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September 7, 2010

The South Florida Regional Business Alliance

The Regional Business Alliance, Inc. is a not-for-profit, non-partisan corporation first organized in 2002 for the purpose of bringing business leaders from Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and surrounding counties together to solve common issues facing the South Florida region. The Regional Business Alliance's founding partner organizations include the Broward Workshop, Inc., the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Inc. and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.  Since its establishment, the RBA has included participation by the Martin County Economic Council, Inc., the South Florida Regional Planning Council, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority and other groups interested in promoting regional cooperation.
 
This RBA grew out of a desire to make South Florida a place where people most want to live and work.  Initial efforts explored the feasibility of coordinating the efforts of the tri-county business community began in the summer of 2001.  The combined population of the region now represents approximately 40% of the state's population, the nation's sixth largest urbanized area and the third most densely populated metro area in the country. The economy is strong, and the region is blessed with a diversity of resources.  Despite all its strengths, however, there are major challenges that require increased collaboration by all levels of government to satisfactorily address our combined regional needs. The Regional Business Alliance is committed to working collaboratively, across jurisdictional lines, with each other and the region's decision-makers to assure those challenges are met.
 
The Regional Business Alliance believes that members of the regional business community, by virtue of their expertise, relationships, and record of civic involvement, have a responsibility to contribute to an improved quality of life in the region. Its successes include:
  • South Florida Regional Transportation Authority: The RBA first committed its combined resources to improving regional transportation by working with local and legislative elected leaders, Gov. Jeb Bush, the South Florida and Treasure Coast regional planning councils and other business allies to establish the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority in 2003.
  • South Florida Regional Business Day: Since 2004, the RBA has organized "South Florida Regional Business Day" in Tallahassee. The region's top business and community leaders travel to the state Capitol in a show of regional solidarity. In recent years, representatives from the Tampa Bay, Orlando and Jacksonville regions have also participated.
  • Education: The RBA has developed a partnership between the business community and the school districts of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties focused on current issues affecting public education in our region.

Workforce Housing: The RBA has facilitated a partnership with the Broward Housing Partnership, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Committee on Workforce Housing, Housing Leadership Council of Palm Beach County, Inc., FIU Metropolitan Center, FAU Center for Urban and Environmental Studies and Terwilliger Center of the Urban Land Institute to develop a regional assessment of workforce housing. Those findings will be publicly presented in the fall of 2008 and culminate in the development of a regional action agenda.

The RBA meets monthly.  The Economic Council of Palm Beach County has six official voting members, but others are welcome to attend the meetings.