TIME MAGAZINE QUESTION SPARKS DEBATE ON FLORIDA’S FUTURE

New series to discuss Florida’s “survival” in tough economic times

SARASOTA, FL (March 12, 2009) – Is Florida the Sunset State?

That question on the front page of Time magazine last summer sparked hand-wringing by Chamber of Commerce officials and ignited a spirited debate among policy-makers about the future of the Sunshine State. The author of the article, Michael Grunwald, Miami-based correspondent for Time, will share his insights on Florida’s future in a guest appearance March 31 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.

Grunwald’s keynote speech will launch a new series of forums at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus entitled “Smart Growth/Dumb Growth: A Matter of Survival.” The series is presented by USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Institute for Public Policy and Leadership, Biz941 magazine, Sarasota Magazine and Neal Communities. It is a sequel to last year’s popular “The Next Five Years,” a four-part series of workshops that focused on diversifying a local economy largely dependent on real estate, construction and tourism, all significantly reduced by the burst real estate bubble and national economic recession that hit in 2008.

The new series will take the debate about Florida’s future to a new level, exploring land use policy, economic development and transportation in the drastically altered economic environment of 2009. Today, the term “growth management” has taken on new meaning under the influence of soaring fuel prices, economic upheaval, shifting demographics and the threat of climate change.

“We know that Florida is a resilient state,” said David Klement, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Leadership. “We’re not ready to give up on the Florida Dream, but it’s time to recalibrate our thinking. We offer these workshops to help guide the debate about what Florida can be in the new economic reality the entire country is facing.”

The March 31 program will be held in the Selby Auditorium at USF Sarasota-Manatee and will be followed be a reception. Admission is free, but registration is required. To register online, please visit www.sarasota.usf.edu/ippl. To register by phone, call the USF Sarasota-Manatee hotline at (941) 359-4602.