What Emerald Coast Regional Council does

Emerald Coast Regional Council (ECRC) is a governmental regional planning council operating under authority of Florida Statutes 186.505, headquartered in Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1964, the organization is governed by an independent board (chaired by Kurvin Qualls) and serves seven counties in Northwest Florida — Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Washington, and Holmes — plus Baldwin County, Alabama through the Florida-Alabama TPO. Its mission is to provide professional planning, coordinating, and advisory services to local governments.

ECRC's service portfolio spans transportation planning (managing four TPOs: Bay County, ECRC Regional, Florida-Alabama, and Okaloosa-Walton), community and economic development, environmental planning, housing strategy (SHIP, Hurricane Loss Mitigation), emergency planning, land use planning, military installation resilience (MIRR), and GIS services. The organization also leads the statewide Florida Safe Routes to School educational program on behalf of FDOT. Core technology assets include GIS mapping (ArcGIS Open Data platform) and document-based planning outputs. The Small Quantity Generator compliance program operates under FDEP authority across five counties.

ECRC's revenue model is non-commercial: services are provided at-cost to local governments through direct contractual agreements, and competitive bidding is statutorily exempted under Florida Statutes 287.057(3)(e)12. Funding is sourced from federal (e.g., FTA, US Department of Commerce EDA), state (FDOT, FDEP, Florida Housing Finance Corporation), and local government channels. The organization holds 11-50 employees and maintains Title VI, ADA, and WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance certifications. No equity fundraising, M&A activity, or revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

Emerald Coast Regional Council

Legal name

Emerald Coast Regional Council

Website

https://ecrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Emerald Coast Regional Council is a Florida governmental regional planning council under Florida Statutes 186.505, providing transportation planning, grants administration, GIS, environmental and emergency planning, housing assistance, and military installation resilience services to seven Northwest Florida counties and Baldwin County, Alabama.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Government Planning Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

akta.pro primary industry

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA) & Emergency Planning Liaison Support (EUAHALAK)

Keywords

• Regional planning services
• Transportation planning
• Grant administration
• Community development
• Emergency management planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Destin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Emerald Coast Regional Council (ECRC) is a governmental regional planning organization providing professional planning, coordinating, and advisory services to local governments across seven Northwest Florida counties (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Washington, and Holmes). Its core offerings include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services, grants writing and administration, long-range land use planning, multi-jurisdictional transportation planning through several Transportation Planning Organizations (TPOs), housing assistance programs, emergency planning, environmental planning, and economic development services.

Product overview

Emerald Coast Regional Council (ECRC) is a regional planning organization offering a diverse portfolio of planning and technical services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Grants Services, Land Use Planning, and Transportation Planning programs. These services are delivered through multiple specialized programs including Housing Strategy (with SHIP and Hurricane Loss Mitigation sub-programs), Environmental Planning, Emergency Planning, Economic Development, and Military Installation Resilience Review. Transportation Planning encompasses multiple TPO (Transportation Planning Organization) divisions (Bay County, ECRC Regional, Florida-Alabama, Okaloosa-Walton), Safe Routes to School education, and Park and Ride coordination. Additional services include Requests for Proposals administration, Portfolio of Work documentation, and Small Quantity Generator regulatory compliance. The organization serves seven Northwest Florida counties and Baldwin County, Alabama.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Grants Services
• Land Use Planning
• Transportation Planning
• Housing Strategy
• Emergency Planning
• Economic Development
• Environmental Planning
• Military Installation Resilience Review (MIRR)
• Small Quantity Generator Program
• Park and Ride
• Florida Safe Routes to School

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fraser Coast Regional CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhile not directly related to ECRC operations, this Queensland, Australia regional council demonstrates the type of inter-regional collaboration model that exists in the sector. ECRC focuses on Northwest Florida regional planning.
• Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDOT funds transportation planning programs through ECRC including Florida Safe Routes to School statewide program. ECRC leads educational components and FDOT provides funding for transportation infrastructure planning.
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTA is a federal funding recipient for the TPO as part of ECRC's transportation planning operations. Ensures Title VI compliance for civil rights protections.
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECRC conducts Small Quantity Generator inspections per FDEP Guidelines within Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Holmes, and Washington counties in accordance with Florida Statutes Sections 403.091, 403.7225, 403.7234, 403.7226, and 403.7236.
• Florida Housing Finance CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECRC coordinates SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) program through Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Each county submits Local Housing Assistance Plans (LHAP) for review and approval.
• Baldwin County, AlabamacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaldwin County, Alabama is served through the Florida-Alabama TPO managed by ECRC, extending transportation planning services across state lines.
• Florida Regional Councils AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECRC is a member of the Florida Regional Councils Association, a statewide organization connecting regional planning councils across Florida.
• National Association of Regional CouncilsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECRC maintains membership in national organizations including the National Association of Regional Councils and National Association of Development Organizations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• West Florida Regional Planning Council: Statutory Florida regional planning council serving neighboring panhandle counties under the same Florida Statutes 186.505 framework. Directly comparable governance model, funding mix, and program portfolio (TPOs, economic development, emergency planning).
• Apalachee Regional Planning Council: Florida regional planning council organized under identical statutory authority covering Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties. Same member-funded governance model and transportation/environmental planning mandate as ECRC.

Regional players

• North Central Florida Regional Planning Council: Council of Governments/regional planning council serving 14 north-central Florida counties. Comparable scope in transportation planning, economic development, and emergency preparedness, though operating in a different (more inland) geography.
• Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council: Florida regional planning council serving Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia counties. Same statutory authority and service mix (TPO, GIS, environmental, housing) as ECRC, operating in a different region.
• Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council: One of Florida's larger regional planning councils by population and budget, serving Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties. Useful comparable for understanding the upper end of Florida's RPC economic scale and program breadth.
• Central Florida Regional Planning Council: Regional planning council serving Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties. Same statutory framework as ECRC with comparable TPO, environmental, and economic development programming.
• South Florida Regional Planning Council: Regional planning council for Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. Same statutory model but operates in a much larger, denser, more economically complex region—useful upper bound comparable.
• East Central Florida Regional Planning Council: Regional planning council serving Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties (note overlap with Central Florida RPC). Same statutory authority as ECRC with comparable program portfolio.

Others

• Florida Regional Councils Association: Statewide membership association of which ECRC is a member, representing Florida's ten regional planning councils to the state legislature and federal partners. Comparable as an industry-body peer, not a direct service competitor.
• National Association of Regional Councils (NARC): National membership organization of which ECRC is a member, representing regional councils before Congress and federal agencies. Provides a national-level peer view of RPC funding trends and policy positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=FaHxspuqv6I
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://www.ecrc.org

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emerald Coast Regional Council