ARPC wins award for Franklin County map
The Apalachee Regional Planning Council, based in Tallahassee, has received the 2024 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations for a Franklin County project.
ARPC geospatial staff developed a Franklin County Zoning Map Look Up application, digitizing paper maps to allow local governments and citizens to easily access zoning maps, and allowing for timely updates and accurate zoning changes. Users can interact with color-coded zones, search for specific parcel information, and access detailed zoning regulations including building heights, lot sizes, and permitted land uses.
The application also provides PDF documents with rules for each zoning code and links to the property appraiser’s website for additional property details. This initiative, funded through a direct contract between Franklin County and ARPC, has improved efficiency in zoning information dissemination, supporting informed decision-making for county staff, residents, and developers. The app is now embedded in the county’s website, demonstrating ARPC’s commitment to leveraging modern technology for urban planning and property management.
NADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies.
The Impact Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community competitiveness of the nation’s regions and local communities.
Award-winning projects were recognized during NADO’s 2024 Annual Training Conference, in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 21-24. The 2024 class of award recipients consists of 98 projects from 64 organizations spanning 21 states. These projects are presented in an interactive story map developed by NADO that includes project summaries, partners, and images. The map is available online at nado.org/2024impactawards/.
The NADO Impact Awards are presented in honor of the late Aliceann Wohlbruck who served as NADO’s first executive director for 24 years as a tireless champion for regional approaches to economic development in rural communities.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.