Julio Maggi of Echelon, Rhea Law, Senator Constantine (l to r)

Constantine Addresses Watch

State Senator Lee Constantine (R-Altamonte Springs) traveled I-4 on November 20 to talk with NAIOP members at the Tampa Bay Watch. The meeting was hosted by Rhea Law in the Fowler White Law Offices in downtown Tampa.

When the Legislative Session begins on January 22, Senator Constantine expects re-districting, the budget deficit, and tax reform to be on the top of the agenda. He encouraged the more than twenty NAIOP members present to comment on his proposed growth management legislation. The final bill will likely address: 1.) Including the water management districts' supply planning in the local governments' comprehensive planning process; 2.) Urban core concurrency waivers; 3.) Incentives for interlocal agreements between local governments and school boards; 4.) Some streamlining of the DRI process; and 5.) Linkage between education facility planning and local government comprehensive planning.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Frank is our next Tampa Bay Watch guest. The date is December 18, 2001.