by Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida
Since the 2015, Blue Zone Project has worked with community planners, elected officials, and coalitions to set and achieve ambitious policy goals designed to maximize the ability of residents to move naturally, connect socially, access healthy food, and improve quality of life. In fact, the fastest means and most significant way to impact well-being is through policy.
The three main focus areas of food policy, tobacco policy, and built environment have had a tangible impact of improving community well-being and will continue to make healthy choices easier for residents of Southwest Florida.
Food Policy
With the rising cost of food seen worldwide and growing need for emergency access, ensuring that local food procurement and access to healthy, affordable foods for all individuals in the region is needed now more than ever. According to a report by the USDA, an estimated one in eight Americans are food insecure, totaling 42 million people, including 13 million children. Rural and isolated communities and those with low income and high unemployment rates are particularly at risk for experiencing food inequity.
Pre-pandemic, Blue Zones Project and community partners stepped into action and created the SWFL Food Policy Council. This council consists of over 50 people that include grocers, farmers, UF/IFAS Extension Agents, local university and college professors, and policy makers who work together and look for opportunities to adopt healthy food policies throughout the region.
Since the Council was formed, $1.2 million in grant funds has been secured through the SWFL Regional Planning Council to improve local food systems and access to produce. Another important win has been the Means Database food rescue program implemented in April 2021. This program that now has 16 participating organizations (six of which are Blue Zones Project Approved), helps ensure that food does not go to waste by putting it in the hands of local food banks and pantries. To date, more than 246,000 pounds of excess food (mostly fresh produce) from grocery stores and restaurants has been saved from going in the trash and distributed to those in need.
LeGrand Caribbean Market, a smaller-scale market that has been serving a diverse community in Immokalee since 1997 enacted new food policy measures that benefited its business and the community. After being hit with significant damage from Hurricane Irma, Blue Zones Project along with Wynn’s Market ( A Blue Zones Project Approved Grocery Store) worked with LeGrand Caribbean Market to rebuild their store and go through a market makeover. This included:
• Expanding produce availability and relocation of the produce display to front of store
• Purchasing additional coolers to stock healthy options and prominently feature them
• Installing 22 feet of dry produce storage with the help of Blue Zones Project market makeover dollars
• Installing a bike rack outside to encourage natural, healthy movement and provide safe storage for customers while shopping
Since the makeover, LeGrand became an authorized EBT (SNAP) and WIC retail food store. Blue Zones Project also introduced the market to FEEDING FLORIDA for consideration as a pilot market for FRESH ACCESS BUCKS (FAB). FAB is a program that matches or discounts what a SNAP cardholder spends with free Fresh Access Bucks to spend on Florida-grown produce.
Tobacco Policy
According to the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, tobacco use in SWFL is at an all-time low of 3.6% as compared to the state and nation where tobacco use is at 18.6%. In fact, SWFL has seen a 59.1% drop in tobacco use since 2015.
This incredible accomplishment is in thanks to the partnership and collaboration with Tobacco Free Collier, Tobacco Free Lee, and the Department of Health along with Collier County Parks System and Bonita Springs Parks and Recreation. By collectively implementing small changes, big results occurred over time.
For example, Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida partnered with Collier County and Tobacco Free Collier to get the installation of suggestive non-smoking signage approved within the Collier County Parks System. Signs were purchased and designed throughout the partnership and installed in ball fields, parks, and beach access points.
Similarly, Tobacco Free Lee and the Department of Health worked with Blue Zones Project to design signage for Bonita Springs Parks and Recreation, as well as window clings for area businesses—including restaurants and worksites— discouraging tobacco use on the grounds.
Built Environment
Towns or cities where you are forced to use your car instead of being able to walk or bike to different locations like a grocery store, place of worship or local business because of safety or accessibility issues could benefit from new infrastructure policies that support natural movement. Simple changes in a built environment make a significant impact on overall health and even support a community’s financial well-being. In fact, homes located in very walkable neighborhoods are valued $4,000 to $34,000 more than homes in neighborhoods with average walkability. Also, residents are more likely to shop locally along walkable and bikeable streets which invests in local businesses and creates job growth.
When Blue Zones Project began, every community in the Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida footprint underwent full road audits complete with walkability studies with local planners, policymakers, and residents to discuss design options for improved safety, connectivity, and access. Since then, 38 built environment policies have been adopted that include a complete streets project, roundabouts and multi-modal pathways and systems paving the way for safer transportation, biking, and walkability.
For example, the City of Bonita Springs implemented the complete streets improvement project that helped create buffered bike lanes, a widened multi-use path, pedestrian crossing lights, and improved crosswalks along West Terry Street. Since the project’s completion in 2021, safety has measurably improved.
In Immokalee, the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency was awarded a $22.8 Million TIGER grant to support Complete Streets plans and, in part, improve the Lake Trafford Road corridor. The project includes design and construction of 20 miles of concrete sidewalks, a bike boulevard network, shared-use path, improved street lighting, seven bus shelters, a new transit center, landscaping, drainage improvements, and intersection and traffic calming retreats.
The City of Naples redesigned Central Avenue to increase pedestrian and cyclist access and safety, as well as accommodate alternate modes of transportation to improve connection to commerce along the corridor and baker park. The redesign included the construction of roundabouts that help to slow down traffic and increase safety.
Marco Island also added a roundabout on one of their busiest roadways resulting in a reduction of crashes.
When changes are made to policy that influences food distribution, tobacco use, and built environment, progress becomes apparent not only on the community level, but also on the individual level and creates a lasting impact on overall health and well-being for everyone.