Consistency, concurrency and compact development: Three faces of growth management implementation in Florida

This study covers the implementation of Florida Growth Management Act (GMA) from 1985 to 2004. The purpose is to evaluate and compare the implementation of three leading GMA policies: consistency, concurrency and compact development. Consistency mandated co-ordination and compliance among state, regional and local plans. Concurrency dictated the volume and pace of local growth because it required public facilities that support development to be available 'concurrent' with the impact of such development. Compact development aimed to restrain suburban sprawl from spreading towards natural resources and agricultural lands and direct it towards urban areas of mixed land uses and high densities. Each policy dominated the GMA implementation in a defined period. Each changed the implementation course of the Act. The different purposes, critical issues, implementation processes and outcomes of the policies create the 'three faces' evaluation story of the GMA. Shedding light on turmoil and policy change in this multifaceted initiative, the evaluation corrects the image of the Act in literature that is largely preoccupied with the implementation of consistency. The study concludes with implications for Florida and other states that either contemplate or implement similar policies.