The Florida Recreational Trails Council (FRTC) is an advisory council to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)'s Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT). The council currently has 23 members composed of one representative from each state and federal agency that involves trails, including: water management districts, Florida Communities Trust, Game and Fish Commission, Division of Forestry, FDOT, US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Forest Service. Local governments have one rep as do urban trails. There are two reps for: private landowners, commercial outdoor interests, jogging, hiking, horse back riding, paddling and bicycling.
Appointments are made by Virginia Wetherell, Secretary of DEP for two year terms. The user group rep's terms are staggered; so for example, one bicycling rep's term is up each year. Bicycling is presently represented on this council by George Borelli (architect from Orlando who loves off-road and rail-trail riding) and me.
The council meets four times a year to forward the trails agenda of the state of Florida. Recently the council has drafted and adopted trail design guidelines and a trail designation procedure. The council frequently drafts and sends official letters to the governor, agencies and others addressing issues and topics concerning trails. The council also has an active legislative sub committee which keeps members informed of pending greenway and trail related legislation.
At each meeting reps give status reports and share information about their constituencies or agencies and bring forth any issues of concern or interest. The first meeting I attended had a major presentation on the conflict resolution process, and there was much discussion about pursuing a conflict resolution process for trail use in Florida.
One of the major activities of the council is ranking applications for OGT's share of the P2000 funds which are set aside for land acquisition for trails and greenways (3.5% per annum). In 1997 this process funded acquisition of rail trail connectors in Alachua County for the Gainesville-Hawthorne, Waldo Road and Downtown bike trails. Some of the other ranked projects for bicycling in past years include: St. Marks Trail Extension, Van Fleet Trail, West Orange Trail, Cedar Key Tail and many more.
In the coming year this council will probably be merged with the Florida Greenways Coordinating Council. Details of the structure and function of this new council are still pending and must be enabled by legislation passed by the state legislature. Updates on issues and activities of the council are posted on Florida's statewide list servers at forba@cycling.org (for off-road bicycling) and at fba@cycling.org (for all other cycling).