Pelham lecture will focus on impacts of Florida's growth management legislation

November 16, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thomas G. Pelham, secretary of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, will speak about the real and potential impacts of Florida’s new growth management legislation on Thursday at the University of Florida.

The annual Ernest R. Bartley Memorial Lecture starts at 6:30 p.m. in Bless Auditorium at 100 Williamson Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.

“As a leading lawyer and planner, Tom Pelham understands the growth management process from the ground up,” says Richard Schneider, a professor in UF’s department of urban and regional planning. “He has been DCA secretary under two administrations and helped draft and implement the 1985 Growth Management Act, which has been the cornerstone of growth policy and law in the state. Recent legislation has significantly changed the law, especially related to ‘transportation concurrency’ issues and it’s vital to understand how those changes will affect Florida’s future.”

The Ernest R. Bartley Memorial Lecture Series was created in 2008 in honor of the late Ernest “Bart” Bartley, planning consultant and professor emeritus of the department of urban and regional planning in the College of Design, Construction and Planning. Bartley played a major role in shaping Florida’s growth management policies.