Each regional planning council shall adopt a strategic regional policy plan which shall contain the following components:
    (1) Executive Summary. Each plan shall contain an executive summary that briefly describes the plan’s vision statement (if provided), strategic regional subject areas and selected goals and policies of specific concern to the region. In addition, important elements of the trends and conditions statements may be summarized along with other vital plan components.
    (2) Vision Statement. An optional statement which describes the intended future physical appearance and the qualities of the region, developed through a collaborative planning process with meaningful public participation.
    (3) Strategic Regional Subject Areas. Each council shall identify and address subject areas that from a regional perspective have potential to affect the region’s significant physical characteristics or the quality of life within the region. These subject areas shall include affordable housing, economic development, emergency preparedness, natural resources of regional significance, and regional transportation. Regional plans shall identify and address significant regional resources and facilities. Additional subject areas which relate to the particular needs and circumstances of the region or which represent major regional problems or opportunities may be included as strategic regional subject areas. In identifying strategic regional subject areas, the council shall consider existing requirements in other planning or regulatory programs of state, federal, or regional agencies within the region. Strategic regional subject areas related to natural resources of regional significance and regional transportation shall address the following:
    (a) Natural Resources of Regional Significance. Each council shall address natural resources of regional significance through the development of goals and policies and identify these resources by specific geographic location and not solely by generic type using the best and most recent data and information available. These resources shall be identified on maps at a scale of 1 to 100,000. These maps and identified natural resources of regional significance should be used for planning purposes only, and shall be amended, updated, or revised as new areas are identified or new data becomes available.
    (b) Regional Transportation. The plan may recommend minimum density guidelines for development along designated public transportation corridors and identify investment strategies for providing transportation infrastructure where growth is desired, rather than focusing primarily on relieving congestion in areas where growth is discouraged. This provision is not intended to inhibit regional or local mass transit activities and efforts to revitalize urban areas.
    (4) Trends and Conditions Statement. For each strategic regional subject area, a background analysis of factors that describe current conditions and future related trends or projections shall be included. These factors, conditions and trends shall specify why the strategic regional subject area is of concern to the region. These statements shall identify and address significant regional resources, facilities, and systems. The analysis shall evaluate how these subject areas and associated factors relate to pertinent goals and policies of the State Comprehensive Plan and shall provide a basis and framework for regional goals and policies necessary to address the strategic regional subject area. All trends and conditions statements shall be based on expected growth patterns of the region and analyze the problems, needs, and opportunities associated with growth and development in the region.
    (5) Regionally Significant Resources and Facilities. For those significant regional resources, facilities, and systems related to the strategic regional subject areas, the trends and conditions statements prepared pursuant to subsection (4) above shall include descriptions of the existing status of regional resources, facilities, and systems. The plans shall also identify and address all regionally significant resources and facilities in the region that are not related to the strategic regional subject areas.
    (6) Goals. For each strategic regional subject area, goal statements that describe the long term end toward which programs and activities are ultimately directed shall be included. These goals shall be related to and developed from the problems, needs, and opportunities identified in the trends and conditions statements. Such goals shall be consistent with and further the State Comprehensive Plan. Regional indicators shall be associated with each goal and shall include current baseline data and information against which progress can be measured in the region’s five year evaluation and appraisal report.
    (7) Policies. The plan shall identify policies that have regionwide application and that describe the ways in which programs and activities are conducted and the actions needed to achieve an identified goal. Policies shall seek to promote and develop coordinated governmental and private sector agency programs and actions which are directed at resolving identified problems and needs. Such policies shall be consistent with and further the State Comprehensive Plan.
    (8) Coordination Outline. The plan shall contain a coordination outline that provides an overview of the council’s cross acceptance, dispute resolution, public participation and related regional planning and coordination activities. This outline shall be used for information purposes only, describing how local governments and citizens are involved in developing, implementing and updating the plan and how the council helps to resolve local, state, and regional plan inconsistencies.
    (9) Glossary. The plan shall contain a glossary that defines terms, key words, and acronyms found in the plan.
Rulemaking Authority Florida Statutes § 186.507(2). Law Implemented 186.502, 186.507 FS. History-New 7-6-94.