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 The Opportunities SummitThe first summit in the series was the Redevelopment Opportunities Summit for the Pinellas Community, held at the Harborview Center in downtown Clearwater on December 12 and 13, 2002. It was an unprecedented event, bringing together representatives of all twenty-five local governments, private developers, members of the business community, homeowner and neighborhood association members, and interested citizens for a frank, in-depth discussion of the economic future of the county.Speakers chosen by an inclusive, 40-member steering committee gave educational presentations and led panel discussions about redevelopment challenges and opportunities. A hands-on community visioning exercise was featured, in which participants used maps of the county to visualize where they would locate various redevelopment projects, and the results were compiled into a single map. A survey of community attitudes toward a number of potential redevelopment initiatives was also taken. Capitalizing on the enthusiasm generated by the event, the BCC and PPC jointly released a document entitled The Opportunities Summit Findings: Economic Development and Redevelopment for the Pinellas Community, which details the major findings and conclusions. The report summarizes the summit presentations, focusing on the balance of jobs and income in the county, the need to create new real estate opportunities, and the need to maintain and improve quality community design. Also discussed are follow-up steps necessary to further desirable redevelopment and meet economic goals. Slideshow presentations shown during the summit included:
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