Help us to bring attention to the groups, organizations, and individuals that promote our mission to enjoy greater freedom and well being through bicycling – send in your nominations today!

Charlotte County received a bronze designation under the leadership of Kathleen Drake and Eric Stockley.

“BFBs are innovative businesses that demonstrate their commitment to encouraging healthy lifestyles, creating more affordable transportation, and leading the way in sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship,” said Andy Clarke, League President.

To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, visit www.bikeleague.org.

The 2009 Awards were presented last October in conjunction with the Mount Dora Bike Festival, but in order to align the Annual Meeting & Awards with the conference, it’s showtime again.

The Annual Meeting is an opportunity to update you face to face on what’s been going on this year and plans for the next seven months.  You’ll also meet members of the board, advisory directors, staff and volunteers.

Please join us in Lakeland for this event, as well as the conference. If you plan to attend just the Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation Luncheon, please RSVP by emailing laura@floridabicycle.org.

Come to Lakeland for the fifth ProBike/ProWalk Florida Conference “The Dollars and Sense of Bicycling and Walking” brought to you by the Florida Bicycle Association.  The conference will be held May 11-13, 2010 at the Lakeland Center.  Pre-conference activities will be held May 11. The conference begins May 12. The official host hotel is the Hyatt Place at Lakeland Center. Highlights include:

National, state and local dignitaries

Florida Bicycle Association Annual Meeting and Awards presentation

Educational and advocacy breakout sessions

Mobile Workshops

Continued education credits

Speakers will provide information and data to begin making the case that routinely accommodating pedestrians and cyclists makes total economic sense.

For more information and to register, go HERE!

I hope you can join us. Please RSVP if you plan to attend to insure space is available by contacting Laura Hallam at laura@floridabicycle.org.

You definitely want to attend FBA’s Annual meeting held in conjunction with the Mount Dora Bicycle Festival and Lake County Bike Summit Saturday, October 10, in Mount Dora. The Annual meeting is a time to update you on what’s been going on this year and plans for 2010 including our legislative plan, introduce the board members, and present Annual Awards. The Lake County Bike Summit will focus on regional issues. Festival Director Cathy Hoechst has been very supportive of accommodating the Annual meeting and the Summit into Saturday’s ride schedule. The Annual meeting begins at 3:30 followed by the Summit and wrapped up by 5:30.  The Lake County Bike Summit is an example of ways FBA is assisting local advocates to promote positive change in their communities. Both events are FREE and open to anyone interested in bicycle advocacy and education.  Registration fees apply if you wish to participate in the 35th Annual MDBF.

So count ‘em: 1. FBA Board meeting; 2. FBA Annual meeting; 3. Lake County Bike Summit; and 4. Mount Dora Bicycle Festival. See you soon!

Interested in attending the next FBA Board meeting or perhaps even considering a Board position? Now’s your chance since the next meeting will be held Friday, October 9, from 6:00-9:00 pm in Orlando at the office of Metroplan Orlando, 315 E. Robinson Street, Suite 355. For directions go HERE. Your voice counts and the best way to make a difference is to get involved as an Advisory or Board member.

You definitely want to attend the Annual meeting held in conjunction with the Mount Dora Bicycle Festival and Lake County Bike Summit Saturday, October 10, in Mount Dora. The Annual meeting is a time to update you on what’s been going on this year and plans for 2010 including our legislative plan, introduce the board members, and present Annual Awards. The Lake County Bike Summit will focus on regional issues. Festival Director Cathy Hoechst has been very supportive of accommodating the Annual meeting and the Summit into Saturday’s ride schedule. The Annual meeting begins at 3:30 followed by the Summit and wrapped up by 5:30.  The Lake County Bike Summit is an example of ways FBA is assisting local advocates to promote positive change in their communities. Both events are FREE and open to anyone interested in bicycle advocacy and education.  Registration fees apply if you wish to participate in the 35th Annual MDBF.

The City of Lake Helen will be presented with 1000 Friends of Florida’s Better Community Award for its citizen engagement and visionary planning to protect the community’s historic, small-town character. The award will be presented by 1000 Friends President Charles Pattison at an “Ice Cream Social” to be held in the City of Lake Helen on the evening of Tuesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. Residents of Volusia County are urged to attend this event at Lake Helen’s community center, historic Hopkins Hall, at the corner of Euclid and Connecticut Avenues.

“The City of Lake Helen has done what many other communities only contemplate,” says Charles. “It has engaged its citizens, established a compelling vision, and then incorporated that vision into its local plan.” The community was nominated for the award by Sam Tollefson of Cassadaga. “Having been an activist fighting to control the growth machine that has swallowed much of Southeast Florida, I have been alarmed to see such growth coming to Central Florida and other parts of state,” says Sam. “I was delighted to learn that Lake Helen has the insight, vision and courage to implement a growth plan that, if sustained, will enrich the lives of the people that live here for generations to come.”

In 2001, the community held a series of visioning sessions, and it soon became clear there was strong public support for maintaining Lake Helen’s unique, small-town, historic character. As a follow up, the city commissioned a population build out study on its 1992 comprehensive plan. Citizens and community leaders alike were shocked to realize that it would allow the distinctive community to grow dramatically in population.

Under the leadership of Mayor Mark Shuttleworth, Lake Helen then embarked on a four-year planning process to update the community’s comprehensive plan. In 2005 the city amended the plan, directing development first to infill areas, and incorporating smart growth principles for development outside the central core. The new plan slightly more than doubles the current population of almost 3,000 residents, which is considerably less than the 12,000 residents contemplated in the previous plan.

Mayor Shuttleworth attributes their success to two factors. “For years, our citizens have clearly expressed their desire to preserve Lake Helen’s small town atmosphere and quality of life,” says the Mayor. “They were willing to forgo ‘economic development’ and ‘jobs’ promised by strip malls and highway convenience stores in order to maintain our community’s environmental quality.” He goes on to note that the citizens trusted local government when it rezoned two-thirds of the town to ensure a population cap of about 6,500 at build out.

Mayor Shuttleworth also credits City Administrator/Planner Don Findell, who has guided the city’s planning and municipal infrastructure development program over the last eight years. “Don has been invaluable,” says Shuttleworth. “He brought many years of experience from other locales, and helped develop an acclaimed planning strategy to ensure the survival of this small Central Florida town.”

“The City of Lake Helen is a shining model for other communities across the state,” says 1000 Friends President Charles Pattison. “While its 1992 plan maximized the city’s future population and growth potential, the 2005 plan incorporates focuses on maintaining Lake Helen’s distinctive, small-town character.”

1000 Friends’ Better Community Award is presented annually for plans that have been implemented and projects that are completed that use the principles of smart growth to create livable, vital environments. 1000 Friends of Florida is also presenting six other awards for individual achievement and journalism at separate events over the course of 2007.

A statewide nonprofit organization, 1000 Friends was founded in 1986 to serve as Florida’s growth management watchdog. It has been presenting awards for innovative growth management efforts since 1990. For more information on 1000 Friends, visit www.1000friendsofflorida.org.