The Central Florida Regional Planning Council (CFRPC) recently completed work as part of the Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) second implementation grant awarded by the Office of Economic Adjustment, U.S. Department of Defense.
Development of an expanded communications plan to notify the public of activities at the APAFR was included in this work. As part of this effort, a series of three short public awareness videos was developed and will be available for viewing and use by others beginning in April 2017. The videos titled: 1) Protecting the Community – Preserving Our Freedom; 2) Living Near the Avon Park Air Force Range; and 3) Developing the JLUS, provide an overview of activities and mission of the APAFR, possible impacts such as noise and vibration that may be experienced by people living near the APAFR, and the process through which the JLUS for the APAFR was developed. The APAFR JLUS has received national recognition for its extensive public engagement and coordination with the seven local governments (the Counties of Highlands, Okeechobee, Osceola, and Polk, and the Cities of Avon Park, Frostproof and Sebring) within the Military Influence Planning Area.
Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) plays an important role in the training of the men and women that defend our nation. The largest bombing and gunnery range east of the Mississippi River, APAFR has approximately 400 square miles of restricted airspace and 1,000 square miles of military operating area. Located in central Florida in Polk and Highlands Counties, APAFR’s 106,000 acres provide an important training facility for active duty, guard, and reserve military units from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.
For more information about the award winning JLUS, contact Jennifer Codo-Salisbury at the Central Florida Regional Planning Council at (863) 534-7130 or visit the project website http://www.cfrpc.org/jlus-avonparkafr/.
