01/09/20 : Regionalism for South Florida: a necessity for survival

Regionalism for South Florida: a Necessity for Survival

Recently, the South Florida Business Council was formed to shepherd the issue of Regionalism for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. The business council’s five broad-brush targets are a logical start: the region does need more and better transportation and mobility, education quality, water management, affordable housing and tourism growth.

As former Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler said as the council made its debut at the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College, “A decade ago. business groups would have looked at reducing business taxes and regulations as their common goal. Now, by contrast, the five goals target the quality of life of the whole region.”

Regionalism is growing rapidly, not because we love each other but because we need each other. As Benjamin Franklin said when signing the Declaration of Independence, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Join in the discussion. Weigh for yourself the pros and cons.

PANEL

Jack Seiler, Seiler, Zaden, Rimes & Wahlbrink
John P. “Jack” Seiler is a  preeminent lawyer practicing in all areas of civil litigation. He was a successful, term-limited Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, and was a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, from 2000 to 2008 representing District 92 in Broward County, Florida.  He is active in the Regional movement of South Florida.

Chris Hand, Esq., Hand Law
Chris Hand is a Jacksonville native with a long record of public, civic, and legal service in Florida. He participated strategically in many economic development initiatives as Chief of Staff at the City of Jacksonville, Florida – — the largest city by area in the contiguous United States and the 12th largest by population in the nation. Hand recently authored the 50th Anniversary update to the chronicle of Jacksonville’s historic city-county government consolidation: A Quiet .Revolution – the Consolidation of Jacksonville-Duval County and the Dynamics of Urban Political Reform.

Hon. Dan Stermer, City of Weston
Mayor Stermer is currently the City of Weston’s third mayor, having been elected in 2012 and again in 2016, after many years in public office. He is President of the Broward League of Cities, among other roles, has served as Chair of the Broward County Planning Council, and four terms as Chair of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization.  He brings a wealth of experience in metropolitan and local government. 

MODERATOR

Jesse Saginor, PhD, Florida Atlantic University
Jesse Saginor, Ph.D., AICP, currently serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Services in the College for Design and Social Inquiry at FAU. His community engagement, research, and teaching activities revolve around economic development, housing, infrastructure development, market analysis, public policy, public-private partnerships and real estate development.

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