Rural Areas of Opportunity in Florida:
What Are RAOs and their link to the Planning Community
Richard Williams
Executive Director, Opportunity Florida and Chair, FREDA
Jeff Hendry
Executive Director, North Florida Economic Development Partnership (NFEDP) and FREDA
2026 Florida Planning Summit
January 29, 2026
Hilton Doubletree Hotel Tallahassee, Florida
Source: Lightcast, Ron Hedrick presentation to FREDA Rural Summit, November 2025.
NFEDP Initiatives
Opportunity Florida Priorities
Strategic Sites Inventory (SSI) Program
Site Positioning and Readiness Catalyst (SPARC) project
Opportunity Zones 2.0
Community Economic Development Strategies (CEDS)
Local Government Comprehensive Planning
Workforce Housing
Site Identification/Site Preparedness/Site Development
Opportunity Zones 2.0
Community Economic Development Strategies (CEDS)
Local Government Comprehensive Planning