Rural/Small Cities: Evaluation and Appraisal Reports (E.A.R’s)

The Central Florida Regional Planning Council (CFRPC) has secured technical assistance funding from the State of Florida Department of Community Affairs under the Rural Communities Initiatives to assist several rural/small cities, towns and villages within DeSoto, Hardee and Polk Counties in developing an Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR). In accordance with Florida Statues Chapter 163, each municipality is required to periodically update its comprehensive plan through the preparation and adoption of an EAR.

What is an Evaluation & Appraisal Report?

Under state law, a local government must evaluate its Comprehensive Plan every seven years. The purpose of the EAR Process is to:  1) create a composite set of critical issues regarding growth management that a local government will evaluate during an update and amendment to its comprehensive plan; 2) identify alternatives that the local government will evaluate with regard to each of those issues; and 3) evaluate the effectiveness of the local government’s current adopted Comprehensive Plan in achieving the City's established goals, objectives and policies.

How can Residents be Involved?

Evaluation and Appraisal Reports focus on the major planning issues within a community.  The public is encouraged to participate in the EAR Public Workshops and EAR Discussion meetings to identify the major issues they feel should be addressed in the EAR Report. The CFRPC staff will hold an EAR Public Workshop or an EAR Public Work Session for each municipality to determine the major growth related issues.  We encourage residents in each area to participate in the EAR process by attending the meetings and or by completing the Major Issues Survey. The schedule and location for these workshops for each municipality is provided below as well as the major issues survey, or the summary of major issues that were identified.  

Letters of Understanding (LOU)

Each local government must prepare a list of major issues and ask the Department of Community Affiars (DCA) to concur that these are the issues on which the EAR should focus. The CFRPC will prepare a “Letter of Understanding” for each municipality that will acknowledge the list of major issues that were identified at the EAR Public workshops and agreed upon by the local government administration of each municipality.

Entering into a "Letter of Understanding" between the DCA and the local government will help avoid misunderstandings during the review of the Adopted EAR. As each LOU is issued, the letters will be posted under each local government heading below.


DeSoto County Rural/Small Cities EARs


City of Arcadia

 

 

Hardee County Rural/Small Cities EARs

City of Bowling Green

 

City of Wauchula

 

Town of Zolfo Springs

 


Polk County Rural/Small Cities EARs

 

City of Davenport 

City of Eagle Lake 

City of Fort Meade 

City of Frostproof 

Village of Highland Park 

Town of Hillcrest Heights 

Town of Lake Hamilton

City of Mulberry

City of Polk City

 



 

View a flow chart summarizing the major steps in preparing and adopting the E.A.R.

For more information about the EAR process please visit the Department of Community Affairs Website at http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/dcp/EAR/index.cfm