ACCESS 67 – How it all began

At the 2021 FAC Annual Conference in Orlando, then FAC President, Wakulla County Commissioner, Ralph Thomas, established the Presidential Select Committee on Broadband with the goal of closing the Digital Divide in Florida’s 67 counties. Working alongside the ACCESS 67 Initiative, the Presidential Select Committee on Broadband will serve as the advocacy lead for FAC championing collaboration amongst key stakeholders and highlighting best practices in Florida’s counties and beyond.    

 

Since its initial inception, the Presidential Select Committee on Broadband has been led by both rural and urban county commissioners representing all regions of the state. The Select Committee meets regularly throughout the year and at each of FAC’s conferences highlighting ongoing grant programs, local deployment/collaboration initiatives, hosts webinars with stakeholders, and formally adopts broadband policy statements to guide advocacy efforts. 

FAC Policy Development Process

The Florida Association of Counties has a deliberative, consensus-built policy development process. The goal is to solicit and develop policy statements on legislative issues affecting county government. Through participation in legislative policy committees and caucuses, county officials identify, discuss, and ultimately vote on issues to be in FAC’s Legislative Program. 

To view the adopted and debated policies to support broadband development in Florida, click here. 

State Policy

Each legislative session, FAC works with state lawmakers to advocate for the adoption, implementation, and oversight of policies addressing the Digital Divide and supporting the Florida Office of Broadband.  

To view broadband legislation introduced during current and previous legislative sessions, click here 

NACo Resolutions

The NACo resolutions process provides members with the opportunity to participate in national policy decisions affecting county governments. During the Annual Conference, NACo’s10 policy steering committees, Board of Directors and the general membership consider proposed policy resolutions and platform language that will guide NACo advocacy until the next NACo Annual Conference.

Presidential Select Committee on Broadband Members

Ken Cornell
Commissioner Ken Cornell
Alachua County
Commissioner Kimblin Nesmith
Gadsen County
Commissioner Susan Adams
Indian River County
Commissioner Ron Moore
Madison County
Eileen Higgins
Commissioner Eileen Higgins
Miami-Dade County
Commissioner Viviana Janer
Osceola County
Commissioner Charlie Justice
Pinellas County
Commissioner Tray Hawkins
Washington County