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Sustainable Southwest Florida
A Climate Prosperity Strategy
Climate Prosperity Project
National Leadership Meeting
San Jose, California
February 21, 2009
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Southwest Florida
Regional Planning Council
• 34 elected officials;
• 6 counties;
• 16 cities;
• 5 State Agencies; and
• Gubernatorial appointees
representing education,
business, environmental
and economic development
interests
Climate Prosperity Leadership
Southwest Florida
Climate Prosperity Delegation
Mayor Jim Humphrey, City of Fort Myers
A Growing Partnership
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RPC Energy & Climate Committee
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Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program;
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Economic development organizations;
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Chambers of commerce;
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Private sector stakeholders engaged in climate
prosperity;
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Universities and community colleges;
Board of Directors, Enterprise Florida, appointed by Governor
Charlie Crist
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Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs);
Ray Rodriguez, Vice President
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Environmental organizations.; and
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Southwest Florida Manufacturers Association.
Chair, Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
Mayor Mick Denham, City of Sanibel
Vice-Chair, Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
Ken Heatherington, Executive Director
Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
David L. Hutchinson, Planning Director
Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
Thomas Danahy, President
Babcock Ranch, Kitson & Partners Communities
Henry Rodriguez, President, SDC Communities
SDC Communities
James A. Paulmann, Senior Vice President and
Principal
WilsonMiller and Century Commission member
Tony Milner/Dell Jones
Regenesis Power
Challenges and Opportunities:
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Challenges are Regional: Issues cut across jurisdictions and disciplines-economic, environmental, political, social;
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Growth has been significant in recent decades
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By 1990 population was more than five times the 1960 population
By 2008, regional population exceeded 1.5 million people
Estimated to reach 2.3 million persons by 2030;
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) rising, climate change effects may be
dramatic and require planning and action; and
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Rising Sea Level, worst case is 16 inches by 2050.
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Solutions Require Integrated Action: Communities and their issues are
interdependent, yet community institutions often work in isolation and compete,
rather than collaborate;
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Solutions Should be Shared (Impact Requires Scale): Aggregating
demand achieves economies of scale and reduces transaction costs for all.
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Need to Act Regionally: We can achieve scale by working across institutional
and jurisdictional boundaries.
Challenges and Opportunities:
• Diverse Features
– Mix of land uses and a historical urban and rural split
with urban communities along the coastal areas, 1.5
million now, expected to reach 2.3 million by 2030.
• Vulnerable Environment
– National environmental resources include the
Everglades and Charlotte Harbor Estuary—facing
rising sea level (16 inches by 2050).
• Economically in Transition
– Foreclosures put Lee County No.1 in the nation;
Regional unemployment hit above 10 percent.
Overall Goals and Objectives
of Climate Prosperity
• Jobs, Jobs Jobs: Energize the Southwest Florida economy now
and for the next generation;
• Climate Change: Reduce carbon emissions and prepare for
changing conditions; and
• Sustainability: Integrate environmental objectives into regional
development.
Green Savings
• Green Communities: Bring energy efficiency, renewable
energy and smart growth to new and existing communities;
– Retrofit Existing Communities
• Hurricane preparedness combined with energy efficiency, Expanded
solar installation industry harnessing construction trade skills.
• Adopt green practices for in-fill and rebuilding, improved transit;
– Smart Growth for New Communities:
• Higher Standards: zero energy homes, net metering, high efficiency
air conditioning, advanced design;
– Develop consistent standards for measuring
carbon impacts.
Green Opportunities
• Green Opportunity: Capture the value of emerging and
innovative clean tech and green supply-chains in the region;
• Market Solutions: Forming and expanding clean tech and green
a value-chain (i.e. solar farms partnering with regenesis power);
• Assets: Sun, agricultural land and a distinctive environment are
key resources (i.e. sequestration- carbon trading);
• Change: Restructuring of agriculture industry as well as
awareness of climate change is driving new investments
– US Sugar acquisition for Everglades Restoration
– Inland Port and biofuel opportunities; and
• Growth: Growing population and quality of life (smart growth
communities – Babcock Ranch and the Green Mile).
Green Talent
• Green Talent: Prepare the workforce and entrepreneurs for new green jobs
and greening of industry
– Universities and Community Colleges
Work with Florida Gulf Coast University, Edison State College & private schools
• School of Business/Engineering: Incorporate ‘smart growth’ and green focus
across disciplines.
• College of Professional Studies: Hospitality industry training for green practices.
– Workforce Boards:
Work with Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board to:
• Estimate demand for new green occupations.
• Partner with industry to link to demand.
– Innovation
• Energy Discovery Innovation Institutes to do R&D
• Identify and commercialize efficiency solutions
• Create new green incubators.
Strategic Planning Process
for Climate Prosperity
• Strengthen and Build Regional Partnerships
• Build on past successes:
– Successful water quality initiatives and the SWFRPC committee model;
• Climate & Energy Committee:
– Agreement: Define regional objectives based on baseline data;
• Integrate, Coordinate, Facilitate, Collaborate
– Leverage diverse array of competencies to diffuse innovation and best
practices.
– Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), Strategic
Regional Policy Plan
– Link land use and development patterns to Climate Prosperity
(implement recently adopted state legislation HB 697)
– Research and implementation projects.
Action Steps
An Integrated Approach to Action
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Align
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Assess
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Define regional objectives and options
based on baseline and best practices.
Aggregate: Bring together stakeholders
to pool shared needs and solutions:
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Build on successful regional water quality
initiatives and SWFRC committee model
and work with Climate & Energy
Committee and New Partners.
Engage and confirm partner
commitments to
collaborate on climate prosperity
Step 4
Green Savings: Apply best practices,
aggregate and broker demand for
Act: Launch Initiatives
community, industry and institutions.
Formalize and launch actions
Green Opportunities: Accelerate clean
via regional partnerships
tech enterprise formation, expansion,
attraction across region by matching inputs
in Green Savings, Green
needed (capital, skills, infrastructure).
Opportunities, Green Talent
Green Talent: Develop workforce demand
forecast, training programs, matching to
industry.
Task 2
Assess Potential
Harness existing and
new information to define
baseline and best practices
Step 3
Aggregate: Define Shared Priorities
Act
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Task 1
Align Stakeholders
Integrate, facilitate, coordinate
collaborative action through actual and
virtual climate prosperity partnerships that
link ongoing activities from CEDS to land
use planning and state policy.
Convene and facilitate each target group to
identify green needs and actions that
can be worked on across region.
Assets and Advantages
• Strategic Location, Unspoiled Environment
• Regional Targets: Our cluster portfolio.
– Export driven industry clusters
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Tourism (accommodations, food services)
Agriculture
Retirement (health care and housing)
Light manufacturing (aerospace parts)
Electronic Controls
Fishing and aqua-culture
Mining (phosphates & aggregate)
– Local serving clusters
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Education: Florida attracts many students
Information Services
Wholesale trade
Construction
Financial services
Health care
Professional
Obstacles and Impediments
• Current Economic Emergency-We’re #1
– Foreclosures put Lee County No.1 in the nation;
– 76 homes were foreclosed upon every day;
– Regional unemployment hit above 10 percent as thousands search for jobs
that no longer exist.
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Need for Matching Funds
Antiquated Communities
Platted Lots
Resistance to Change
Perceived costs
versus benefits
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Limited water management, water quality treatment and
almost no wildlife habitat connections
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Creates sprawl, increased transportation demand and is
almost impossible for transit to serve efficiently
Financing and Resources
• Local Government resources;
• Leverage Investments and Partnerships;
• Federal Grants;
• Non-Profit organizations and 501-3- c; and
• Educational Institutions.
Public Involvement
• Public Meetings: Florida Sunshine law encourages
transparency and public involvement;
• Workshops: Partner with American Planning Association, Florida
Green Building Coalition, Chambers of Commerce, State and
Federal agencies;
• Website: Information, Links, and Surveys
– Energy Star Partner,
– Green Business certification programs;
• Outreach and Participation:
– Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida
– Climate Prosperity Expo and Mega Region Conference
Advice and Assistance
• Business Solutions
– Corporate approaches
– Risk assessment and risk
management strategies
– Best Practices
• International Action
• State Action
– Stakeholder education
– Participate with the Governor’s
Action Team
– Expand market analysis
• Local Action
– Reduce global GHGs
– Stakeholder education
• Federal Action
– Reduce GHGs
– Provide cap and trade incentives
– Update transportation investment
policy
– Matching Funds
– Model Ordinances
Southwest Florida’s “GreenPrint”
Climate
Prosperity
is seeing
the opportunity
in the
challenge!