Participants in Reality Check will be asked to decide where thousands of new residents and jobs that are expected to come to Tampa Bay over the next 50 years should be located.  Reality Check Tampa Bay is a growth visioning exercise being planned for the seven-county Tampa Bay region on May 18, 2007.  Organizers intend to invite 300 business, civic, and elected leaders from throughout the region to participate in Reality Check exercises. 

No.  This is a voluntary, non-governmental effort that is being led by a coalition of business and civic leaders.  The five marquee partners include the Urban Land Institute Tampa Bay District Council;  Tampa Bay Partnership Regional Research & Education Foundation (Vision21); Southwest Florida Water Management District; Tampa Bay Estuary Program; and Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. 

Yes, over 50 public and private organizations are providing financial resources or are helping to shape and conduct the Reality Check exercises. Major financial sponsors include the US Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration, Tampa Bay Builders Assocation, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Pinellas County/Pinellas Planning Council.  For a complete list of those involved, visit our sponsors page.

The Tampa Bay region’s population is expected to increase by 2.0 million residents between 2001 and 2030, and double in population by the year 2050.  Employment is projected to increase by more than 940,000 jobs between 2001 and 2030 or 1.6 millions jobs by the year 2050.  (Source:  Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Regional Economic Models, Inc. Policy Insight Version 8.0)

Planning for this population influx at a regional scale is a necessity since this population will cross county and municipal boundaries and the entire region will feel the impact of this growth.  To accommodate this influx of residents and businesses the region must do a better job of planning for quality growth and development by planning where development should occur, maintaining open space and the environmental attributes of our region and planning for the infrastructure to accommodate that growth.

Can our existing cities and towns absorb such an increase in population and jobs?  What will be the cumulative effect of such an increase in population and development mean for our transportation system, the health of Tampa Bay and our water supply?  Ultimately, what will be the effect on the quality of life of our residents?

The Tampa Bay region has been defined as a seven-county area including Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties.  This is the same geographic region represented by the Tampa Bay Partnership.

The Reality Check Tampa Bay exercise will be held on Friday, May 18, 2007 at the Tampa Convention Center.

No, participation in the visioning exercises will be by invitation only.  The Executive Committee of Reality Check, which includes representation from each of the marquee partners, has been developing lists that are balanced among business, civic, and elected leaders as well as balanced to the extent possible by geography, race, gender and age within each county. 

Nominations will be accepted until March 15, 2007.   You may complete the nomination form on-line.

The luncheon and afternoon sessions, which will focus on the implications of growth and the implementation of the developed vision, will be open to the general public.  You can register for the luncheon and session from our Upcoming Events page.

No, there would not be room for all elected officials in the seven-county region to participate.  But a representative cross-section of elected officials at the local, county and state levels will be invited to participate in the regional exercise.

The central source of data for this exercise has been furnished by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council with collaboration from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.  While population projections can be controversial, use of a verifiable respected source has been chosen.  The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's models represent a significant investment and a refined, localized tool.

At this point in time, there are three important ways you or your organization can get involved in this effort:

• By being a financial contributer in support of the regional visioning process.
• By referring community leaders as nominees for consideration for participation, and or by inviting us to speak to a community group about the importance of regional visioning and the Reality Check exercise.
• By volunteering to help staff the event by helping with the facilitation/scribe process, registration desk or other logistical roles.

If you are interested in getting involved, please call Katie Nohe, Reality Check Project Coordinator at (813) 872-2814.  For sponsorship information, call Amy Maguire, Project Manager, (727) 539-7790.

The goals of Reality Check are to:

• Promote a region-wide awareness of the level of growth that is coming
• Recognize the legitimate points of view of different stakeholders
• Encourage citizens and elected leaders to begin thinking about ways to address growth issues on a regional or even statewide basis

Yes, that is certainly the intention.  Reality Check is designed to accomplish four tasks:

• Develop a collective vision for growth
• Identify differences between that vision and current trends
• Identify the policy, funding or other changes that will be needed to change those trends, and
• Work to implement those changes

While the Reality Check exercise is a one-day event with a limited number of participants, it is really just one step in a long term visioning process.  This comprehensive process includes understanding the values of our citizens, obtaining broad public involvement, developing scenarios for growth, strategies for implementation, and benchmarking and monitoring over the long-term.  Learn more about the implementation process...

Reality Check is a great first step in a region coming to grips with it's growth planning efforts.

1. Three years ago the Urban Land Institute launched the ULI Florida Initiative on Regional Cooperation. This broad cross-section of leaders from public, private and non-profit sectors recognized the critical importance of regional cooperation to the future economic competitiveness and livability of Florida and its communities. Learn more...
2. The mega-region from West Central Florida, through Orlando and down to South Florida has been identified as one of eight emerging SuperCities ies in the nation by The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Regional Plan Association, and The University of Pennsylvania School of Design.  Learn more...
3. The state of Florida, through the Century Commission for Sustainable Growth has recommended to the Governor the importance of regional visioning in growth planning. Learn more...
4. 1000 Friends of Florida recently published a research study, "Florida in 2060," which identifies the consumption of environmental lands at the current growth planning trends. Learn more...
5. Florida Department of Transportation is working with the Florida Transportation Commission to identify statewide transportation corridors that will be significantly improved or developed over the next 50 years. Statewide transportation corridors are generally described as those corridors that connect Florida to other states, or that connect two or more economic regions as defined by Florida’s Strategic Plan for Economic Development. Learn more...