The Northeast Florida Regional Council created the Northeast Florida Regional Leadership Academy in 2005. Since its inception the Academy has graduated over 225 participants and is a program that nurtures and cultivates a commitment to Regionalism. The Academy educates Regional Leaders and invests in the future of communities through a mission to make Northeast Florida a better place to live and work. Recently the 2017 class was in St. Johns County covering the topics of affordable housing and agriculture. Bill Lazar of the St. Johns Housing Partnership led a lively discussion on affordable housing. David Dinkins of UF/IFAS introduced the group to farmers who led a tour of two farms, Blue Sky and Barnes, provided an overview of agriculture in Northeast Florida and hosted a wonderful, locally sourced lunch. For more information on the Academy, visit www.nefrla.com.
