NETWORKING TO ACHIEVE ALTERNATIVE REGULATION:

Two national estuary programs in Florida, the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBNEP) and the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program (TBNEP) are used to study the intricacies of implementation networks. Both programs are forms of alternative regulation and share similar attributes: an absence of a regulatory authority, exchange relationships based on equitable partnerships and an expected net aggregate benefit. Yet they arrive at two very different solutions. The results raise questions regarding the nature, scope and functioning of implementation networks. They also indicate that building networks is shaped by members' expectations and perceptions, and the degree of congruency they share with each other and the role of champions. Copyright 1999 by The Policy Studies Organization.

Assessment of a Countywide Stormwater Pond Improvement Program

Numerous approaches have been advocated to improve pollutant removal in stormwater retention and detention ponds. The Hillsborough County (FL) Adopt-A-Pond program is one such application. However, ex post evaluation of these approaches is particularly limited. Water quality and vegetative characteristics were assessed at participating Adopt-A-Pond sites to explore potential impacts of the program on measurable environmental parameters. Statistical analysis of the results failed to demonstrate significant environmental improvements associated with the Adopt-A-Pond program, and measures of program activity did not illustrate a consistently positive influence. These results illustrate the need for ex post evaluations and indicate a general need to readdress the policies and implementation of the program. Poor compliance by program volunteers, evident by the limited span of group participation (mean = 2.5 years) and relatively low percentage of actively involved residents, is a possible culprit, as the efficacy of pond enhancement techniques is firmly established in the literature