Frequently Asked Questions

The Waterfronts Florida Program offers help to all coastal local governments in Florida to revitalize their working waterfronts by providing resources for planning. Additionally, the department works with communities through its Waterfronts Florida Partnership Program to receive intensive technical assistance, along with training and education, to help develop and implement community-designed vision plans for their waterfront area. Each plan is unique but will incorporate the four priority focus areas of the program:

• Environmental and Cultural Resource Protection
• Retention of Viable Traditional Waterfront Economies
• Hazard Mitigation
• Public Access to Working Waterfronts and Coastal Resources.

Many working waterfronts were once thriving centers of activity but are now struggling to remain economically viable. A changing economy and a lack of public and private investment have taken a toll on many waterfront areas. However, working waterfronts are valuable assets that can contribute significantly to a community's economic health and image. The Program was created to support traditional water-dependent uses and to support new waterfront uses that protect natural and cultural resources.

By participating in the Waterfronts Florida Partnership Program, a waterfront community receives support to develop and implement a community-designed revitalization plan (vision plan) that promotes coastal resource conservation and economic development by focusing on the program's four priority areas. Community capacity is strengthened as a community realizes that it has the power to renew interest, effectively make changes, and redirect its course. As a part of the Waterfronts Florida process, the community visualizes and begins implementing a plan for the redevelopment and revitalization of its waterfront while at the same time helping to sustain the rich heritage of Florida's working waterfronts. During a community's designation process, the Partnership Program provides:

• Assistance in organizing the local Partnership and volunteers into highly functioning committees
• Assistance in creating successful partnerships with local government, citizens, businesses and civic groups
• Technical assistance related to visioning, comprehensive planning and land development regulations, waterfront revitalization, environmental protection and redevelopment
• Training and peer exchange opportunities for local program managers and committee members
• Assistance in locating funding and other resources for continued implementation of the community's revitalization plan
• Mentoring and networking opportunities from other Waterfronts Florida Partnership Communities that can offer assistance with their experience and expertise. Program staff and resources provide more general technical assistance and advocacy for Graduate Communities. To remain active, Graduate Communities will be called upon to share their experiences and expertise with other waterfront communities interested in the Partnership Program. In addition to the numerous benefits of being designated a Waterfronts Florida Partnership Community, active communities receive extra points and benefits with some state grant programs.

The applicant must be a municipal or county government, or a local nonprofit in participation with the local government, which is able to demonstrate a strong working relationship with local government staff and officials. Eligible communities are those that are required to prepare a coastal element as part of their local government comprehensive plan, subsection 163.3177(6)(g), Florida Statutes. The community must recognize the waterfront as a special place and be committed to developing policies that encourage the preservation of recreational and commercial working waterfronts (Section 163.3177(6)3(c), Florida Statutes). Additionally, communities must have the resources to designate a local Waterfronts Florida program manager and to support a Waterfronts Florida committee representing the stakeholders' interests of the waterfront area.

Since 1997, a total of 23 communities have received designation as Waterfronts Florida Partnership Communities. Most recently, in July 2009, two new communities were designated for the 2009-2011 cycle: the City of Fort Myers and the community of Millville in Panama City.

Historically, new communities were designated every two years as Waterfronts Florida Partnership Communities through a competitive application process. The designation process may be altered in the future.

No. The Waterfronts Florida Partnership Program is a planning program, not a grant.

The Department of Economic Opportunity will select the applicants that will be designated Waterfronts Florida Partnership Communities. Program staff will notify all applicants of the final decision.

Components of a community's vision plan will address, at a minimum, the four priority focus areas of Waterfronts Florida. It is anticipated by the Department of Economic Opportunity that the plan has been or will be adopted by the local governing body with the intention of incorporating vision recommendations into the local comprehensive plan. For more explanation, see the publication A Guide to Developing a Waterfronts Florida Vision Plan.

Communities that wish to apply for designation as a Waterfronts Florida Partnership Community are encouraged to take part in a Coastal Community Planning and Development Training Course. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and state coastal resource management agencies have developed an introductory, two-day course that will actively engage participants in learning about alternatives to how and where growth will occur in their communities. It will provide them with the background, examples, and strategies to support alternative development efforts in coastal communities. The two-day course will help participants to:

• Understand current coastal development patterns and trends
• Understand the primary drivers (e.g., codes, regulations) that influence growth and development patterns
• Understand the social, environmental, and economic impacts and benefits of various development patterns
• Understand the principles of integrated and comprehensive growth strategies
• Assess the current state of growth and development in their communities
• Increase their ability to effectively communicate with stakeholders on this topic
• Understand the purpose and process of creating a collective vision for how and where coastal communities grow
• After understanding the factors that lead to coastal development and learning how to effectively communicate with stakeholders, communities are then ready to develop a vision for the waterfront area.

The Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Coastal Management Program's Coastal Partnership Initiative (CPI) grant program makes funds available to local governments for developing a vision plan for the waterfront area centered on the Waterfronts Florida Program's four priority focus areas: public access to the waterfront; environmental and cultural resource protection; enhancement of the viable traditional economy; and hazard mitigation. This planning process allows the community to conduct meaningful public involvement that promotes citizen participation, and shapes consensus about goals, objectives and strategies regarding waterfront revitalization. Developing a waterfront revitalization plan prior to applying to the Waterfronts Florida Partnership Program will result in a stronger application for designation and allow the community to immediately begin implementing specific projects.

Public participation is a key component to any community planning process. It is very important that such broad-reaching plans not be written in isolation. Meetings and activities should be publicly noticed and open to the general public. Public participation offers citizens the chance to voice their ideas, interests, and opinions.

The community must create a Waterfronts Florida Partnership Committee by the time of application with members representing the broad interests of the waterfront area and at least one member representing the county or municipal government. The community should maintain the Waterfronts Florida Committee in order to remain active in the program. This entity must have the ability to oversee development of a community vision and revitalization plan for the proposed waterfront area and to oversee the implementation of that plan. A committee will also ensure that work done under the local Partnership will continue after the community graduates from the Program. At least one member should represent the county or municipal government with jurisdiction of the area. The other members should represent the various interests in the waterfront area including those that are commercial, residential, environmental, cultural, social, etc.

A strong Waterfronts Florida Partnership Committee will consist of representatives of the county or municipal government with jurisdiction, as well as various interests in the waterfront area, including commercial, residential, environmental, cultural, social, etc. The Committee will also develop and implement annual work plans to remain focused on the vision. Demonstrated by numerous local programs similar to Waterfronts Florida, an active Program Manager and Committee Chair are crucial roles in a strong committee.

The program manager is central to a local Waterfronts Partnership. Managers should have a broad range of experience managing people and complex situations because of interaction with a broad range of interests. He/she should also have an understanding of land use planning and government processes. The program manager is responsible for completing reports on the local program's activities, and coordinating communication between the state program and the local partnership. The program manager is also required to attend training and other meetings associated with the program.

Program managers are central to a local Waterfronts Partnership. He/she should have a broad range of experience managing people and complex situations because of interaction with a broad range of interests. He/she should also have an understanding of land use planning and government processes. The program manager is responsible for completing reports on the local program's activities, and coordinating communication between the state program and the local partnership. The program manager is also required to attend training and other meetings associated with the program.

During the first phase of designation, a community starts by establishing a strong Waterfronts Florida Program which is vital to the success of the partnership. Following the formation of a local program, the Partnership then prepares a community-designed vision plan to guide the revitalization of the traditional working waterfront area. The visioning process begins by reviewing any existing documents, plans, and regulations covering the designated Waterfronts Florida area. The partnership then hosts a series of workshops to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders in the community. The visioning process and resulting documents identify the community's issues and plans for addressing the Waterfronts Florida priority areas.

The vision plan should identify goals, objectives, and strategies for addressing the four priority issue areas of Waterfronts Florida and recommend comprehensive plan and land development code changes necessary to implement the Waterfronts Florida vision and preserve the community's working waterfronts. As part of the visioning process, the community develops an implementation plan with specific actions, time frames and responsibilities for achieving the goals outlined in the vision plan. During the second phase, the community continues to implement its vision plan, incorporating it into the comprehensive plan and undertaking priority projects that will further its efforts to revitalize and preserve the working waterfront.

In the second year and thereafter, the local Partnership will increase community capacity to plan for and implement waterfront revitalization by participating in quarterly program managers' meetings, trainings and other professional development events, as well as continuing to develop and adopt policy language necessary to implement the Waterfronts Florida vision plan.

After the initial two phases of the program, communities are considered "designated" Waterfronts Florida Communities. To remain active, designated communities will continue to implement their Waterfronts Florida Partnership Vision Plan, and participate in quarterly state-wide meetings with other waterfront program managers. Communities are also asked to serve as program mentors to new communities, as well as participate in regional Waterfronts Florida efforts to protect coastal resources. Designated Communities continue tracking revitalization indicators and prepare annual reports on their revitalization efforts.

Contact the Waterfronts Florida Coordinator.