The power of regionalism: regional economic development efforts can bring South Florida more power and more resources—and may be the only thing that can maintain our high quality of life

South Florida CEO, June, 2004 by J.P. Faber

* A Common Agenda

In economic segment after economic segment, it seems, the advantages of regional efforts outshine any individual approach. "We share industry clusters," notes Pelton, which range from bioscience to telecommunications. "The NAP (Network Access Point) that we all supported going into Miami has improved the infrastructure for everybody in South Florida," he says. "We also share our workforces and our capital resources, which are very important for the expansion of business."

That sense of shared resources has produced the first and most tangible priority for the regional interaction: transportation. "Since it's clear that the economies of the three counties are inextricably linked, the movement of goods and services and people across county lines is a perfect example [of a regional priority]," says Nero. "Dade can't solve it alone, and neither can Broward or Palm Beach, without integrated planning."

That is the same conclusion reached by numerous other groups, including the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a nonprofit organization devoted to enhancing the environment through the responsible use of land. Because land development is inextricably tied to transportation, that issue is on the top of the ULI agenda. "There are a lot of people doing business across county lines, and living across county lines," says Neisen Kasdin, chairman of the Southeast Florida/Caribbean division of the ULI. "We have to make people realize that this issue will have to be resolved on a regional basis."

A huge step in that direction was taken last year with the formation of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), a tri-county agency equally funded by all three counties. Not only does it operate the Tri-Rail system that links Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, but it is also involved with regional planning for the coordination of bus routes and the development of land adjacent to Tri-Rail stations.

The RTA was put into effect by the Florida legislature largely at the prompting of the Regional Business Alliance, a group formed four years ago that joined together business leaders from the three counties. In particular, the RBA is composed of business organizations whose membership consists of local CEOs: The Broward Workshop, the Economic Council of the Palm Beaches, and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

"We found that we had a lot in common," says Ralph Marrinson, chairman of the RBA. "It made sense that by working together we could accomplish things, and deal with issues larger than any single county could deal with." Rather than trying to be "all things to all people," says Marrinson, the group focused on transportation as an issue where it could have an impact in a reasonable period of time. Holding monthly meetings at the offices of the South Florida Regional Planning Council in Hollywood, the group developed and sponsored the legislation to create the RTA.

Holding its meetings at the offices of the Regional Planning Council was also symbolic; it is the oldest regional organization in South Florida. Originally established by the state in 1969 as the Tri-County Jetport Planning Council, the organization was renamed the South Florida Regional Planning Council (SFRPC) in the early 1970s, with responsibility for Monroe, Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties. In 1975, it was split into the SFRPC and the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, losing its two most northern counties. Today it is one of 11 such regional organizations in Florida.