Formed by the region’s governors in 1971, the Southern Growth Policies Board is a public-private partnership devoted to economic development in the South.
With members that include governors, legislative representatives, business leaders and educators, the board’s goal is to disseminate successful development strategies throughout the region.
When Bucky Clarkson represented Florida in 1998, 14 states participated in the research, collaboration, best practices, technology innovation, workforce issue discussions, community visioning and globalization summits sponsored by the board. Now there are 13. Gov. Jeb Bush removed Florida, a charter member, from the board in 1999.
Jim Clinton, president of the Southern Growth Policies Board, said that in conversations he had with the governor’s office, their feeling was that this kind of collaboration was purely a private-sector responsibility and that public money should not go to fund private enterprise.
“It’s just that this organization was founded by southern governors who saw the need to pull the South together to help everyone compete,” said Clinton, from the Board’s headquarters in North Carolina. “Florida belongs at the table when we talk about these issues.”
Al Rossiter, who runs Enterprise North Florida, an incubator on the Southside, agreed.
“The majority of medical research that helps find cures for disease is publicly funded. This kind of research also improves the quality of life for everyone in the South,” he said.
The cost for membership in the Southern Growth Policies Board, and in turn access to every southern state’s community best practices, is about $80,000.
— by Sean McManus