East Central Florida Regional Planning Council

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

The ECFRPC offices will be closed beginning this Friday, May 29, through Friday, June 7, for building maintenance. Staff will work remotely during the closure. We anticipate resuming normal operations on Monday, June 8.

Unlocking the potential of any community starts with understanding the unique assets it already has! For over a decade, the ECFRPC’s Economic Development program has been at the forefront of economic development with our award-winning industry cluster model. Join us for our June Portals of Innovation webinar to discover this exciting approach and learn how to use it to better harness economic development within your own community. 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

The ECFRPC offices will be closed on Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. Regular operations will resume on Tuesday, May 26.

Today we had our council meeting at our offices in downtown Orlando, but that doesn't mean we're just in Orange County today. From the Landowners Expo in Marion County, Florida, to the City of Cape Canaveral- Government Hurricane Expo in Brevard County, our team is out and about today helping inform the public on how we, as local government collaborators, can empower individuals and communities to become ever more resilient to whatever challenges our state faces, from growth to hurricanes.