The Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) is one of eleven regional planning councils in Florida. The Apalachee Region is located in the Florida Panhandle and contains nine counties (Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla) and twenty-eight municipalities.

The ARPC is governed by a twenty-seven member Board. Elected officials comprise two-thirds of the Board, and apointees of the Governor represent the remaining one-third. The ARPC works with citizens and local governments on a wide range of issues and programs including, but not limited to: Economic Development planning and assistance; Hazardous Waste Generator Assessments; Hurricane Loss, Mitigation, and Evaluation Studies; and Transportation Disadvantaged planning.

Pursuant to Section 186.507, Florida Statutes, and Rule 27E-5, Florida Administrative Code, the Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) is required to prepare and adopt a Strategic Regional Policy Plan (SRPP). The SRPP contains goals and policies that will serve as a guide for physical, economic, and social development of the Apalachee Region. In addition to being used as a guide for shaping the Region's future, the SRPP will be used by the ARPC as a framework to link planning and implementation activities of various entities; to review local comprehensive plans and large scale developments; to facilitate the resolution of disputes in planning and growth management issues; and as a policy document to guide all of the Council's activities.

The SRPP consists of six areas, a regional description and five elements (Affordable Housing, Economic Development, Emergency Preparedness, Natural Resources of Regional Significance, and Regional Transportation). The SRPP is a plan for the Region, not merely the ARPC. The SRPP replaced the previous Regional Comprehensive Policy Plan.

Each element of the SRPP contains Strategic Issue Areas. Rule 27E-5.002(9), Florida Administrative Code, defines strategic as "proactive, future, and results oriented with a focus on important long term priorities, needs, and problems of the region." Strategic Issue Areas are those issues that will have the most significant impact on the Region and for which there are windows of opportunity for actions to create desirable change. These issues are generally multi-jurisdictional and cross-programmatic in nature.

Each Strategic Issue Area contains a Trends and Conditions Statement, which describes past and present conditions respecting the issues as well as forecasts future activities. Each Strategic Issue Area also contains one or more goals. Rule 27E-5.002(2), F.A.C., defines a goal as "the long term end toward which programs and activities are ultimately directed." Each goal is supported by policies, which are "the ways in which programs and activities are conducted to achieve identified goals" (Rule 27E-5.002(6), F.A.C.), and each policy is supported by an implementation strategy. The strategies are not intended to be prescriptive nor exhaustive, rather a listing of alternative actions for enacting the policy. Finally, each goal area includes an indicator for evaluating attainment.

ARPC Five Elements

Affordable Housing

Economic Development

Emergency Management

Natural Resources of
Regional Signifcance

Regional Transportation

SRPP Download

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Any section of the SRPP can also be downloaded from the Document Downloads page.