Northeast Florida Regional Council

Join us for a panel discussion with local leaders working at the city and regional level each day to prepare Northeast Florida for the effects of climate change. Hear the latest updates on local and regional resilience efforts and how you and other citizens can participate in this ongoing work. ADAPT, part of Jacksonville Today, is partnering with the city of Jacksonville’s Environmental Protection Board to present Regional Resilience in Action. PANEL: Jessica Beach - Chief Resilience Officer, City of St. Augustine Anne Coglianese - Chief Resilience Officer, City of Jacksonville Ashantae Green - Sustainability Manager, City of Jacksonville Elizabeth Payne - CEO, Northeast Florida Regional Council Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm WJCT Studios 100 Festival Park Avenue Jacksonville, Florida 32202 This is a free event, but seating is limited, click the link to RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gia5SUz2

We are reaching out to invite you to participate in an important initiative that will shape the future of our region’s environmental health. The City of Jacksonville, with the support of the Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC), has been awarded a $1 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This grant will help develop a comprehensive Climate Action and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan for Northeast Florida, which includes Jacksonville, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau counties, and the City of Palm Coast. For those who have already completed the survey, thank you! Your insights and contributions are invaluable to the success of this project, and we appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken to share your ideas. Your feedback will help shape our region's climate goals and strategies. If you’ve started but haven’t had the chance to finish, we kindly ask that you take a few moments to complete it. Your full input is essential to ensure that all ideas and strategies are fully considered in the final Climate Action Plan. Incomplete responses may limit the potential for your suggestions to be included. If you haven’t yet begun the survey, now’s the time! The survey seeks input on short-term (by 2030) and long-term (by 2050) GHG reduction measures, including projects, programs, and policies that can reduce emissions. Your feedback will help us outline the strategies needed to create a sustainable future for our communities. Key Survey Details: • Total Questions: 34 • Estimated Time: 30-45 minutes • Deadline: November 22, 2024, 11:59pm ET Your input is crucial to developing a plan that reflects the diverse needs and ideas of our region. Whether you are completing the survey or filling it out for the first time, we look forward to your contributions. For more information or questions, feel free to reach out at CPRG@coj.net or visit the Climate Action page at https://lnkd.in/gw6TYUAY. Thank you again for your time and support! Obtain the survey here: https://lnkd.in/dwRPZ-22

Serve on the St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board!

The work that NEFRC Economic Development staff is doing across the Region is not going unnoticed! The City of Palatka highlighted how much impact the voices of the youth had on the vision of the future for their city. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gCJga2Bm Also, work has begun with the City of St. Augustine for updates to their 2014 Vision Plan. To hear more about their community engagement efforts, read here: https://lnkd.in/gMfRceCy Being able to bring communities together for such meaningful efforts will continue to be a shared goal of the Northeast Florida Regional Council! Thank you to these outlets for shining a light on the work being done!

The Regional Council was contracted to develop, support, and evaluate the JEA/COJ Annual Hurricane Exercise. For more than a decade, the Regional Council has convened an exercise planning team of individuals from JEA and the City of Jacksonville’s Emergency Preparedness Division to develop and create an exercise to test agency capabilities for hurricane response. This video from JEA Board Chairman Joe DiSalvo showcases the work conducted during the Hurricane Exercise. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue supporting the work of our regional community partners. 

Florida Commerce awarded $1.5 Million to 25 Florida Communities to foster local economic growth. Among those 25 was the Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC). The NEFRC was awarded $44,000 to provide recommendations that will support the expansion of small shrimping businesses, encourage the use of market-friendly and sustainable shrimping practices, cultivate a sense of community character in historic shrimping districts, and strengthen the regional food economy in the case of import disruptions. Northeast Florida is the birthplace of the modern-day shrimping industry, spearheading the use of powered boats with large nets to sustainably harvest fresh, locally sourced seafood. Throughout much of the 20th century, the region was known for “Mayport Shrimp”, and waterfront towns like Fernandina Beach and Mayport built their identities around a working waterfront. Since the early 2000s, the shrimping industry has been challenged by the imported shrimp market, rising diesel fuel prices, and development along Florida’s first coast. To support the shrimping industry in Duval, Flagler, Nassau, and St. Johns Counties, the Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC) will develop a Market Study, utilizing community engagement, to understand the current challenges and future opportunities for this industry. The outcome of this project is to provide recommendations for economic development that will support the expansion of small shrimping businesses, cultivate a sense of community character in historic shrimping districts, and strengthen the regional food economy in the case of import disruptions.

YOUR VOICE SHAPES NASSAU COUNTY’S FUTURE! WE HEARD YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE VISION. NOW, SHARE YOUR IDEAS ON THE BUILDING BLOCKS! Nassau County is building a vision for the future, and they need YOUR input! Over thousands of voices shared their hopes for Nassau’s future. Take the short survey to share your ideas on the community's DRAFT "Community Building Blocks" – these core values will guide recommendations and strategies for the Nassau Florida Vision 2050 plan. These draft Building Blocks were created by synthesizing: the community’s voice and a recognition of future needs following an analysis of existing conditions. The County launched Nassau Florida Vision 2050, a collaborative 18-month process involving local leaders, residents, businesses, and stakeholders to shape the future of our community. The Building Blocks were identified through community engagement, and a review of the County's plans, studies, and existing conditions. Spread the word and share the survey with your friends and family! Community Building Blocks Survey We’re also looking for feedback from VISITORS! Attached is a flyer that includes a QR code for the Visitors Survey. Please feel free to print and hang in your place of business! To learn more about the project, future Bicentennial events, and ways to get involved, please visit www.nassaufl2050.com. 

The Northeast Florida Regional Council received the NADO award for leading a collaborative effort by Resilient First Coast to develop a Regional Resiliency Action Plan (RRAP) that provides a set of strategies for the region to collaboratively mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. Receiving this award is very meaningful to Council staff and Resilient First Coast because this award is given based on impact of the project. The award demonstrates that the RRAP has far-reaching impact to the entire region of Northeast Florida and beyond. The model for the development of the RRAP and the document itself can be replicated by the many other regional resiliency collaboratives throughout the nation that utilize similar networks of stakeholders who volunteer their time to invest in climate resilience. The project was unique in its ability to focus on the local and regional concerns specific to Northeast Florida while maintaining broader replicability. In addition, the award was based on the project’s efficient time scale in relation to the formation of Resilient First Coast (project started within less than 1 year), creative use of limited funding sources ($75,000 from the state) and volunteer time (over 100 hours), and reliance upon internal effort and expertise rather than outsourcing to a consultant. Furthermore, this project fostered the growth of the NEFRC Resiliency Program from 1 to 3 full-time staff members, thereby contributing to progress on several other resiliency projects in the region. Council staff will benefit from this award as a milestone in the Resiliency Program’s development, bolstering further work of the Council.  

We're thrilled to announce that NEFRC has been honored with the prestigious NADO Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award for our outstanding work in supporting the special committee of the City of Jacksonville’s City Council in reviewing the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Primary Facilities over the past year. Our team provided essential administrative support, leading to a comprehensive Final Report. Click the link below to read the full report. Thank you, NADO, for the recognition! https://lnkd.in/g7m-WbUU

Join the Duval County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board and make a difference today!