DeGrove, John M.

Many approaches to the study of leadership have been limited
to trait studies and patterns of race relations, neglecting on the
whole the intra-group approach. Leadership may be present in a subcommunity
or in an associational group when no political structure or
formal decision-making position exists. When the political culture
dictates the non-existence of an unassimilated minority group which
comprises less than one-third of the voting population, a member of
that group has less than a remote chance of achieving electoral
status. In that case, sub-community institutional forces (churches,
schools, businesses, clubs) may give rise to a form of leadership
which responds to the unmet needs and demands of the community. The
emergent leadership becomes a function of the group and only after
group needs and objectives are defined (articulated) do traits become
important as they propel the individual into position. It is, therefore,
necessary, if not sufficient, that the group perceive its leaders
to be leaders.

The intergovernmental relations among the agencies responsible for regulating activities in and around Lake Okeechobee, and their relations with the industries they regulate, appear to lack the coordination and cooperation necessary to effectively manage the lake's resources. The objective of this thesis is to examine the factors affecting these regulatory relationships, and explore alternatives for resolving intergovernmental conflict. Several consensus building tools are examined, including Resource Planning and Management Committees as authorized by Chapter 380, Florida Statutes, as well as committees created through gubernatorial executive orders. By analyzing and comparing these tools, as well as theories of intergovernmental relations, this study will identify the best available method for fostering intergovernmental coordination in the Lake Okeechobee region and its surrounding areas.

The major purpose of this study is to provide a framework for evaluating
(1) the propositions of the reformists' tradition and (2) the effects of
centralizing service delivery in a metropolitan area. The setting for
the proposed evaluation is Jacksonville-Duval County, Florida before and
after consolidation.

This thesis analyzes the anatomy of political power in a small urbanized
community. In addition, it relates the effects of political style or
typology of power to public policy decisions affecting the community.
The study is unique in that it analyzes the various power structures
from a developmental approach relating to such variables as degree of
partisan political activity and demographic characteristics. The
research revealed that power structures may change over time and that
various political styles are significantly related to public policy
decisions.

This thesis was undertaken to empirically investigate the
reason or reasons for some municipalities to pursue a "high effort"
per capita allocation for recreation while proximate communities demonstrate
a "low effort." Twelve communities along the Florida Gold Coast
satisfied four criteria and were selected in this comparative study,
including Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami Beach. Comparable
per capita recreation allocations were computed from the adopted 1971-
72 municipal budgets. The Spearman rank order statistical test was
performed on twelve demographic, social and economic independent variables
to measure their association with the per capita allocations for
recreation. Results: the percentage of the population with an income
of $15,000 or more, and the tax quotient independent variables were
positively associated, whereas the density and percentage of population
18 and under independent variables were negatively associated with
the per capita recreation allocation.

That growth management as a field of study is relatively young is observable in the lack of theory about the phenomenon. Not surprisingly, the literature contains numerous criticisms of the inadequacy of existing research and calls for the development of empirically-based decision-making models and theory in the field. This paper studies cities and counties in Florida with the objective of analyzing the "social ecology" of urban growth-managing communities. Here, the term social ecology is used to represent social forces in the policy macroenvironment. At present there is no clear answer as to what community characteristics are associated with growth management policy and what are the social pressures underlying community growth-managing policy orientations. A dynamic and complex policy issue, growth management is conceptualized in this study both broadly and operationally in terms of five major policy issues pertaining to growth management: Economic development/redevelopment; housing; infrastructure; environmental protection; and urban design/community character. Governments of the 36 counties and 28 cities in Florida with populations of at least 50,000 were surveyed to obtain information on their growth management policy priorities. Of the approximately one dozen states currently employing statewide, comprehensive systems to manage growth, Florida is considered a national leader. Furthermore, as it has been experiencing one of the nation's highest growth rates over the past two decades, Florida is an important growth management data source to study. The research involved two stages. The first stage used bivariate statistical analyses and tests of association to identify those variables in the urban social ecology related to each of the growth management policy issues studied, from which descriptive models of association were constructed. The second stage used factor analysis to identify and analyze the principal factors characterizing the growth management policies, from which broad theory about the social ecology of growth management was developed. In summary, this study analyzes and explains growth management policy in terms of three principal factors characterizing the urban community. The study offers descriptive models and theory analyzing the forces that shape growth management policy and thus provides a conceptual framework for policy analysis to assist policy makers with decision making. Equally important, the findings provide direction for further study in the field.