| I. - FUTURE LAND USE ELEMENT |
| II. - TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT |
| III. - HOUSING ELEMENT |
| IV - SANITARY SEWER, SOLID WASTE, DRAINAGE, POTABLE WATER AND NATURAL GROUNDWATER AQUIFER RECHARGE ELEMENT |
| V. - CONSERVATION ELEMENT |
| VI - RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE ELEMENT |
| VII - INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION ELEMENT |
| VIII. - CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ELEMENT |
| IX. - PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ELEMENT |
| Appendix A. |
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INTRODUCTION Organizations must plan if effective progress is to be made towards reaching an objective. Those agencies charged with directing the growth of a community are no exception. The interaction of factors causing the growth and development of an area requires careful planning as a prerequisite to orderly growth. Three basic reasons are often given to justify the need for planning: 1. Meet events which are expected to happen; 2. Accomplish desired objectives; and 3. Avoid unwanted conditions. In 1985, the Florida Legislature enacted and the Governor signed into law the "Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act." This legislation requires all local governments in Florida to revise and update the Comprehensive Plan for their respective jurisdictions in conformance with the provisions of the afore stated Act. This comprehensive planning process involves essentially four basic steps: 1. The collection and analysis of pertinent data concerning the physical and socio-economic characteristics of the study area; 2. The formulation of goals for future growth and development; 3. The development of objectives and policies guided by the goals; and 4. The implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. Step (1) is accomplished through the preparation of the Data and Analysis document which, although not a part of the comprehensive plan in that it is not an adopted document with legal status, provides a basis for the formulation of the comprehensive plan. Steps (2) and (3) are the essence of the comprehensive Plan and are contained within the document entitled Plan Elements. Step (4) is accomplished through the preparation, adoption and enforcement of land development regulations as mandated by the above referenced Act and by the construction of capital improvement projects identified within the comprehensive plan. GENERAL SETTING OF THE COUNTY The unincorporated area of the county is approximately 786 square miles or 503,040 acres in area. The county is located in the north central portion of the State of Florida and is bordered on the north by the State of Georgia, on the east by Baker and Union Counties, on the south by Alachua and Gilchrist Counties and on the west by Hamilton and Suwannee Counties, as shown on the following location map. The Santa Fe River forms a boundary on the south and the Suwannee River forms a boundary on the northwest border of the County.
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