Mission
The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council is a locally formed regional planning agency serving six counties: Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee, and Sarasota. Its mission is to protect and improve the Region’s physical, economic, and social environment. The agency is directed by a thirty-four member Council composed of local elected officials and gubernatorial appointees.


What We Do
The activities of the Southwest Florida RPC can be classified into three major areas: long range planning, tactical planning and transportation planning.

Long-Range Planning includes comprehensive/strategic planning, dispute resolution, economic development, housing, and environmental protection (including the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, an eight county study effort to improve the management of the natural resources of the Charlotte Harbor Watershed).

Tactical Planning includes developments of regional impact, emergency preparedness, hurricane planning, and intergovernmental coordination and review.

Transportation Planning encompasses the Regional Transportation Subcommittee, the Transportation Disadvantaged Program and the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Budget
Our operating budget runs between 2.5 and 3 million dollars each year. Competitive grants comprised nearly 70% of our revenue in 2003. Other income sources were dues paid voluntarily by local governments (15%), contracts for services (10%), and fees paid for review of DRIs (7%). The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization were our two largest expense centers in 2003 (roughly 54% of total expenditures). Review, analysis and reporting related to DRIs and comprehensive plans made up nearly 25% of our expenses, while the remaining 21% of our funds were spent on all the other programs and projects we directed and supported in 2003.