fielded questions from professional planners around the world. Her important work in this sphere followed an earlier record of exemplary scholarship on planning in developing countries, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Doan’s scholarship has been paired with advocacy in both spheres and through her advocacy, she has helped to place issues of planning for queer communities and global planning education and research more firmly on APA’s agenda.

She has also been a leader within the planning academy through her work with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning’s Faculty Women’s Interest Group and Global Planning Educators Network and on the FSU campus through her extensive service to the University Faculty Senate. She has been a steadfast supporter of female and underrepresented faculty and students serving as an ally and mentor.

This award’s criteria call for the individual to have made substantial contributions to APA over at least a 25-year career in support of planning and APA and to have influenced the trajec tory of the planning profession through the influence upon and implementation of their ideas in practice. Professor Doan’s career clearly exceeds the criteria for this award.

DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHAPTER: ROXANN READ, AICP

Roxann Read, AICP, has served as the Florida Planning Conference local host chair for both the 2020 and 2022 conferences. This service included the rapid transition from an in-person to a virtual conference format in 2020 and the integration of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) content and approaches into FPC in alignment with chapter goals and values.

Roxann has also served as the APA Florida EDI Committee Co-Chair since January 2021, building on her membership contributions since 2019. During her tenure, the EDI Committee has provided extensive benefits to the chapter in the form of webinars, conference sessions, policy statements, review of governing documents, and coordina

LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS

continued from page 29

tion with APA National staff and APA Divisions to raise the chapter’s profile nationally. As of April 2022, the EDI Committee has hosted 26 webinars and conference sessions with 1,554 attendees. APA National choose to share information about the APA Florida’s EDI Committee’s Black History Month webinar series and Upholding Equity in Planning training with APA’s more than 40,000 members via their Interact publication.

Roxann was also recently instrumental in securing a grant from APA’s Chapter Presidents Council to provide an EDI leadership training series for Executive Committee and Section Board members, as well as an EDI workshop for APA Florida members advertised nationally by APA in their Interact newsletter. Her efforts created the opportunity for APA Florida to provide a national model for other chapters on curriculum and methods for delivering EDI training to leadership and membership.

Roxann has also served as a member of the Orlando Metro Section board where she worked diligently to assist with the planning of new events and initiatives. She co-founded the Orlando Metro Section’s Women in Planning group, only the third section-based affinity group in the state, which has continued as a thriving community and sup port network over the past two years. Through these efforts, she has nurtured many young women planners within the region.

Roxann also contributes to planning practice in Florida in her former capacity as a Development Services Assistant Director for the City of Wildwood. In that position, she mentored her staff of emerging plan ners in the planning practice’s ethical and technical dimensions in their roles as reviewers of one of Florida’s largest developments, The Villages. She also encouraged them to become involved in APA, resulting in their participation in the Orlando Metro Section’s Women and Planning Group and one staff member becoming a section board member.

She is a passionate advocate for persons with disabilities, in her work with the EDI Committee as well as participating as a speaker on a recent webinar dealing with Empowering a Growing Population of Aging Adults and Individuals with disabilities via Autonomous Vehicle Technology, and volunteering with the Special Olympics.

DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHAPTER: DEVAN LEAVINS

Devan Leavins has been an active member of APA Florida since he served as the Young Planners Group Ambas sador for the Capital Area Section in 2013 and was subsequently elected as Vice Chair of the Capital Area Section in 2015. He served for several terms as the APA Florida Capital Area Section Chair and continues to be an active member in the organization, now as Immediate Past Chair, imparting his wisdom and experience on the current board when needed.

What is noteworthy is the tasks Devan is willing to take on. No job

is too big or too small. He always makes himself available to help, whether that’s providing technical assistance to the Chapter Office in running the Public Policy Workshop or coordinating mobile tour events. Furthermore, Devan is innovative and offers creative solu tions to unique situations. One such example was during the 2021 APA Florida Public Policy Workshop. Historically there is a mobile tour the afternoon before to welcome guests to the section. COVID had derailed holding the workshop in person. Devan came up with the creative idea of doing a “virtual mobile workshop” to promote initia tives around the section, not just strictly in Tallahassee and with his help, this tour came to fruition and was extremely successful.

He’s also active at the state level, connecting with other APA Florida section members and presenting at APA Florida conferences as a speaker, panelist, or workshop instructor. He was one of the originators of the chapter’s newly created CPAT outreach effort. De van has also put in a lot of effort to build connections between APA Florida and other professional organizations like the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He helps to build the APA Florida organization by strengthening networks and building upon opportunities where we have shared interests.

Devan also contributes to the planning profession through his work. Over the past year, Devan has led a team of planners to engage in a new participatory planning process on Tallahassee’s Southside that engaged community members that had previously not been a part of planning processes. In addition, Devan has volunteered his time to community leaders and groups initiating rural placemaking in Miccosu kee and the Fort Braden Community, just outside of Tallahassee. He has been an invited presenter and community organizer to help citizen-led groups identify priorities and implement changes to promote placemak ing, such as community workdays and a rural farmers market. Devan is known for connecting people and opportunities to bring out the best in planning leaders and making planning ideas come to life.

OUTSTANDING LOCAL PUBLIC

OFFICIAL: HOWARD LEVITAN

Howard Levitan has shown outstand ing leadership and commitment to the vision of Estero for more than 11 years. He was the first Vice Mayor for the Village of Estero, Florida’s newest city, when it was incorporated on Dec. 31, 2014. He was elected by an overwhelm ing majority of residents and served two terms on its council, followed by a term as co-chair of the Planning, Zoning, and Design Board.

He is an impressive local official who has championed sound plan ning practices, even prior to his election, as a citizen-activist serving

LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS

continued from page 30

on non-elected community planning boards for several years. In only six short years on the council, he became the driving force behind the adoption of the village’s first comprehensive plan and first land development code, formulating future public policy and setting the stage for more sustainable and diverse growth patterns. The plan and code are both based on Estero’s history of extensive citizen participa tion and transparency.

He advocated for the creation of a “Village Center” downtown area where none existed. His vision and passion for smart growth and sustainable development have created a legacy for the village. His planning efforts that focused on creating sustainable development will have a significant and enduring impact on the community for decades.

Mayor Woods, in his letter of support, stated: “As Chairman, I wish to recognize the efforts of Vice Mayor Levitan that shaped these valu able plans. Because of this commitment, Estero is well-prepared for the future. Our motto is that Estero is “The Village with a Vision”. Vice Mayor Levitan’s leadership was integral to developing this vision.”

STUDENT PLANNER OF THE YEAR: JADY CHEN

Finishing up her studies this fall at the University of Central Florida’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program, Jady Chen has distinguished herself for both her academic and leadership attributes while in that program.

Jady is dedicated to transforming environments to be more sustainable and livable. She has a strong interest in transportation planning and green building. In combining these two to create a greener transpor tation system, she hopes to transform the planning profession to the next level. In addition to working on her degree in urban and regional planning, she is also completing a certificate in Emergency Manage ment and Homeland Security.

A first-generation college student, Jady understands the value of practical experience in addition to academic education. Beyond tak ing classes, Jady worked as a GIS Teaching Assistant, lecturing, and creating lessons for introductory-level GIS classes. She also worked for the City of Orlando as a sustainability project associate where she participated in a project to assess the feasibility of expanding bike paths in the city. She is currently working as a Transportation Plan ning Intern with Kittleson & Associates.

Jady has also been involved with several campus and professional organizations including the U.S. Green Building Council, WTS Central Florida, Young Professionals in Transportation, and the UCF Urban Knights Planning Association where she has been its president for almost two years.

Additionally, Jady has been the recipient of a number of awards recognizing her academic achievements and leadership potential

including the APA Florida minority scholarship (2020), the AASHE Campus Sustainability Student Leadership Award (2020), the VHB Miller Seller Endowed Scholarship (2021), the Frankee Hellinger Me morial Graduate Leadership Scholarship (2021), and the Vince Briones Scholarship (2021). Moreover, at her young age, Jady has already earned the LEED Green Associate Certification.

As Luis Nieves-Ruiz, chair of the Orlando Metro Section, stated in his letter of support: Jady Chen embodies the academic and leadership values that APA Florida should foster in the next genera tion of planning professionals. If she stays in Florida, I am confident that Jady will be part of the Executive Committee within the next five years. I am personally looking forward to working with her in a professional capacity in the near future .”

BEST EDI WORKPLACE: JACOBS

Jacobs is creating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive, and they call that culture TogetherBe yond. Jacobs has actively implemented TogetherBeyond by:

1. Instituting in 2020 its Action Plan for Advancing Justice and Equity. The plan’s critical components are: a. Amplify culture of belonging. b. Recruit, retain, and advance Black employees based on merit to achieve proportional representation in Jacobs to the overall external population.

c. Contribute to structural change in the broader society.

2. Requiring Conscious Inclusion Training for all employees.

3. Supporting Employee Networks, including: a. ACE for employees living with disabilities, neurodiversity, and long-term health concerns.

b. Enlace, which links with Latino communities. c. Prism, a LGBTQ+ and allies network. d. VetNet for veterans and allies.

e. OneWorld, which celebrates all cultures.

f. Women’s Network, which promotes gender inclusion.

4. Supporting employee involvement in local community activities, such as its Jacksonville Office’s Bikes-n-Bytes Program, through which employees have donated (for the past 18 years) bicycles and computers to students and families in Northeast Florida.

Congratulations to all the recipients!

L to R: Ellen Patterson, Dan Kirby, FAICP, FAIA

Congratulations to the 2022 Project Awards Recipients!

The 2022 APA Florida Project Awards were celebrated at the annual conference. These awards recognize the development, conservation, government, or environmental projects where planning has had a positive impact on the outcome. This year there were five Awards of Excellence and five Awards of Merit. Let’s meet this year’s winners!

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

City of Lakeland Comprehensive Plan: Our Community 2030

Category: Comprehensive Plan - Large Jurisdiction

(L to R) Jennifer Codo-Salisbury, AICP, Jeff Schmucker, AICP, Pat Steed, Stefanie von Paleske-Bush, AICP , Chuck Barmby, AICP CTP, Todd Vargo, AICP, Emily Foster, AICP, Karlyn Daniel, Sheila McNamara, SFP, Jonathan Rodriguez

The City of Lakeland Comprehensive Plan: Our Community 2030 unites the city’s and the community’s vision to guide new development and foster redevelopment of a historic and rapidly growing city. The plan reflects wide-ranging and diverse input from all parts of the community. It brings forward policies refocused on neighborhoods and preserving the seven historic districts while supporting multimodal development along transit-oriented corridors and a vibrant downtown. The plan is leaner by hundreds of pages than its predecessor while being written and structured to be used and understood by citizens, the business community, elected officials, and planning practitioners.

FAMU Way Playground Restroom

Category: Planning Project

Tallahassee’s first green roof facility provides an innovative example of sustainability in green infrastructure and accommodating persons with disabilities. The restroom design is both forward-thinking and responsive to the community’s input. Features of this new 1,200-squarefoot restroom facility include a 400-square-foot irrigated green roof, two family-style restrooms with adult and child changing tables, a 500-gallon cistern to harvest rainwater, and a water fountain with a bottle filling station. The cistern system will harvest, treat, and reuse rainwater at the facility to irrigate the green roof system for sustainability purposes. This is a model for how infrastructure projects can be made sustainable even at a micro-scale.

FLiP Jr

Category: Grassroots Initiative

The FLiP Jr program is the product of robust collaborations among community organizations, professional planners, University of South Florida student planners, and non-profits. Focused on underserved communities in Hillsborough County, the program exposed young children to planning through interactive activities revolving around multimodal transportation and safety, land-use, and civic engagement themes. The students were able to create their own “pop-up cities” and work on a beautification project. They became advocates for their communities. FLiP Jr is a model that will stimulate increased diversity in the planning profession and demonstrates why meaningful public engagement is imperative and possible for communities with the greatest needs.

(L to R) Tatiana M. Daguillard and Micahel Alfano

(L to R) Melissa Zornitta, FAICP, Davida Franklin, Fatima Elkott, Lynn Merenda

PROJECT AWARDS

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Little Havana Pedestrian Priority Zones

Category: Innovations in Planning for All Ages

MHCP COLAB created four pedestrian priority zones around local schools in one of Miami’s most vulnerable communities, Little Havana, to make it safer for children to walk to school. Using Florida Department of Transportation crash data, field observations, and extensive community input, the project team demonstrated to key decision makers that Little Havana had the highest number of pedestrian crashes in Miami-Dade County. The new policy requires crosswalks, designated greenways, 25 mph speed limits on local streets, leading pedestrian intervals, and midblock crossings. A public relations and media campaign drove community awareness and state funding for priority one projects which are now being designed.

Nassau County Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan (PROSMP)

Category: Best Practices

The PROSMP created a compelling and comprehensive vision for a countywide system of neighborhood, community, and regional parks, connected by trails and sidewalks. The plan was innovative in considering what types of parks and recreation facilities are most appropriate in individual communities based on public input and the application of placemaking principles to create context-sensitive park designs. This focus on the public realm has the potential to address numerous critical community health issues. To address the need for a more equitable distribution of facilities and programs, an emphasis was placed on increasing the supply of parks and recreation facilities and developing community partnerships to help activate those parks. Comprehensive in its scope, the plan considers funding sources as well as programs for implementation and capital improvements for future parks and recreation facilities.

AWARDS OF MERIT

Hillsborough County Complete Streets Ecosystem

Category: Best Practices

Hillsborough County’s Context-Based Classification Plan and Complete Streets Guide form the foundation for a complete streets ecosystem, working together to ensure that streets are designed in furtherance of the community’s vision. Streets are context classified according to future land use, building a bridge between transportation and land use in both form and function. Within each context, the Complete Streets Guide describes typologies that further define streets based upon the users that would be expected from the planned adjacent land uses. Street elements are then prioritized within each typology, thus customizing a street

(L to R) Matt Hege and Melissa Hege, AICP, LEED AP

(L to R) Kelly Gibson, AICP, Taco Pope, AICP, Thad Crowe, AICP

(L to R) Angelo Belluccia, P.E, Anthony Vallone, AICP, Matthew Lewis, AICP, Meagan Winchester, AICP, John Patrick, AICP, Jillian Ward, Paula Flores, FITE, Sierra McCormick

design to the communities they serve.

PROJECT AWARDS

AWARDS OF MERIT

LaVilla Neighborhood Development Strategy

Category: Neighborhood Planning

The LaVilla Neighborhood Development Strategy is based on the dynamic combination of the neighborhood’s position within Downtown Jacksonville and the unique land holdings of the city and Jacksonville Transit Authority. These two factors, paired with the neighborhood’s rich history and the opportunity for transit-oriented development, point to the neighborhood’s future position as a place for reinvestment and reurbanization. The plan and its continued implementation involve substantial and diverse participation and input from the public and local business community. Today, the plan’s approval serves as a jumping-off point for additional community input, redevelopment projects, community partnerships, and public realm improvements to help the community implement its vision.

Nassau County SR 200/A1A Corridor Master Plan

Category: Neighborhood Planning

Nassau County is defining the future of the SR200/A1A Corridor, its principal east-west roadway. The vision for the SR200/A1A Corridor charts a course toward a livable, sustainable, and economically vital future. Overcoming the challenges of COVID through virtual meetings, online surveys, and socially distanced outdoor events, the SR 200/A1A Corridor Master Plan emerged from a three-year outreach period that involved more than 400 residents, property owners, businesspersons, and county officials. The plan uses transect-based land use categories to incentivize growth within mixed-use centers with an emphasis on park and civic space and walkable design.

Providence Neighborhood Plan Refresh

Category: Grassroots Initiative

The Providence Neighborhood Plan Refresh is an innovative grassroots initiative stemming from a partnership between the Providence Neighborhood Association (PNA), the City of Tallahassee, and the Florida State University Barnebey Planning and Development Lab. The team worked collaboratively to implement and refresh an almost 20-year-old stagnated plan. The team created two deliverables: “The Completion Matrix,” a living document that serves to keep track of previous tasks and their status, and an “Implementation Strategy Guide,” a step-by-step framework with actionable digestible steps that PNA leadership can follow to improve and complete the tasks outlined in the plan for the betterment of the neighborhood.

Connectedness: Suggestions for Planning Best Practices in East Gainesville

Category: Outstanding Student Project

Students from the University of Florida’s graduate planning studio course for Fall 2021 partnered with local leaders from the Duval Heights Neighborhood to develop recommendations for planning best practices for East Gainesville. Connectedness: Suggestions for Planning Best Practices in East Gainesville attempts to address longstanding disparities experienced by the communities of East Gainesville and to find a means of fostering a more equitable relationship between the community and local institutions. This report provides an analysis of previous planning efforts, a comprehensive set of recommendations, and an organizational framework for future planning and policy efforts concerning the communities of East Gainesville.

(L to R) Peter Sechler, AICP, PLA, Blake Drury, Wes Shaffer, AICP

(L to R) Blake Drury, Thad Crowe, AICP, Taco Pope, AICP, Kelly Gibson, AICP

Back row: Mackenzie Shaffer, Noah Schwab, Michael Greco, Nick Santiso, Howard Williams, Ashton Hess, Chloe McCrary, Marcus Thompkins; Front Row: Billie Ventimiglia, Dennis J. Smith, AICP

(L to R) Dr. Ruth Steiner, Jeremy Griffith, Jessica Hays, and Rama Hiba.

Tips from the

FPC22 PLANNER TO LEADER WORKSHOP

By Amy Elmore, AICP

The APA Florida Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee brought together leaders from all over the state for the Planner to Leader Workshop at the 2022 Florida Planning Conference to help under-represented mid-career planners achieve management positions and professional growth.

The APA Florida Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Com mittee brought together leaders from all over the state for the Planner to Leader Workshop at the 2022 Florida Planning Conference to help under-represented mid-career planners achieve management positions and professional growth.

With more than 50 participants, the workshop featured APA Florida President-Elect Allara Mills-Gutcher, AICP as the opening speaker, followed by two expert panels and several break-out sessions on how you can grow from a planner to an effective and inclusive leader. The work shop’s presentation and a handout featuring articles and resources are on the chapter website

Here’s a reap of some of the leaders’ top tips:

What are some tips for setting career goals and achieving them?

Develop a career plan you’re excited about and that allows you to do what you love to do. Where do you want to be in 5, 10, or 20 years?

Write down your goals in detail and determine how you’ll achieve those goals. Also, find a mentor or accountability partner who can keep you on track to reach your goals. – Allara Mills-Gutcher, AICP

What skills and experience helped you achieve a leadership position at your firm or agency?

Be a problem solver, not a problem identifier. Wherever you’re working, when you go to your boss or team with a problem that’s popped up, try to have an answer in mind. – Steven R. Cover, AICP

What strategies do you use to advocate for yourself?

As a leader and brown woman in the planning field - with an accent - don’t let anyone put you in a box. You’re better than that. And always speak the truth and be transparent. – Claudia Ray

What was your main motivation for seeking a management role?

Know yourself. So often along the way, I’ve en countered many people who say they want to be a manager, but if they’re true to themselves, they realize they enjoy other things within planning. I have worked at a lot of different organizations, from the public to private sector, and developed a broad basis for my career, but overall, I enjoyed managing people – making sure they had what they needed to be successful as a team. – Patricia Steed

As a leader or manager, what new skills and approaches did you develop to be successful?

I’m going to be very honest and tell you that the transition I made from my previous job to my current job was so I could go back to planning. I had to get very true to myself and what I wanted out of my career, and I love planning. Management is something I can do, but I would much rather plan. – Tina M. Ekblad, AICP, MPA

How do you inspire and help others become leaders or achieve their goals?

I try to first ensure that my team isn’t afraid to fail. They know they can come to me if they make a mistake, allowing them to learn from their experiences and become better planners. Second, we want to celebrate success. This is such an important, whether a small or big success, always acknowledge your team and celebrate those successes. – Mary Moskowitz, AICP, CPM

How did you build your network or find mentors to help you secure a leadership position?

As an APA Florida Past President, I have to cham pion being an APA member. That was a huge part in growing my professional network. It gave me opportunities as a volunteer to learn skills that then I had to use as a manager. – Melissa E. Zornitta, FAICP

How do you measure your success and career achievements?

Through the success of my team. If my team is successful, that means I have been successful in providing them with what they need to get the job done. – Patricia Steed

How do you build confidence and impact when you are the only underrepresented person in a meeting or at your firm/agency?

Women have so many strengths as leaders to focus on. The ability to look at both sides, to listen, to be less combative in response, to emphasize with people, to build consensus and resolve conflicts. Sometimes these are seen as a weakness, but I believe they are strengths and should be drawn on more. – Melissa E. Zornitta, FAICP

What are the most important “soft skills” for management and leadership, and how can they be developed?

Leaders never stop developing their soft skills. The most important soft skill for individuals to un derstand and master is the concept of emotional intelligence – the idea that we have a choice in how we respond to all situations. Bringing awareness and intention to your behavior as a manager/leader is one of the most important soft skills to develop and continue to refine. – Tina M. Ekblad, AICP, MPA

Thanks to all the Planner to Leader volunteers, who helped make this event a success! The EDI Committee is planning more Planner to Leader resources and videos and welcomes your suggestions. Check out more videos and tips and contact the EDI Committee at florida.planning.org/edi

2023-24

APA Florida Executive Committee

Congratulations to the incoming members of the APA Florida Executive Committee.

ELECTION RESULTS

PRESIDENT ELECT

Allara Mills Gutcher, AICP

SECRETARY

Jill Quigley, AICP

TREASURER

John Roach, AICP

VICE PRESIDENTS CONFERENCE SERVICES

Edward Ng, AICP

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Lara Bouck, AICP, PE

COMMUNICATIONS

Amy Elmore, AICP

MEMBERSHIP & OUTREACH SERVICES

Ennis Davis, AICP

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Henry Bittaker, FAICP

SECTION AFFAIRS

Ali Palmer

Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, these nine members will join the 12 section chairs, the Emerging Planners Group, University, and Student representatives, President Whit Blanton, FAICP, and Immediate Past President, Wiatt Bowers, AICP, to serve the 3,000+ members of APA Florida for 2023-24.

MEET YOUR STATEWIDE OFFICERS

Whit Blanton, FAICP President

Jill Quigley, AICP Secretary

Edward Ng, AICP VP of Conference Services

Lara Bouck, AICP, PE VP of Continuing Education

Amy Elmore, AICP VP of Communications

Ennis Davis, AICP VP of Membership & Outreach Services

Henry Bittaker, FAICP VP of Professional Development

Ali Palmer VP of Section Affairs

John Roach, AICP Treasurer

Allara Mills Gutcher, AICP President-Elect Wiatt Bowers, AICP Immediate Past President

A Message...

from APA Florida Executive Director Alex Magee

This year marks my 15-year anniversary year as executive director of APA Florida. With your help, APA Florida has expanded its services to members and the planning com munity, served as a model for other chapters, and acted as a voice for sound planning in Florida. Among other things, the chapter built healthy fiscal reserves and funded a full-time communications position that focuses on member communication and messag ing. In the face of COVID-19, the chapter leadership successfully transitioned to a virtual conference in 2020, and in the last six years alone, the chapter and sections have offered members an impressive 2,485 hours of continuing education opportunities.

Chapter members interested in the AICP exam have access to a study program, hosted by the Treasure Coast Section, which is known throughout other chapters as a successful model. Through the Andre Anderson Minority Scholarship program, more than $27,000 has been given to graduate planning students to help support them in their studies. And a planning education curriculum for K-12 students was created and has been used to spark interest in children in several communities around the state.

The chapter legislative policy committee initiated Planners Month in the Districts –where members meet their state legislators to discuss issues facing planners – as a part of our advocacy outreach. A multi-year effort by dedicated members resulted in the addition of the Livable Florida webpage providing resources and information on creating sustainable communities. The chapter also recently partnered with the Florida Associa tion of Counties to create a Transportation 101 training module to be used as part of that association’s annual training for county officials and staff.

An ongoing collaboration with AARP Florida and the Nurses on Boards Coalition builds upon our former Plan4Healthy Florida initiative by linking health and planning by appoint ing nurses to local boards and committees. A newly created Community Planning As sistance Team program for community outreach is underway, with its initial pilot project in the community of East Palatka anticipated to be completed early next year. And the chapter’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, actively working to create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive planning community in Florida, is recognized as a model by the APA national office.

These are just some of the accomplishments our amazing members and leadership achieved over the years and why APA Florida received an APA Award for Outstanding Outreach to the Community in 2019 and was recognized as Chapter of the Year in 2021. I am proud to have played a small part in this growth and accomplishments.

When I came on board, I had worked for more than 30 years as a planner for a variety of entities including the Department of Com munity Affairs, Florida Department of Transportation, Apalachee Regional Planning Council, Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, Town of Oxford, Conn., and 1000 Friends of Florida. It was while I worked at 1000 Friends in the original Water fronts Florida program that I realized that my passion was in the non-profit world. I loved the flexibility of working with individuals and communities without strict parameters, seeing what needed to be done, and being able to just do it. So, when the opportunity to join the APA Florida office arose in 2007, I was elated. But I did not realize at that time how much I would personally gain from the experience, and the depth and quality of the friendships I would make over the years.

It has been a privilege to work for the organization, the current chapter and section boards, and the boards that have come before. Our members’ willingness to serve and actively volunteer time and effort to move APA Florida forward, and support these efforts with monetary sponsorships, is not always found in other organizations.

It is bittersweet to be retiring at the end of December, but I con fess that I am looking forward to seeing what the next chapter of my life will hold. (Beyond just my first grandchild who will be born in December and learning to flyfish!) I feel confident that the current leadership team and whoever fills the executive director position will continue to move APA Florida in new directions, find new ways to serve our members, and make the organization even better.

I wish you all the best in the future!

Editor’s

The University of Florida College of Design, Construction, and Planning is mourning the loss of Department of Landscape Architecture Adjunct Professor Dr. David Barth, AICP who passed away on Wednesday, June 15. He was 67.

David received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from UF in 1978, and in 2012 moved back to Gainesville after leading or collaborating on nearly 100 parks and recreation system master plans. After earning his Ph.D. from DCP in 2015, he started his own shop, Barth Associates, while also serving as an adjunct, guest speaker, and juror for the landscape architecture program.

This past year, he was elevated to the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows for his exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large.

For more than four decades, his career in landscape architecture blended extensive practice experience, scholarly research, and lectures and publications to earn him a place

Alexas a nationally recognized expert in parks and recreation system planning. David’s planning methodology for parks and recreation systems emphasized a broader public realm-based approach to communitywide sustainability and resiliency.

David originated the concept of High-Performance Public Space (HPPS) — any publicly accessible space that generates economic, environmental, and social sustainability benefits for the local community. HPPS breaks down boundaries between the disciplines and helps identify factors that lead to innovative planning and design of public spaces. He continually shared his new knowledge generated from both practice and research through publications, lectures, and teaching, perhaps best exemplified in his 2020 book Parks and Recreation System Planning: A New Approach for Creating Sustainable, Resilient Communities

He is survived by his wife Denise and children Abigail and Elliot, the latter of whom is also a UF landscape architecture graduate (BLAE ’19).

The Barth family asks that David be honored with donations to two of his favorite organizations: Gainesville Area Rowing and the Alachua Conservation Trust. A commemorative paddle down one of his favorite rivers will be announced later this year.

In Memoriam

Dr. David Barth, AICP By Kyle Niblett

note: This obituary originally appeared on the University of Florida’s DCP website.

Member Spotlight Q&A:

Josephine Medina, AICP, LEED GA

Where are you originally from?

I was born in La Mirada, Calif., but grew up in Hialeah Gardens, Fla.

What college/ university did you attend?

I went to the University of Florida for my undergraduate and graduate degrees. Go Gators!

What is your current position?

Currently working as Project Manager for RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture in their Bonita Springs office.

What you would be doing now if you hadn’t chosen the planning profession?

Hard question not a lot of professions out there provide you with such a broad base of information that you are really able to dive into, learn about, and get to share with the public. That is what I really love about being a planner. If I had to choose, I would probably be in the field of psychology. I do enjoy understanding how we interact with not just our built environment but each other.

Are you a member of other planning or non-planning boards, committees, or organizations?

I volunteer as a Canine Coach for an amazing organization, the Naples Humane Society.

Would you like to share anything about your family?

I was lucky enough to have rescued a 5-year-old little dog named Oliver from the Naples Humane Society about two years ago. My family takes him everywhere with us. He just came back from our trip to Colombia where everyone just doted on him constantly.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I really enjoy drawing/sketching and painting. Love to volunteer any chance I get.

Ever had your 15 minutes of fame?

Not yet but think it will be interesting if I ever do because I am not sure if I actually want to have 15 minutes of fame.

Do you have any advice for new graduates in your field or career tips?

Have an open mind and never be afraid to ask questions. Learn from other planners/professionals as much as you can. Luckily the planning field is filled with many people who love what they do and are willing to share their knowledge so take advantage of that. Find as many mentors as you can!

What have you gained or learned by being a member of APA Florida?

I think APA Florida keeps me up to date on planning issues and innovations happening in Florida that I am not even aware are out there. In this year’s Florida Planning Conference alone I gain so much insight into planning in practice. I went on a mobile tour with a specific mindset in place and came out with a whole new perspective on the issue and very inspired to take what I learned and try to implement it locally.

Is there a particular state planning topic you’d like to comment on or feel fellow planners need to follow?

Urban agriculture policy is a topic that as planners in Florida I think we should be following. Population growth in Florida is creating more pressure for development on prime agricultural lands. Policies to provide safeguards to existing agricultural operations to continue as development grows around them and to allow for businesses/communities/residents to grow fresh food within the city will help address equitable food access and help reduce the distance needed to transport agricultural products to where they will ultimately be used/consumed, therefore helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

APA FLORIDA WORKING FOR YOU

SUPPORTING SECTIONS THROUGH GRANTS

The chapter awarded approximately $21,000 in grant funding to its 12 Sections statewide through competitive, non-competitive, and POP grants. These grants promote member professional de velopment, engagement, and community planning. The POP grants are new this year and designed to encourage people-oriented, small-scale planning projects. Sample grant-funded activities include tours of ports, inviting national speakers for webinars, and community murals and crosswalk paintings. See photos and read more about the grants on pp 23.

FALL ONLINE AICP EXAM PREPARATION SERIES

Vice President of

FAICP, just completed his second AICP Exam Prep series of the year. Sponsored by the chapter, and hosted by the Treasure Coast Section, Henry continues to provide free AICP prepara tion courses for anyone signed up to take the exam. Each year Henry hosts two online preparation series – August to October and February to April – as well as an all-day crash course at the Florida Planning Conference.

EDI COMMITTEE PLANNER TO LEADER SERIES

The APA Florida Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee has developed new programming for all interested in moving into leadership. In addition to the half-day session at the Florida Plan ning Conference, the EDI Committee launched a new video series available on the chapter website. The series features interviews with a diverse group of planners who now hold leadership posi tions in various organizations throughout the state of Florida, sharing guidance and advice on how to advance in your career.

APA FLORIDA REPRESENTED AT POLICY & ADVOCACY CONFERENCE

LEGISLATIVE

PRIORITIES

SURVEY AND LEGISLATIVE SESSION

APA Florida asked members to share input on the most important issues for the APA Florida Legislative Policy Committee to follow. Potential priorities such as historic preservation, affordable hous ing, local government pre-emption, economic development, equity in planning, etc. were available to be ranked. Based on nearly 80 responses, chapter members indicated that state preemption of local government planning activities and hous ing affordability are increasingly important priorities compared to prior years. The Legislative & Policy Committee is met Nov. 2 to recommend legislative priorities for the 2023 Session based on the survey results. The 60-day Legislative Session begins on March 7.

APA once again hosted a valuable Policy & Advocacy Conference on September 28-29 in virtual format. The program focused on zoning reform for housing affordability, resilience, clean energy, equity, and infra structure, with engaging panel discussions and guest lectures. APA members participated in virtual congressional meetings to advocate for zoning reform legislation being advanced in House and Senate.

In addition, APA held its inaugural Congressional Fly-In, with about two dozen experienced planner advocates meeting in Washington, D.C. The two-day event featured in-person meet ings with influential House and Senate members and their staff focusing on advancing the Housing Supply and Affordability Act and Yes in My Backyard Act. APA members also met with senior staff of USDOT and HUD to learn about the new Thriving Com munities program and share their insights on the early implemen tation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Whit Blanton, FAICP, was Florida’s Congressional Fly-In representative.

continued on page 42

Professional Development Henry Bittaker,

(L to R) Whit Blanton, FAICP and Logan Anderson, Legislative Correspondent for Sen. Scott.

FPC22

APA Florida volunteers and staff worked hard to offer a fun and informative Florida Planning Conference to all 900+ planners and speakers who convened in Orlando from Sept. 6 - 9. It was wonder ful seeing members enjoy sessions, mobile tours, receptions, and featured speakers in person.

The APA Florida Executive Committee also met to brainstorm priorities for the next Executive Director.

You can view any presentations you may have missed on the chapter website

And in case you missed the announcement, FPC23 will be in Jacksonville, Sept. 5 – 8.

THANK YOU – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to our departing elected statewide and appointed officers for your years of service on the APA Florida Executive Committee:

• Laura Everitt, AICP, Esq., LEED GA

• Tony Palermo, AICP

• Melissa Dickens, AICP

• Thuy Turner, AICP, LEED AP BD+C.

• Laura Dedenbach, AICP, Ph.D.

• Sofia Garantiva, AICP

• Bob Bernhart

To see the 2022 Statewide Officers election results, go to page 37.

[Q&A] SPOTLIGHT

continued from page 40

Do you have a planning or personal achievement to discuss?

Well, last fall I obtained my AICP certification, and I just obtained my LEED Green Associate credential this October

Anything else you would like us to know about you?

Very excited to be able to have volunteered for APA Florida’s first Community Planning Assistance Team pilot program currently underway providing planning assistance to communities in need. I hope the success of this pilot program project foresters the ability to help many other communities in need in Florida.

CHAPTER MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP NAMED FOR ANDRE ANDERSON

2022 APPLICATION WINDOW IS NOW OPEN

During its September meeting, the APA Florida Executive Committee unanimously voted to rename its annual minority scholarship after the chapter’s first Black president, Andre Anderson, who served from 2016-18.

After surviving a stroke in 2021, Andre is recovering at a health rehabilitation facility in the Orlando area.

“Andre has been a tireless force for raising member awareness around issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. I am grateful that the Executive Committee wanted to honor him in this way,”

said Laura Everitt, AICP, Esq., LEED GA, who succeeded Andre as president.

Each year the chapter awards one or two scholarships to minority students attending accredited planning schools. To date, the association has awarded more than $27,000 in minority scholarships.

This year’s application cycle is open. To apply for the APA Florida Andre Anderson Minority Scholarship, please review the criteria and fill out the form here

-Patti Shea

PLANNERS ON THE MOVE

FAU’S BOURASSA MOVES TO SEATTLE; SAIGNOR NAMED DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Steven Bourassa, Ph.D., became the chair of the University of Washington’s Department of Real Estate as its John and Judith Runstand Endowed Professor. Bourassa previously helmed Florida Atlantic Univer sity’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

Jesse Saignor, AICP, Ph.D., is FAU’s new plan ning department chair. Jesse has a doctorate in Urban Studies and Public Affairs with a concentration on real estate and economic development from Cleveland State University. He also has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Ohio State University.

Jesse currently serves as chairperson since 2018 and has been a com missioner with the Delray Beach Housing Authority since 2015.

PLUNKETT NAMED TO UF’S 40

GATORS UNDER 40

Nicole Plunkett, AICP, partner with Cotleur & Hearing and founder of Future Landscape Architects of America (FLAA), was recently recognized by the University of Florida (UF) Alumni Association in the Class of 2022 40 Gators Under 40! Her outstanding professional achievements have positively impacted the Gator Nation, along with the state of Florida and the field of landscape architecture overall.

Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture with a minor in environmental studies from the UF College of Design, Construction, and Planning in 2010. She became a partner of the landscape architecture and land planning firm Cotleur & Hearing in 2019. Earlier in her career, Nicole founded FLAA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating K-12 students about the field of landscape architecture, and has worked with over 3,000 students from more than 40 organizations and schools.

SANIBEL TAPS MCMICHAEL TO HELM PLANNING DEPARTMENT

Paula McMichael, AICP, was named Plan ning Director for the Town of Sanibel. She was previously with Hole Montes in their Naples office.

A native Floridian, Paula received her bachelors from Smith College and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University.

MOAYYED JOINS POLK TPO

Hamideh Moayyed is the new Senior Trans portation Planner with the Polk TPO. She comes to Polk from Wisconsin where she completed her Ph.D. in transportation planning at the University of Wisconsin.

Hamideh has more than five years of experience in transportation data analysis and has a proven ability to analyze large data sets and write reports outlining findings and recommendations. She holds a Bachelor of Urban Planning from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (Iran) and a Master in Urban Planning and Design from the University of Shahid Beheshti (Iran).

NIEVES-RUIZ APPOINTED TO AIA NATIONAL AWARDS JURY

Luis Nieves-Ruiz, FAICP was appointed by the President of the American Institute of Archi tects to serve on the 2023 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture Jury. This 9-member committee is responsible for selecting the winners of the National AIA awards and the AIA Twenty-five Year Award. Luis is the only planner serving as a juror.

Luis was also selected as a finalist for the Don Quijote Awards in the Professional of the Year Category. Sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando and Prospera, this award recognizes Hispanic individuals that have excelled in their profession and made outstanding contributions to the Central Florida community.

He currently serves as the Director of Economic Development for the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council.

EARNED A PROMOTION?

STARTED A NEW JOB? WON AN AWARD?

Let us know! We want to keep track of all the great opportunities happening to our members. Fill out this form to submit.

[BEATING] BURNOUT

from page 19

more than 2,000 working Americans and found that “28 percent say they’ve left a job in the last two years because of its impact on their mental health. Nearly two in five Americans have considered quitting for this reason.”

To the planning industry, as the panel discussed, this creates rifts in the work we do for our communities, the continuity of our organizations, and the efficacy of the processes we create.

The panel noted that planning is the intersection of the technical and the spiritual, where the desires and needs of the community are interpreted into the plans for creating, organizing, and operating physical space.

The panel asserted that a larger impact of burnout on planning is that we cannot be the advocates and interpreters for the communities that rely on our work if we are running on empty ourselves. They also provided evidence and information about the progression of planning from an advocacy role to more of a technical role and posited that this trend may be shifted back to more of an advocacy role if we weren’t so stressed out all the time.

Throughout the session, the panel led the attendees through some simple stress management strategies to combat burnout in the workplace. These strategies included breathing, mindfulness, affirmation exercises, and visualization techniques. The group also talked about their experience with utilizing professional therapy, counseling, and coaching in their own wellness journeys.

The presentation, strategies, resources, and a growing library of information are provided in the following folder, Beating Burnout for Planners, or by scanning the QR code to the right.

Adrienne Burke, AICP, Esq., is a Principal Planner with Miami-Dade County. She can be reached at Adrienne.burke@miamidade.gov

Ennis Davis, AICP, is a Senior Planner with Alfred Benesch & Company. He can be reached at edavis@metrojacksonville.com. Lori Cox, AICP, is a Senior Planner with RK&K, Inc. She can be reached at lcox@rkk.com. Sonide Simon, MSP, MPA is a Planner II with Pasco County Planning and Development and Lead Planner at Regenerating Roots, LLC. She can be reached at sonide@gmail.com. Tara Salmieri, AICP, is the Founder of PlanActive Studio. She can be reached at tara@planactivestudio.com.

[SEA-LEVEL RISE/CLIMATE CHANGE] FUNDING

continued from page 13

COLLABORATE

Promising new funding streams not only from the state but will also soon flow from national sources, thanks to the recently passed Federal Infrastructure Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. Communities can harness these funds by working beyond their borders for collective planning and action. Partnerships will be key in attracting the most funding from these federal sources as we collaborate across cities, counties, and regions to solve the complex issues of climate change and population growth. We don’t yet know where all funding will come from, but recent experience shows we will be more successful getting it if we collaborate.

INNOVATE

Investment in sustainable urban development is critical in a rapidly changing world. Widening funding gaps will significantly impact economic growth and the quality of life if we don’t innovate. Ensuring that Florida is future-ready demands clear, sustainable financing frameworks. We can’t go about business as usual.

In the November 2017 election, City of Miami voters endorsed the Miami Forever bond, a $400 million general obligation bond. Nearly half of the proceeds will be directed to reducing flooding risks and improving sea level rise adaptation, with another quarter invested in improving affordable housing. The remaining will be split among enhancing public safety and improving parks, cultural facilities, streets, and infrastructure. Similarly, in 2018, Miami Beach residents voted to approve a $439 million General Obligation Bond, with an outstanding support rate of approximately 70 percent. The results came after extensive voter education through public meetings and community workshops.

We must continue being creative in how we seek, apply for, and use funds for resilience planning. Florida won’t be the same in the future and that is OK. What we want to ensure is no matter how different things look, our state will always be a great place to live.

Jim Murley is the Chief Resilience Officer for Miami-Dade County. He can be reached at resilience@miamidade.gov

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[UPCOMING] EVENTS

NOV. 15: GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CONFERENCE 2022 Webinar. Host: UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension. The goal of the Green Infrastructure conference is to promote the Pinellas County Stormwater Manual which provides new and innovative stormwater treatments. Information here. $30. 5CM.

NOV. 17: NEXTDOOR IN COLONIALTOWN: A CONVERSATION WITH RYAN RIVAS St. Petersburg. Host: APA Florida Sun Coast Section. The evening will kick off with a reading by Ryan Rivas from his book, Nextdoor in Colonialtown. Rivas pairs photos of Orlando’s Colonialtown North neighborhood, where he has lived for more than a decade, with conversations assembled from the area’s Nextdoor.com posts. The result is at turns absurd and abject, goofy and gothic, paranoid and profound. . Information here. Free. 1CM.

DEC. 7: LESSONS FROM LAKE WALES WITH VICTOR DOVER, FAICP Webinar. Host: 1000 Friends of Florida. Incorporated in 1917, Lake Wales is a small Main Street com munity with a rich legacy. In the 1930s, the City of Lake Wales retained the noted Olmsted Brothers firm to develop a “garden in a city” landscape plan, which was soon implemented. Learn how today the city is recognizing the need to support downtown and neighborhood revitalization, increased af fordable housing, stronger community linkages, and more. Information here. Free. 1.5CM.

JAN. 19: ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING Webinar. Host: Florida Housing Coalition. Accessory dwelling units, also called granny flats, motherin-law suites, and carriage houses, can be a smart growth tool for affordable housing and is a housing type supported by the Florida Legislature. Presenters will explain how local governments can ease barriers to ADU development and discuss how to develop ADUs as infill units for lower-income renters and family members. Information here. Free.

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The 2023 APA Florida Public Policy Workshop will be held virtually Feb. 23-24. Registration will open Dec. 12. Please check the chapter website or social channels.

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