DRAFT
Overview of Centers in the
East Central Florida Study Area
Prepared for the
East Central Florida Corridor Task Force
August 2014
Prepared by
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and
Florida Department of Transportation
Overview of Centers in the East Central Florida Study Area
DRAFT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA CORRIDOR TASK FORCE ................................................................ 1
OVERVIEW OF CENTERS IN THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA STUDY AREA ..................... 2
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................2
Principles Guiding Development of East Central Florida’s Centers ...................................................................2
Regional Population Growth .....................................................................................................................................4
Defining Centers in the East Central Florida Study Area .....................................................................................6
Current and Future Centers .................................................................................................................................... 11
Implications for the East Central Florida Corridor Task Force and the Study Process ................................ 17
APPENDIX 1: COUNTY POPULATION FORECASTS ................................................................. 18
APPENDIX 2: LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUTURE LAND USE MAPS....................................... 19
APPENDIX 3: INDUSTRY CLUSTER MAPS .................................................................................22
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1:
East Central Florida Study Area ................................................................................ 1
Figure 2:
County-Level Population Estimates and Projections, 1960-2060 ............................. 5
Figure 3:
County Population Growth, 1960-2060 (2012 = 100) ................................................. 6
Figure 4:
Generalized Future Land Use with Planned and Proposed Developments ........... 10
Figure 5:
Current Population Centers in East Central Florida ............................................... 12
Figure 6:
Population Centers in East Central Florida in 2060 (Projected) ............................. 13
Figure 7:
Current Employment Centers in East Central Florida ........................................... 15
Figure 8:
Employment Centers in East Central Florida in 2060 (Projected) ......................... 16
Figure A3-1:
Major Travel and Tourism Employers ....................................................................22
Figure A3-2:
Major Research and Technology Clusters ..............................................................23
Figure A3-3:
Freight-Intensive Industries ....................................................................................24
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1:
Build-out Plans for Selected Developments in the Study Area ................................ 9
Table A1-1:
Comparison of County-Level Population Forecasts ............................................... 18
ii
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Overview of Centers in the East Central Florida Study Area
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EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA CORRIDOR TASK FORCE
Florida Governor Rick Scott created the East Central Florida Corridor Task Force through an
Executive Order signed on November 1, 2013. Its purpose is to evaluate and develop consensus
recommendations on future transportation corridors serving established and emerging economic
activity centers in planning for portions of Brevard, Orange, and Osceola counties (Figure 1). The
Task Force will involve stakeholders and the public as it develops its recommendations. Its work
recognizes that well-planned transportation corridors can improve mobility and connectivity for
people and freight, support economic development, promote high-quality development patterns,
help preserve Florida’s natural resources, and facilitate emergency evacuation and response.
The work of the Task Force supports the broader Future Corridors planning process, a statewide
effort led by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to plan for the future of major
transportation corridors critical to the state’s economic competitiveness and quality of life over the
next 50 years. It is based on a three-step process that includes a Concept Study for a potential
corridor study area; a more detailed Evaluation Study for a corridor or segment within the study
area; and more specific decisions about particular alignment(s) within a corridor through the Project
Development and Environment Process.
Figure 1:
East Central Florida Study Area
Source: Florida Department of Transportation
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Overview of Centers in the East Central Florida Study Area
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OVERVIEW OF CENTERS IN THE EAST CENTRAL
FLORIDA STUDY AREA
Introduction
“HOW SHALL WE GROW?”
This report provides an overview of current and future
population and employment centers in the East Central
Florida Study Area. It is one of four that highlight the
themes of “How Shall We Grow?,” the shared regional
growth vision for Central Florida developed in 2007(see box
to the right). The East Central Florida Corridor Task Force
may build upon that vision and other statewide, regional,
and local plans.
THEMES: THE FOUR CS
The “How Shall We Grow?” vision:

Was developed through a broad-based, highly
participatory 18-month process that involved more than
20,000 Central Floridians.

Conservation – Enjoying Central
Florida’s most precious resources –
lands, waters, air, and wildlife.

Countryside – Maintaining Central
Florida’s heritage of agriculture and
small villages.

Centers – Hamlets, villages, towns,
and cities – a variety of places to
live, work, and play.

Corridors – Connecting our region
with more choices for how people
and freight move.

Depicts what the region’s residents said they desire for
the future – a region “that consumes less land, preserves
more precious environmental resources and natural countryside, creates more distinctive places to live in
both rural and urban areas, and provides more choices for how people travel.”

Forms the basis for the Central Florida Regional Growth Compact, a voluntary agreement signed by
representatives of the region’s 7 counties and 86 cities committing to continue regional cooperation to
implement the vision and its guiding principles.

Is core to the East Central Florida 2060 Plan, the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council’s
Strategic Regional Policy Plan, which is intended to implement the regional growth vision and the key
themes it promotes.

Has been incorporated by more than two thirds of Central Florida’s local governments into updates of
comprehensive plans, policies, and other development practices.
Principles Guiding Development of East Central Florida’s Centers
The How Shall We Grow? regional vision, regional plans including the East Central Florida 2060 Plan, and
local plans, including the Osceola, Brevard, and Orange County Comprehensive Plans, contain similar
guiding principles related to centers in the East Central Florida region. They also reflect unique local values.
How Shall We Grow? details six principles to guide future growth decisions to help accomplish the regional
vision. Among these principles, four are directly related to Centers:
2
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Overview of Centers in the East Central Florida Study Area
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
Foster distinct, attractive, and safe places to live;

Encourage a diverse, globally competitive economy;

Create a range of obtainable housing opportunities and choices; and

Build communities with educational, health care, and cultural amenities.
How Shall We Grow? depicts what the region’s residents said they desire for the future: a “variety of places to
live, work, and play.” How Shall We Grow? states “Each community should develop according to the size
and character envisioned by its residents, consistent with the shared regional vision.” Development of the
region’s cities, towns, and other centers should reflect “the diversity of our people and our economy.
Incentives could be provided for creative design practices; developing mixed-use, more compact centers
located close to regional transit stations and expressway interchanges; and implementing ‘green’ community
designs that support a reduced urban and environmental footprint.”
Regarding the location of future centers, How Shall We Grow? notes “A small number of new centers may be
created at locations that are suitable for compact development.” Locations that are suitable for compact
development should “reflect market demand, avoid critical environmental lands, and be connected to
existing or planned transportation corridors.”
The six How Shall We Grow? principles are incorporated into the East Central Florida 2060 Plan (the region’s
Strategic Regional Policy Plan (SRPP)) and the East Central Florida Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
(CEDS). Examples of policies in the East Central Florida 2060 Plan that build upon How Shall We Grow?
principles include the following:

Promote compact form and the aggregation of developments to conserve corridors containing natural
resources of regional significance.

Promote integrated land use and multi-modal transportation strategies that support diverse economic
centers.

Support emerging economic centers that are located in the most appropriate areas, such as along transit
corridors or in existing or planned employment centers.

Support efforts that integrate mixed-income housing into existing, expanding, and emerging job centers.

Build new centers and rebuild existing urban centers in the most appropriate locations that can
reasonably provide urban services and multi-modal transportation.
Orange County recognizes the importance of establishing growth centers in its Comprehensive Plan:
“Orange County shall recognize growth as a regional issue and shall use Growth Centers as an effective
planning tool to allow, address and guide urban-scale, single-purpose public or quasi-public uses that serve a
regional purpose or market and require a location outside the Urban Service Area.”1 Orange County defines
1
“Destination 2030”, Orange County Comprehensive Plan 2010-2030, Adopted Mary 19, 2009, p. FLU 143.
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its Urban Service Area as “the area for which Orange County is responsible for providing infrastructure and
services to support urban development.”2
The Osceola County Comprehensive Plan notes the need to “provide a concentrated mix of uses with a
distinct sense of place.”3 Osceola County has established an Urban Growth Boundary “to provide a spatial
framework within which urban scale development can occur and the location, capacity, and financing for
the roads, schools, utilities, transit and other public facilities necessary to support development can be
planned for and provided.”4
Brevard County’s Comprehensive Plan lays out a goal and a clear set of accompanying objectives for future
development. The plan’s principles “ensure the compatibility of new development with its surroundings,”
“discourage the occurrence of inefficiencies inherent in urban sprawl,” and “permit mixed use
developments which, through the application of appropriate performance standards, juxtaposes
neighborhood services and employment centers with residential uses in order to promote efficient use of
land.”5 Brevard County does not have an Urban Growth Boundary or Urban Service Area.
Regional Population Growth
The county governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and other planning entities in the study area
use a variety of forecasts to project future population levels. Appendix 1 summarizes the forecasts used to
support the county comprehensive plans and metropolitan planning organization long-range transportation
plans, as well as the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) forecast,
which is used by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and by both the St. Johns River Water
Management District and South Florida Water Management Districts.
The seven county East Central Florida region is expected to add more than 3 million people between 2012
and 2060, according to forecasts developed by FDOT based on 2040 BEBR projections. Figure 2 shows
the absolute population growth for each county in the region from 1960 to the present day, along with the
BEBR/FDOT projection through 2060. Orange County is expected to remain the largest county in the
region and is expected to add the most population in absolute terms from 2012 through 2060—more than 1
million people. Polk County also is expected to experience strong growth and maintain its position as the
second largest county in the seven county region, while Brevard is expected to remain the third most
populous county.
Figure 3 shows how the growth trajectories of each county have changed over time and how county-level
growth rates are expected to compare in the future. Seminole, Volusia, and Brevard counties, which were
earlier to develop, show growth trajectories with pronounced S-curves, reflecting rapid expansion and land
consumption in the past followed by more recent trends towards infill and densification as the inventory of
developable land shrinks. In contrast, prior to the 1980s, both Osceola and Lake counties had relatively
slow growth compared to other counties. Since 1980, Osceola’s growth rate has averaged 5.6 percent per
year, more than double the annual rate of growth in the region as a whole. Lake County’s growth rate has
averaged more than 3 percent per year, making it the second-fastest growing county in the region. Osceola,
Lake, Orange, and Polk counties are expected to continue strong growth well into the future.
2
Ibid, p. FLU-1.
Osceola County Comprehensive Plan 2025, Future Land Use Element, last amended 2013, p. 3.
4
Ibid, p. 1.
5
Brevard County Comprehensive Plan, December 2011, p. XI-1.
3
4
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Overview of Centers in the East Central Florida Study Area
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Regional and community visions and plans call for infill development in the core of the region where
significant growth has occurred in the past. Major transportation corridor investments such as the
reconstruction of portions of Interstate 4 and the new SunRail service will reinforce these core areas. In
addition, based on available forecasts as well as locations of available land, planned investments, and major
transportation corridors, the region has the potential for three major growth areas during the next few
decades:

to the northwest into western Orange and Lake counties;

to the southwest, into western Osceola and Polk counties; and

to the southeast, into southeastern Orange, eastern Osceola, and southern Brevard counties.
Figure 2:
Source:
County-Level Population Estimates and Projections, 1960-2060
U.S. Census Bureau, University of Florida Bureau of Economic Business Research, and the Florida Department of
Transportation, 2013.
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Figure 3:
Source:
County Population Growth, 1960-2060 (2012 = 100)
U.S. Census Bureau, University of Florida Bureau of Economic Business Research, and the Florida Department of
Transportation, 2013.
Defining Centers in the East Central Florida Study Area
Types of Centers Defined in Local Comprehensive Plans
The hierarchy and classification of centers vary by county, but there are similarities in how each county
characterizes each type of center:

Brevard County’s New Town land use designation covers the Viera development. The Town Center
is “a strong core of higher density residential, employment and commercial uses, which shall be
interconnected and accessible by pedestrians to surrounding areas and shall be designed to encourage
and accommodate regional transit. The quantity of non-residential development permitted in the Town
Center will be related to the demand for community commercial, office, civic and government use
development within the New Town.” Villages “shall be a minimum of 1000 acres and shall be
designed as a collection of Neighborhoods where a majority of the housing units are within a half mile
walking distance of a Village or Neighborhood Center with higher densities closer to the Village Center.
Villages shall be supported by internally designed, mixed-use Village Centers (designed specifically to
serve the daily needs of Village residents).” Regional Commerce Districts “are dedicated to providing
employment opportunities. Allowed uses include office, retail, light industrial, and higher density
residential.”6

Orange County has identified several type of mixed use activity centers specific to major planned
development areas in the county. For example, in the Innovation Way Corridor, a major planned mixed
use development in southeast Orlando straddling State Route 528 just east of State Route 417, the
6
6
Brevard County Comprehensive Plan, December 2011.
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following types of centers are defined in Orange County’s Comprehensive Plan: “High-Tech Centers,
Town Centers, Village Centers, Neighborhood Nodes, and Innovation Way Activity Centers
shall provide a mix of housing, shops and services, workplaces, entertainment, and institutional/ civic
facilities essential to daily life … Higher densities and intensities shall be organized around transit
stations, and in proximity to Multimodal Transit Corridors.” 7 Orange County also incorporates the
center-based approach in its special area planning process in which complete community district
development guidelines and standards are created. Examples range from transit oriented development
around the Meadows Wood and Sand Lake commuter rail stations, to infill and redevelopment plans
such as the South Orange Avenue Corridor, to rural settlement design for the Lake Avalon area.

Osceola County’s Mixed Use Planning Districts are “intended to promote a balanced mix of
activities- residence, shops, schools, workplace, parks, etc.” Further, “within the Mixed Use category,
commercial, office and industrial development shall take the form of centers.” Osceola County requires
a Conceptual Master Plan to be developed before any Mixed Use Planning District can be developed
beyond a limited scope defined in the Comprehensive Plan. In Mixed Use Planning Districts, the
county defines a hierarchy of centers “based upon their function, size and relationship to residential
development.” Two types of centers within Mixed Use Planning Districts have implications for regional
planning. The first are Employment Centers, which are defined as those places that “are intended to
provide intense workplaces for Osceola County residents and to provide economic benefits in terms of
high-wage jobs and increased tax base.” The Employment Commercial land use designation “is
primarily intended to provide intense workplaces for Osceola County residents and to provide economic
benefits in terms of high-wage jobs and increased tax base in the Urban Infill Area.” Second, Urban
Centers “are primarily intended for urban-scale commercial, office or employment center activity.”8
The counties also have established special districts for clusters of industrial uses and tourism-related
activities. For example, Brevard County’s Planned Industrial land use designation “is intended to
accommodate the clustering of light industrial and business uses…Appropriate uses are those that operate
within enclosed buildings such as manufacturing, assembling, fabricating, warehousing and retailing
activities. Hotel and motel accommodations that serve the travel needs of employees or clients associated
with firms within the planned industrial or business parks are also appropriate.” Industrial land uses in
Brevard County are concentrated around the Florida East Coast Rail line and U.S. 1, and in the vicinity of
I-95 interchanges. In Orange County and the City of Orlando, large contiguous areas in and around Taft,
west of Orlando International Airport, are designated for industrial land uses. Orange County’s
International Drive Activity Center is established to encourage a mixture of tourist related development.
Osceola County’s Tourist Commercial special land use designation allows “retail and office activity, theme
parks, lodging facilities (hotels and timeshares), themed restaurants and other ancillary uses to support the
tourism industry.” Many of the Tourist Commercial uses are concentrated in the Kissimmee and Lake
Buena Vista areas.
Appendix 2 includes each county’s adopted Future Land Use Map. Figure 4 shows a map of future land use
as compiled by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. For purposes of clarity on this map, the
land use designations are standardized across all three counties and do not reflect the exact land use
designations in each county’s respective map.
7
8
“Destination 2030”, Orange County Comprehensive Plan 2010-2030, Adopted Mary 19, 2009.
Osceola County Comprehensive Plan 2025, Future Land Use Element, last amended 2013.
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Sector Plans, Developments of Regional Impact, and Other Major Planned Developments
Florida Statutes provide several mechanisms for large-scale planning, including the following that have been
used in the study area:

A Sector Plan is intended to facilitate long range planning (over a 20 to 50 year horizon) for a
substantial geographic area of at least 15,000 acres. Sector Plans are developed in two stages: a long term
master plan consisting of a framework map, policies, and a general identification of key resources in the
planning area, followed by detailed specific area plans for areas of at least 1,000 acres. Sector plans must
address issues including: urban form, natural resources, water supplies, transportation facilities, and
other regionally significant public facilities.9 There is one approved Sector Plan in the study area, an area
known as the Northeast District in north central Osceola County on property owned by the Deseret
Ranches of Florida. This Sector Plan was developed as a comprehensive plan amendment prior to July
1, 2011 and converted into a sector plan consistent with Section 163.3245(11), Florida Statutes. An
additional sector plan is under development in the North Ranch portion of the Deseret Ranch property.
This sector plan is being developed in accordance with 2011 amendments to the statute and is intended
to be fully consistent with current state law.

A development of regional impact (DRI) is “any development which, because of its character,
magnitude, or location, would have a substantial effect upon the health, safety or welfare of citizens of
more than one county.”10 There are 85 DRIs in the study area, ranging from marinas to golf courses to
large-scale master planned developments.
While Sector Plans and DRIs are intended to ensure developments with statewide and/or regional
significance are carefully planned (particularly due to their implications for transportation infrastructure,
school enrollment, and water consumption), there are many other development plans in the study area that,
when taken together, may have regional-scale impacts. Notable county-level development processes and
mechanisms include the following:

In Osceola County, three major developments have been planned through the county’s Conceptual
Master Plan process. They are the Northeast District (now categorized as a Sector Plan), the East of
Lake Toho (or “East Toho”) Conceptual Master Plan and the South Toho Conceptual Master Plan.
Osceola’s Conceptual Master Plans are developed only in areas already classified as Mixed Use Planning
Districts (described above). They provide more detail than the general policy guidance laid out in the
county’s Comprehensive Plan, and they are intended to “explore a range of build-out opportunities and
their relationship to the size and form of future centers, the layout and interconnectedness of future
transportation networks, and the spatial arrangement of the mix of uses” with the intent of providing a
greater selection of businesses and services so that residents can walk, bike, or make shorter driving trips
to their destinations.

Both Osceola and Orange County use a Planned Development process to plan for and approve
development on sites that involve more than one land use. Planned Developments can range in size
from parcels of land that do not meet the DRI criteria to larger-scale incremental development within a
designated DRI. Several large parcels of land in southeast Orlando have been designated as Planned
Developments, including Medical City and other components of the Lake Nona DRI.
9
Section 163.3245, Florida Statutes.
Section 380.06(1), Florida Statutes.
10
8
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Figure 4 shows the locations of Sector Plans, DRIs, and Osceola County Conceptual Master Plans in the
study area, in addition to future land uses identified in county comprehensive plans. The developments
shown in Figure 4 are in various stages of development, ranging from visioning to construction. Some of
these sites have been entitled but not fully developed, and have significant remaining capacity for
development. Full build out plans for several significant developments in the study area are detailed in
Table 1, but it is not likely that these levels of development will be in place in all of these areas by 2060.
Table 1:
Build-out Plans for Selected Developments in the Study Area
Employees
Single
Family
(Dwelling
Units)
Multi
Family
(Dwelling
Units)
Commercial/
Office/
Industrial
(Square Feet)
Institutional
(Square Feet)
Hotel
Rooms
8,540,000
1,995,000
5,000
Sector Plans
Northeast
District11
(Osceola)
North Ranch
(Osceola)
44,130
29,320
(Sector Plan under development; to be determined)
DRIs
Viera12
(Brevard)
Innovation
Way13
(Orange)
N/A
51,020
29,945
43,145
20,927
7,310,347
137,500
1,000
20,667,403
N/A
1,570
Lake Nona14
(Orange)
N/A
9,000
2,122,000
4,210,000
(includes
Medical City)
2,250
Harmony
(Osceola)15
N/A
7,200
1,850,000
N/A
N/A
Conceptual Master Plans
South Toho16
(Osceola)
East Toho17
(Osceola)
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
41,310
19,304
20,898
13,450,000
2,670,000
3,600
28,820
16,380
14,000
8,450,000
2,040,000
1,450
Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, Northeast District Element.
http://www.osceola.org/files/Websites/SmartGrowth/00009614_northeast_district_element_documents/082311_NortheastDistrictElement.pdf.
Brevard County Comprehensive Plan, December 2011. Chapter 11, Future Land Use. http://www.brevardcounty.us/docs/defaultsource/planning-and-development/chapter-11-future-land-use.pdf?sfvrsn=2.
Innovation Way Final Report, Orange County Planning Department, 2005.
http://www.orangecountyfl.net/Portals/0/resource%20library/planning%20-%20development/InnovationWayFinalReport2005.pdf.
Lake Nona DRI & PD Amendment, Staff Report to the Orlando Municipal Planning Board, January 17, 2012.
http://www.cityoforlando.net/planning/cityplanning/MPB/2012%20MPB%20Agenda%20Minute%20%26%20Staff%20Reports/Jan/DRI2
011-00001%20Lake%20Nona%20PD-DRI%20for%20MPB.pdf.
Harmony DRI Annual Report 2009-2010, published March 9, 2012 http://www.osceola.org/planning_office/116-7998-0/harmony.cfm.
Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, South Lake Toho Element. http://www.osceola.org/strategicinitiatives/238-65839600/south_lake_toho_element.cfm.
Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, East of Lake Toho Element. http://www.osceola.org/strategicinitiatives/238-65839633/east_of_lake_toho_element.cfm.
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Figure 4:
Sources:
10
Generalized Future Land Use with Planned and Proposed Developments
East Central Florida Regional. Planning Council, 2011; University of Florida GeoPlan Center, 2013; Florida Department
of Economic Opportunity, 2014.
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Some Sector Plans and DRIs just outside the study area could influence future travel patterns in the East
Central Florida study area. These developments, which are in various stages of the approval process or are
already under construction, include the following:

Farmton in Brevard and Volusia counties;

Horizon West in Orange County; and

Wellness Way in Lake County.
Current and Future Centers
Population Centers
How Shall We Grow? defined a hierarchy of population centers that was roughly consistent with the counties’
definitions, but used a different naming convention. This typology has been extended for this analysis by
adding a top tier category of a Large Regional City. The typology includes the following categories of
population centers:

Hamlet: less than 4,999 people;

Village: 5,000 to 9,999 people;

Town: 10,000 to 29,999 people;

Small City: 30,000 to 49,999 people;

Medium City: 50,000 to 99,999 people;

Regional City: 100,000 to 249,999 people; and

Large Regional City: 250,000 or more people..
Figures 5 and 6 show the sizes of current and projected future population centers in the region, respectively,
using the definitions described above. The centers were defined based on an analysis of where population
and employment currently are concentrated in the region and where, if major planned developments are
realized, population and employment are expected to be concentrated in the future. Each symbol on the
map represents a broader area than is covered by the symbol.
Central Orlando currently meets the definition of a Large Regional City (250,000 or more people), and Palm
Bay and Melbourne currently meet the definition of a Regional City (100,000 or more people). Kissimmee
Taft, and the University of Central Florida area each meet the definition of a Medium City (50,000 to 99,999
people). With the anticipated growth including redevelopment of existing centers and growth expected in
major developments listed in Table 1, the study area could have the equivalent of ten Medium Cities with
more than 50,000 people each by 2060: Kissimmee, plus the University of Central Florida area, Innovation
Way, Airport-Lake Nona, Taft, Poinciana, East and South Toho, Narcoossee Road-Harmony, the Northeast
District, and Viera. Although population projections for the North Ranch sector plan are not yet available,
the North Ranch area is expected to contain one or more significant population centers in the future.
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Figure 5:
Source:
12
Current Population Centers in East Central Florida
FDOT analysis based on U.S. Census Bureau, 2012.
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Figure 6:
Source:
Population Centers in East Central Florida in 2060 (Projected)
Florida Department of Transportation projection, 2012; Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, Northeast District Element;
Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, South Toho Element; Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, East of Lake Toho
Element; Brevard County Comprehensive Plan, December 2011. Chapter 11, Future Land Use; Lake Nona DRI & PD
Amendment, Staff Report to the Orlando Municipal Planning Board, January 17, 2012; Innovation Way Final Report,
Orange County Planning Department, 2005.
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Employment Centers
The leading industry clusters today and those that are anticipated to grow in the future include the
following:

The region’s travel and tourism industry historically has centered around the Orlando theme parks,
Orange County Convention Center (the second largest convention center in the nation), the Kennedy
Space Center in Brevard County, and Brevard County’s beaches.

Many parts of the region are targeting growth in the research and technology-oriented industries
such as life sciences, simulation, digital media, clean technology, and renewable energy. Brevard County
historically has been a center of aerospace research and development, in connection with NASA, Patrick
Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and U.S. Air Force Malabar Test Facility. The
forthcoming expansion of Northrop Grumman in Melbourne and plans to expand the commercial
spaceport at Cape Canaveral including a new launch site at Shiloh would solidify this cluster of activity.
Upon completion, developments in Medical City/Lake Nona and Innovation Way will become part of a
life science cluster that stretches north to the University of Central Florida.

Trade and logistics industries are concentrated on the south side of Orlando west of Orlando
International Airport, where there is excellent access to Florida’s Turnpike, I-4, the Beach Line
Expressway, a CSX intermodal terminal, and Orlando International Airport’s air cargo terminals. There
also are trade and logistics clusters near Port Canaveral and, to a lesser extent, near Melbourne
International Airport and the population centers of southern Brevard County. These facilities provide
regional employment in warehousing, distribution, and light manufacturing. In the future, the region’s
trade and logistics clusters are expected to grow, reflecting overall growth in the region’s population and
economy, as well as growing international trade to, from, and through Florida.
Appendix 3 contains maps of concentrations of employers in these three industry clusters.
Figure 7 shows where employment centers are located today, and Figure 8 shows potential future
employment centers. The centers were defined based on an analysis of where employment currently is
concentrated in the region and where, if major planned developments are realized, employment is expected
to be concentrated in the future. Each symbol on the map represents a broader area than is covered by the
symbol. Some municipalities, like Orlando, have multiple employment centers; others may not have an
employment center at all (e.g., coastal communities that are primarily residential with a limited number of
retail and service jobs).
The largest concentrations of employment in the region include central Orlando, Lake Buena Vista (which
includes Walt Disney World), and the International Drive tourism cluster. Orlando International AirportLake Nona, industrial areas in Taft and south Orlando, the area around the University of Central Florida,
Innovation Way, Kissimmee, Melbourne, and the Cape Canaveral Spaceport/Port Canaveral area have
smaller but still significant concentrations of employment. Some of these centers, such as Lake Buena Vista
and Cape Canaveral, are more significant from a regional perspective as employment centers than
population centers.
Significant new employment growth is projected to occur by 2060 in an arc extending from the University
of Central Florida through Innovation Way to Orlando International Airport-Lake Nona. Each of these
employment centers is expected to have more than 25,000 jobs by 2060. Melbourne and Kissimmee also
are expected to grow from small to medium employment centers, and the South Toho area and the area
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covered by the Northeast District Sector Plan both are expected to become new medium employment
centers. Viera and East Toho both are projected to be small employment centers by 2060. Although
employment projections for the North Ranch sector plan are not yet available, the North Ranch area is
expected to contain one or more significant employment centers in the future.
Figure 7:
Source:
Current Employment Centers in East Central Florida
FDOT analysis based on U.S. Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data, accessed 2014.
http://lehd.ces.census.gov/.
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Figure 8:
Source:
16
Employment Centers in East Central Florida in 2060 (Projected)
Local comprehensive plans and U.S. Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data, accessed 2014.
http://lehd.ces.census.gov; Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, Northeast District Element; Osceola County Comprehensive
Plan, South Toho Element; Osceola County Comprehensive Plan, East of Lake Toho Element; Brevard County
Comprehensive Plan, December 2011. Chapter 11, Future Land Use; Lake Nona DRI & PD Amendment, Staff Report
to the Orlando Municipal Planning Board, January 17, 2012; Innovation Way Final Report, Orange County Planning
Department, 2005.
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Implications for the East Central Florida Corridor Task Force and the Study Process
The Task Force could consider the following suggestions:

Monitor progress on the North Ranch Sector Plan as well as continued work on existing sector plans
and DRIs to determine how the map of future population and economic centers might adapt over time.

Obtain input from local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, economic development
organizations, businesses, and other regional stakeholders to understand the transportation connectivity
needs for both people and freight to support current and future centers. Key considerations might
include support for higher density, mixed use development, and urban infill and redevelopment, as well
as the value of improved connectivity for creating strong regional industry clusters.

Provide recommendations for future planning and development of transportation corridors that support
existing and future centers and are consistent with the How Shall We Grow? vision and adopted regional
and local plans.

Work at the larger scale and over the long term to identify opportunities to advance mutual goals. For
example, the Task Force could recommend strategies to advance long-term management and
preservation of land for transportation corridors and future targeted economic development at the same
time, as well co-ordination and co-location of transportation facilities with utilities and other
infrastructure to help focus growth in areas targeted for future development and redevelopment.
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APPENDIX 1: COUNTY POPULATION FORECASTS
Table A1-1:
Comparison of County-Level Population Forecasts
County
Source
Brevard
Countya
Space Coast Transportation
Planning Organization 2035
Long Range Transportation
Plan, Mobility Assessment
University of Florida Bureau
of Economic and Business
Researchb
Orange
County
Orange County Planning
Division: Orange County,
Florida Population
Projections 2005-2030
MetroPlan Orlando 2040
Long Range Transportation
Plan
University of Florida
Bureau of Economic and
Business Researchb
Osceola
County
b
770,000
Year Forecast Was
Prepared or
Adopted
2035
2005
2040
2013
2030
2003
2040
2014
2040
2013
High: 819,500
Medium: 677,300
Low: 535,100
High: 1,077,678
Medium: 901,238
Low: 739,907
2,000,304
High: 2,266,000
Medium: 1,798,400
Low: 1,330,800
Osceola County
Comprehensive Plan 2025
615,000
2025
2007
MetroPlan Orlando 2040
Long Range Transportation
Plan
741,855
2040
2014
2040
2013
University of Florida
Bureau of Economic and
Business Researchb
a
Population
Forecast
Forecast
Horizon
Year
High: 673,200
Medium: 525,900
Low: 378,700
2040 population projections for Brevard County have recently been drafted and are under review.
University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research forecasts are used by the Florida Department of Transportation for
transportation planning purposes and by both the St. Johns River Water Management District and the South Florida Water
Management District for water management planning purposes.
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APPENDIX 2: LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUTURE LAND USE
MAPS
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APPENDIX 3: INDUSTRY CLUSTER MAPS
Figure A3-1: Major Travel and Tourism Employers
Source:
22
InfoGroup, 2010, and Florida Department of Transportation. Note that InfoGroup firm-level data are presented in this
paper to show regional-scale job clusters in representative industries. Locations of specific firms will be vetted and verified as
more detailed analyses are performed in this region in the future.
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Figure A3-2: Major Research and Technology Clusters
Source:
InfoGroup 2010; Florida Division of Emergency Management, 2008; Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology
Transfer, 2012; Florida Department of Transportation, 2012. Note that InfoGroup firm-level data are presented in this
paper to show regional-scale job clusters in representative industries. Locations of specific firms will be vetted and verified as
more detailed analyses are performed in this region in the future.
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Figure A3-3: Freight-Intensive Industries
Source:
24
InfoGroup, 2010, and Florida Department of Transportation. Note that InfoGroup firm-level data are presented in this
paper to show regional-scale job clusters in representative industries. Locations of specific firms will be vetted and verified as
more detailed analyses are performed in this region in the future.
August 2014