Who are the Florida planners here?

[Grassroots]

Who here works in Florida and, if so where? I am in the panhandle, but want to know more people who work in the state. Just trying to get my bearings in Cyburbia!

 

[Chet]

Welcome Grassroots. As a moderator and part time administrator of this site, one thing you may need to learn here -- anonymity is welcome until someone knows you. No offense. Usually a clue to your locale may tip off your state / local posters to fess up.

 

[Dan]

Former planning director of an Orlando suburb. I'm in Ohio now. I don't miss the Sunshine State one bit, except for having a pool in the back yard.

 

[lowlyplanner]

Born and raised in a Northeast Florida city which probably should remain nameless. For some reason which I can't recall right now, I decided to move back after a couple of years living in Gainesville and Boston, MA.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I'm just north of Orlando. Except for college, have lived in FL all my life. I worked in zoning/land use for many years, now work on a recreational trails program. Howdy!

 

[Grassroots]

Dan, Florida left a bad taste in your mouth? I just moved here, but maybe you can give me some insight into something I have not discovered yet.

Zoning Goddess...what is your take on the consulting firm work in Florida? You mentioned trail work, is that with the city or county? I have not heard of any public sector work in trails planning.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

Zoning Goddess...what is your take on the consulting firm work in Florida? You mentioned trail work, is that with the city or county? I have not heard of any public sector work in trails planning.

I work for a county. We have a 7-person team (engineers, planner-me, landscape architect, construction manager) that primarily focuses on planning, designing, and constructing trails. We do use consultants for some of the design work. It's a great job. There are a lot of public planning positions in FL that focus on trails planning.

As for consulting, I've been in the public sector exclusively, so I can't give you any "insider" insights. The firms we've worked with on trails planning do seem to be a lot better (more responsive, ethical, etc.) than those that I had to deal with in zoning/land use, but maybe that's because it was a more adversarial role previously.

 

[Floridays]

I work in the public sector in south FL. Have lived here for about 1.5 years and love it...but then again, I've always wanted access to the beach!
re: consulting vs. public. I did some consulting work in Atlanta for awhile...much prefer the public sector.
Our county also does a lot of trails planning.

 

[H]

I currently work for a consultant firm in Miami and mostly work on projects in Dade and Monroe counties.

 

[Grassroots]

is the trails planning more-or-less a south florida thing? in the northwest, we have none of that that i have heard of. we have a little rails-to-trails action, but nothing in the way of actula county programs.

also, h, whats the scene like in miami? i was wondering about applying for jobs down there, but know little of what's down there. my supervisor was born and raised down there and claims he will never move back there. claims it is getting overcrowded and the infrastructure can't handle the influx of people. plus, it is expensive as hell. any thoughts?

 

[Floridays]

is the trails planning more-or-less a south florida thing? in the northwest, we have none of that that i have heard of. we have a little rails-to-trails action, but nothing in the way of actula county programs.

also, h, whats the scene like in miami? i was wondering about applying for jobs down there, but know little of what's down there. my supervisor was born and raised down there and claims he will never move back there. claims it is getting overcrowded and the infrastructure can't handle the influx of people. plus, it is expensive as hell. any thoughts?

I live north of Miami....but it ain't cheap down here, that's for sure.

 

[H]

also, h, whats the scene like in miami? i was wondering about applying for jobs down there, but know little of what's down there. my supervisor was born and raised down there and claims he will never move back there. claims it is getting overcrowded and the infrastructure can't handle the influx of people. plus, it is expensive as hell. any thoughts?

There is a ton going on here with no end in sight regarding population growth and development. For the most part, your supervisor is right; it is overcrowded, the infrastructure cant handle, and it is expensive. However, I have lived here for about a year and a half now and have loved the experience!! Although I don’t plan on putting down roots here for the same reason your supervisor wont move back.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more on this post or PM me if you have any more specific questions about the area?

 

[Grassroots]

What do you guys think about the upcoming "water wars" between the northern part of the state and the southern. I had a luncheon with our legislator and he discussed a lot about the upcoming water problems in the state. I guess the states position is to promote pipelines from the north to the south...essentially draining swamps up here for water down there. Seems as though it would really destroy ecosystems up here and people don't want that. I still don't see why the State does not promote desalinization for south Florida. When I brought that up, he really hammered on the fact that it then becomes a State v/s county arguement. In other words, the State telling the counties how to operate and many county managers don't want that. Again, like with a lot of planning, seems like practical solutions being caught in the middle of bureaucratic BS. Any more thoughts?

 

[plannerkat]

Same boat as lowlyplanner. Born & raised in NE Florida and returned to plan away after 7 years of college/life experience/planning school.

I'm very concerned about the pending water wars, since as many of you know, north FL is "differnt" from thirsty South Florida in both people and ecology. And you couldn't pay me enough money to live down in S. Fl. Nice to visit on occasion, but...

 

[Zoning Goddess]

The water wars have been around a long time. I previously worked in a less-urban county on the Gulf Coast. Just before I left, the commission passed a moratorium to stop another county from drilling water wells there. That other county had wells in a third county and sold water back to the county it came from. It's a mess.

I have heard some rumblings in central FL that would tie growth to the availability of water.

 

[Grassroots]

I have heard some rumblings in central FL that would tie growth to the availability of water.

that's new to me. do you really think the powers that be will really go that path? just seems that with the history of america and water, diversion has always been the policy, but then again, things have changed. do any of you know about desalinization down there and if so, what are the feelings about developing this alternative method from local powers? if i had to guess, it would be a cost issue, but when compared to diverting and piping water in, it does not seem so bad.

 

[Trail Nazi]

Lived my entire life in NE Florida except for college/grad school. Then relocated to Central Florida to work with the Zoning Goddess for a few years. For the past year, I have been living in the frozen tundra of Virginia = no concept of planning (sorry folks, it is true). I must get home to Florida, I must. Probably will return to NE Florida to be close to family and just a couple of hours away from ZG.