Executive Director's Message

2008 Highlights

This has been an exciting and productive year for the Planning Commission.  After years of hard work by the Planning Commission and many citizens, this fall the Board of County Commissioners adopted the Comprehensive Plan update for unincorporated Hillsborough County.  The comprehensive plan updates for the three cities, Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Plant City will be adopted in the first half of 2009.  This marks the completion of a multi-year update for all four comprehensive plans.  The update is a monumental task of which we all can be proud.   

The agency has also been involved with the ongoing I-4 Corridor Study and community plans.  A series of workshops are also almost complete, which will identify land development regulation changes that will facilitate a greater degree of infill development.  The Planning Commission also held its first "Going Green" Tampa Bay Expo in conjunction with the University of South Florida and 150 other businesses and organizations.

2009 Celebration and Transition

In 1959, Sam Gibbons (former Florida House of Representatives member and U.S. House of Representatives member) called for an independent planning agency to guide growth and coordinate planning between the cities and county.  Shortly thereafter, the state legislature created the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission as Florida’s first state mandated local planning agency.  Over the decades, the Planning Commission has become a strong and well-respected agency in Hillsborough County. In April 2009, we will celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the agency.  The celebration will allow us to reflect and learn from our past, evaluate the present, and recommend plans that are in the best long-term interest of the future. 

Since coming to the Planning Commission in 1987, I have seen the agency adapt and mature to meet the demands of a growing population.  Major work over the past two decades includes completion of the original four comprehensive plans for the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, and unincorporated Hillsborough County in 1989; two major Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Reports (EARS); the Urban Service Boundary, and community planning.  A recent report by the Florida Department of Community Affairs has recognized our hard work in maintaining independent, professional, and objective support for ongoing planning throughout the county.  Without the support of countless citizens and officials, the Planning Commission would not have the respect it has today.

In November I announced my retirement, after nearly 22 years.  While I am retiring from my position with the Planning Commission, I will never retire from planning.  As jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong once said "Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them."  Well, there is plenty of planning left in me.  In addition to my work with the American Planning Association and other organizations; I will continue to be involved with planning here in Hillsborough County, nationally and internationally.  This is my home, and as everyone else, I care about our community’s future and will continue to be involved in the way it develops over the next 50 years.   

As I leave the Planning Commission I know this independent agency is respected for its recommendations and more capable than ever to plan for a sustainable future of our citizens.  Our diverse and professional staff is well qualified and experienced to continue our important state mandated responsibilities. 

Coming to the Planning Commission each day, working to meet the challenges of a rapidly growing community, was inspirational and challenging.  Working with a highly professional and credentialed staff, many civic minded Planning Commissioners, elected officials, and citizens has been beyond rewarding.  It has been an honor and privilege to work with everyone and help shape Hillsborough County for generations to come.  

Sincerely,

Robert B. Hunter, Fellow AICP

Executive Director