East Central Florida Regional Planning Council

May we always recognize the significance of June 19, 1865. Today is about acknowledging the past, righting wrongs, and moving forward together. United we stand. Happy Freedom Day!

Join us, along with the City of Cape Canaveral- Government, on July 9 for a webinar exploring the importance of award recognition as part of community development. Discover how the award-winning team at Cape Canaveral approaches developing new city infrastructure projects with an award-application mindset. Gain fresh ideas for engaging your community, effectively highlighting your projects, and understanding the value of awards (even those you haven't heard of) for your initiatives. Register today for this free webinar. APA CMs pending. e83d9005-b799-4225-84fc-1999235fc009@748f10a3-a06a-4587-9db3-39817a95776c" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e83d9005-b799-4225-84fc-1999235fc009@748f10a3-a06a-4587-9db3-39817a95776c

Happy National Nature Photography Day! With beautiful weather, today is a great day to snap a few nature pics for our annual photo contest!

Any photo taken in our region in the past 2 years is eligible. More information and the application are available on our website https://www.ecfrpc.org/about_ecfrpc/events.php

Today we have a brand-new facility for this week’s Where in the Region post. This new joint training facility and emergency shelter will provide a unique dual-use with daily operations, including a fire training tower and a large multi-purpose room for county meetings. During emergencies, the facility can be converted to house over 230 special-needs residents and shelter space for an additional 670 general-population residents. The training facility is designed for multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency training scenarios (such as the tabletop exercise the ECFRPC helped put on in this county last year).

Do you know where in the region you can find this brand new four-story training tower and 25,444 sq.ft. emergency shelter? Let us know in the comments. And if you’re in the area, make sure to stop by this facility on June 26 at 5 PM for a special family event featuring live demonstrations and a touch-a-truck experience.

Got any fun plans for the weekend? Don’t forget to bring your camera and snap some of the breathtaking scenes around us! Submissions for the 5th Annual ECF Photo Contest are now open!! Let’s celebrate the stunning beauty of our region! You can send in your entries through Labor Day. Visit our website for more details https://www.ecfrpc.org/photos

Schools across the region recently began summer break. Before the break, many classes take a group photo. For today's Throwback Thursday, we have another mystery. This time in with a special three-part mystery involving . Here's a class photo from Benson Springs Junior High School taken in November of 1930. Today, this community is known as Enterprise. Incredibly, this small school had a functioning school newspaper and had many community events. The Florida Archives has some of the school's old student newspapers. Still, even with annual photos and a regular school publication, many of the school's students have been lost to time. Can you help identify the students in the top row? As seen in the photo, two students don't have their names written on it, and therefore, we no longer know who these two athletic-looking young men are. Do you know them? If so, comment below or let the Florida Archives know!

Photo (MSC3817) - Note identified back row (L-R): Wm. Ratledge, Lula Stewart, Laurence Span, Serena Bruce, unidentified, Mary Lee, and unidentified. Middle row: Marguerita Tarrode, Sidney Emanuel, Francis Chaney, Jimmie Padgett, Margaret Sangster, Curley Neiseborder? Front row: Florine Maudon, Frank Tinsdale, Miss Pyle, C.T. Henderson, Libby Cason, Herbert Priddy, Gertrude Sangster.

June and early July are another busy time for the ECFRPC team! Whether you're interested in exploring economic development during our upcoming Portals of Innovation webinar, looking forward to connecting with us at the FAC conference, or eager to showcase your photography talent in our 2026 Photo Contest, there's so much happening in the weeks ahead. Visit our website for more details on these and other upcoming happenings across our region.

Building a thriving economy isn't a solo mission. It takes an ecosystem. Learn how actionable insights and collaborative cluster strategies are being harnessed for community-wide prosperity. Join us on June 11 to learn more about the nationally recognized innovation clusters model piloted by our economic development team. And get APA CMs in the process! Register today for this free webinar and make sure to catch our entire 2026 Portals of Innovation webinar series. 2d6485f6-9d50-4e12-a1fe-99a501c06cb8@748f10a3-a06a-4587-9db3-39817a95776c" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/2d6485f6-9d50-4e12-a1fe-99a501c06cb8@748f10a3-a06a-4587-9db3-39817a95776c

Show us East Central Florida through your lens! From our vibrant urban cores and historic architecture to our incredible wildlife and natural wonders, there's plenty of beauty across our region. Submissions for the 5th Annual ECF Photo Contest are now open!! Help us celebrate the beauty of our region by submitting your photos! Photo submissions are accepted through Labor Day. https://www.ecfrpc.org/photos

How do regional economies build long-term community prosperity? It starts with understanding and harnessing innovation clusters. Join us on June 11th for the next session of the Portals of Innovation webinar series focused on Innovation Clusters. We'll dive into industry clusters, uncover how they contribute to community prosperity, and look ahead to the future of economic clusters in our region and state. Tune in to gain valuable insights in helping craft successful business cluster strategies. APA CM credits approved. For more information on this session and the full Portals webinar series, visit our website https://www.ecfrpc.org/webinars