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7th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit

December 1, 2015 @ 8:00 am - December 3, 2015 @ 5:00 pm

 Monroe County and the City of Key West hosted the 7th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit on December 1-3, 2015. The annual summit is coordinated by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, a partnership between Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, their municipalities and other partners.

The Climate Leadership Summit is a major regional event focused on facilitating climate-related collaboration and knowledge sharing. The summit attracts innovative thinkers and leaders from business, government, academia and the non-profit community to exchange ideas and dialogue at panel discussions and networking breaks.

Day 1 – December 1, 2015: Workshop Sessions and Opening Keynote

1:00 pm – 1:15 pm      Welcome to the Florida Keys – Keys Ballroom
  • Roman Gastesi, County Administrator, Monroe County
1:15 pm – 2:30 pm      Workshop: A Deep Dive into Modeling the Future – Flagler Ballroom

Overcoming sea level rise data challenges, navigating evaluation tools, and presenting modeling results.

  • Moderator: Michael Sukop, Professor, Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University 
  • Jayantha Obeysekera, Director, Hydrologic and Environmental Systems Modeling Department, South Florida Water Management District
  • Jason Evans, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Studies, Stetson University
  • Mark Trewartha, Water Resources Manager, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, Broward County
  • Dorothy F. Sifuentes, Supervisory Hydrologist, Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center, United States Geological Survey
1:15 pm – 2:30 pm      Innovation Showcase – Keys Ballroom

Summit sponsors highlight their greenhouse gas reduction, climate adaptation, and sustainability projects.

  • Moderator: Jason Liechty, Environmental Projects Coordinator, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, Broward County 
2:45 pm – 4:15 pm Workshop: “Shipshape and Sustainable” – Flagler Ballroom

Learn how communities and individuals use the Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating Communities (STAR) and Sustainable Floridians frameworks.

  • Moderator: Natalie Schneider, Climate Change and Sustainability Coordinator, Palm Beach County 
  • Alicia Betancourt, Monroe County Extension Director, University of Florida – Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – Sustainable Floridians
  • Hilari Varnadore, Executive Director, STAR Community Rating System
  • Jill Horwitz, Natural Resource Specialist, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, Broward County – Implementing STAR in a 4-STAR Community
2:45 pm – 4:45 pm      Innovation Showcase – Keys Ballroom

Summit sponsors highlight their greenhouse gas reduction, climate adaptation, and sustainability projects.

  • Moderator: Nichole Hefty, Chief, Office of Sustainability, Miami-Dade County
4:45 pm – 5:45 pm      Keynote Speaker – Keys Ballroom

A Living Time Machine: Cuba’s Natural Environment and the Hope It Offers Florida and the World

  • David E. Guggenheim, President and Founder, Ocean Doctor, and Director, Cuba Conservancy Program
5:45 pm – 7:30 pm      Opening Cocktail Reception / Poster Session – Grand Ballroom and Grand Ballroom Patio

Networking opportunity, time to visit sponsor booths and meet poster creators

Day 2 – December 2, 2015: Regional Climate Summit

8:15 am – 8:30 am      Welcome 
  • The Honorable Heather Carruthers, Mayor Pro Tem, Monroe County
  • The Honorable Craig Cates, Mayor, City of Key West, Florida
8:30 am – 9:15 am      Keynote Speakers – Rough Seas Ahead: National Security in a Century of Change
  • Introductions by Jim Scholl, City Manager, City of Key West, Florida
  • Rear Admiral Jonathan W. White, USN, Retired, Former Oceanographer and Navigator of the United States Navy
  • Captain Steven P. McAlearney, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Key West
9:15 am – 9:30 am      The Compact: Year in Review 
  • Steve Adams, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Institute for Sustainable Communities
9:45 am – 9:50 am       Video Remarks by the Honorable Carlos Curbelo, United States House of Representatives 
9:50 am – 11:00 am   Preparing for Rough Seas: Lessons from Adaptation in Coastal Communities

Coastal communities share their experiences in early efforts to adapt to sea level rise and climate challenges.

  • Moderator: Katherine Hagemann, Sustainability Initiatives Coordinator, Office of Sustainability, Miami-Dade County
  • The Honorable Paul Wolff, Council Member, City of Tybee Island, Georgia [download presentation]
  • Elizabeth Fly, Coastal Climate Extension Specialist, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium [download presentation]
  • PJ Hahn, Former Coastal Director, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana [download presentation]
  • Brie Hensold, Principal Planner, Sasaki Associates [download presentation]
11:00 am – 12:00pm        Is Florida Adrift? State Leaders Sound Off

Are state and local officials taking climate change seriously, or are we adrift without a plan and resources? State legislators and a local leader share their opinions.

Moderator: Steve Adams, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Institute for Sustainable Communities 

  • The Honorable Kristin Jacobs, State Representative (District 96)
  • The Honorable Bobby Powell, Jr., State Representative (District 88)
  • The Honorable Jose Rodriguez, State Representative (District 112)
  • The Honorable Matt Surrency, Mayor, City of Hawthorne, Florida, and President, Florida League of Cities

Keynote Speaker – Keys Ballroom Rain: A History for Stormy Times

1:15 pm – 2:15 pm      Assemble the Fleet: Coordinating Federal Action in a Complex Environment

Southeast Florida enjoys natural systems of unparalleled value and complexity. How are federal agencies working together and with regional actors to preserve and improve these one-of-a-kind resources in the face of sea level rise and other threats?

  • Moderator: James F. Murley, Chief Resilience Officer, Miami-Dade County
  • Clarke Harlow, Governing Board Member, South Florida Water Management District
  • Colonel Jason A. Kirk, Commander and District Engineer, Jacksonville District, US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Billy Causey, Regional Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Pedro Ramos, Superintendent, Everglades and Tortugas National Parks, National Park Service
2:15 pm – 3:15 pm      Batten Down the Hatches: Preparing Local Communities and the Nation for Climate Change and Extreme Events

In recent years, the federal government has devoted significant resources to helping state and local governments prepare for extreme weather and climate impacts. Local practitioners and a White House official discuss how communities can reduce risk and what the federal government is doing to assist.

  • Moderator: The Honorable Heather Carruthers, Mayor Pro Tem, Monroe County 
  • Samantha Medlock, Deputy Associate Director for Climate Preparedness, White House Council on Environmental Quality
  • Lannie Smith, Chief Building Official, Floodplain Administrator, and Emergency Management Director, City of Orange Beach, Alabama [download presentation]
  • Lourdes Rodriguez, Building Department Manager, Floodplain Manager, and Community Rating System Coordinator, Town of Miami Lakes, Florida
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm      Full Steam Ahead: Unleashing Clean Energy and Transportation

Renewable energy and electric vehicles have taken much of the world by storm and progress in these fields continues to accelerate. A panel of experts   discusses the outlook for these technologies in Florida and the United States.

  • Moderator: Colin Polsky, Ph.D., Director, Center for Environmental Studies, and Professor of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University 
  • Cisco DeVries, Chief Executive Officer, Renew Financial [download presentation]
  • Keith Kropf, Director of Engineering, Florida Keys Electric Cooperative Association,
  • Susan Glickman, Florida Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
  • Buck Martinez, Senior Director, Office of Clean Energy, Florida Power and Light [download presentation]
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm      Compact County Leaders Chart the Course Ahead

After six years of highly successful collaboration under the Compact, the four counties of southeast Florida and many other stakeholders are moving forward climate mitigation and adaptation efforts faster than ever. But the challenges remain great. What’s next for the Compact and its partners

  • Moderator: Roman Gastesi, County Administrator, Monroe County 
  • The Honorable Heathers Carruthers, Mayor Pro Tem, Monroe County
  • The Honorable Carlos A. Gimenez, Mayor, Miami-Dade County (invited)
  • The Honorable Beam Furr, Commissioner, Broward County
  • The Honorable Steven Abrams, Commissioner, Palm Beach County

Day 3 – December 3, 2015: Regional Climate Summit

 8:00 am – 8:15 am      Welcome 
  • The Honorable Mike Forster, Mayor, Islamorada, Village of Islands, Florida
  • The Honorable Mark Senmartin, Vice Mayor, City of Marathon, Florida
8:15 am – 9:25 am      Home Ports: Success Stories from Southeast Florida

Compact counties and municipal partners highlight projects, share lessons learned, and offer guidance to help other communities to move forward.

  • Moderator: Suzanne Torriente, Assistant City Manager/Chief Resilience Officer, City of Miami Beach, Florida 
  • Rhonda Haag, Sustainability Program Manager, Monroe County [download presentation]
  • Cheryl Cioffari, Planning Director, Islamorada, Village of Islands, Florida [download presentation]
  • Nancy Gassman, Assistant Public Works Director, Sustainability Division, City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida [download presentation]
  • Bertha Goldenberg, Assistant Director, Regulatory Compliance & Planning, Water and Sewer Department, Miami-Dade County [download presentation]
  • Elizabeth Wheaton, Assistant Building Director, Environment and Sustainability Division, City of Miami Beach, Florida [download presentation]
  • Robert Robbins, Director, Department of Environmental Resource Management, Palm Beach County [download presentation]
9:25 am – 9:55 am      Avoiding the Rocks: Sea Level Rise and Legal Issues for Local Governments

Local governments face legal risks in adapting to rising seas and risks in failing to take action. Two attorneys discuss this rapidly evolving legal landscape.

  • Moderator: Jennifer Jurado, Director, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, Broward County 
  • Thomas Ruppert, Coastal Planning Specialist, Florida Sea Grant
  • Erin Deady, Erin L. Deady, PA
10:15 am – 11:15 am Riding the Waves: Working with Nature to Reduce Risk and Adapt to Climate Change

Coastlines and ecosystems have adapted to changes in environmental conditions for eons. Instead of battling Mother Nature with massive infrastructure projects, coastal experts are now working with her to project shorelines, properties, lives, and natural areas.

  • Moderator: Chris Bergh, South Florida Conservation Director, The Nature Conservancy 
  • Greg Guannel, Florida Urban Conservation Director, The Nature Conservancy
  • Samantha Danchuk, Assistant Director, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, Broward County
  • Diana Mitsova, Associate Professor, School of Urban & Regional Planning, Florida Atlantic University
  • Josh Mahoney, Environmental Resources Project Supervisor, Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, Miami-Dade County
11:15 am – 1:00 pm    Resilient Redesign: Remaking a Region for Rising Waters

For the second year in a row, experts from the worlds of local government, academia, design, and engineering have come together to develop innovative approaches for dealing with the serious climate and sea level rise challenges facing southeast Florida. Representatives of the project teams for the three communities selected for this year’s Resilient Redesign will present their out- of-the-box ideas to prepare southeast Florida for the future.

  • Moderator and Presenter: Josh Sawislak, Global Director of Resilience, AECOM 

City of Delray Beach, Florida [download presentation]:

  • Anthony Abbate, Associate Provost for Broward Campuses and Professor, School of Architecture, Florida Atlantic University
  • John Morgan, Sustainability Officer, City of Delray Beach, Florida

City of Hollywood, Florida [download presentation]:

  • Jennifer Jurado, Director, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, Broward County
  • Leslie Del Monte, Planning Manager, City of Hollywood, Florida

City of Key West, Florida [download presentation]:

  • Alison Higgins, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Key West, Florida
  • Andy Hayes, Principal, Hayes | Cumming Architects, PA
1:00 pm        Special Drawing and Announcement of 2016 Summit 
  • Rhonda Haag, Sustainability Program Manager, Monroe County
  • Jon Van Arnam, Deputy County Administrator, Palm Beach County

Details

Start:
December 1, 2015 @ 8:00 am
End:
December 3, 2015 @ 5:00 pm
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