2023 Winter Conference Agenda

Pre-Conference Workshop - Resilience & Sustainability - From Assessment to Implementation
Florida communities are committed to implementing progressive policies and effective programs to address environmental and economic challenges.  Doing so requires adaptation efforts to upgrade critical infrastructure such as roads and stormwater systems, implement shoreline protection strategies, protect electrical and communications assets through undergrounding, and evolve the building and zoning codes to adapt to climate change and sea level rise.   Collectively, these efforts aim to protect our communities and the quality of life they support.  Join us to review the value of preparing climate adaptation plans, conducting vulnerability assessments, and how this has become the key to unlocking state funding for stormwater and flood resilience projects. Lessons learned and best practices will be shared, and audience participation is encouraged.

Moderator:

Brian Cook, RLA, Director of Urban Design
Applied Sciences Consulting

Panelists:

Anne Coglianese, Chief Resilience Officer
City of Jacksonville

Amy Eason, PE, Environmental Resource Engineer
Martin County

Whit Remer, Sustainability and Resilience Officer
City of Tampa

Janeen Wietgrefe, Vice President
Hazen and Sawyer

Welcome, Opening Session, & FSA Educational Foundation Scholarship Awards

Shane Williams, PhD, President
Florida Stormwater Association

Jessica Kramer, Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs
Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Road to Achieving a Class 2 Community Rating System Rating
The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that encourages communities to establish a floodplain management program and recognizes activities that exceed the minimum National Flood Insurance Program requirements.  In participating CRS communities, flood insurance premiums are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk. This workshop will walk participants through the process of achieving a Class 2 CRS rating, which equates to a 40% discount.

Maxine Moore, CFM, Floodplain Technician
Pinellas County

Addressing Flooding Issues, Where No One “Fix All” Solution is Viable
The Village of Key Biscayne is planning to initiate an upgrade of its stormwater system and intends to incorporate stormwater treatment technologies to improve the stormwater quality and reduce potentially harmful impacts to the bay. With this in mind, the Village conducted a pilot program, funded by FDEP, to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefits of capturing stormwater runoff pollutants at the source. This presentation will review the pilot program’s development, testing and evaluation protocols, and key findings that will be integrated into the final planning for stormwater system redesign.

Robert Backman, President
Stormwater Investment Group

Roland Samimy, PhD, Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer
Village of Key Biscayne

Stormwater Resilience: Planning and Funding for Today and the Future
Come find out about how the City of Delray Beach recently updated a 3-decade old Stormwater Utility rate structure. The Stormwater Utility fund guides development of capital projects and, in order to maintain appropriate infrastructure and level of service for residents, the City maintains and periodically updates its Stormwater Master Plan.

Jason Kaufman, PE, Engineering Division Manager
City of Delray Beach

Jorge Villalobos, Consultant
Black & Veatch

Is More Biosolids-Derived Phosphorus Headed Your Way?
SJRWMD’s investigation of increasing phosphorus in portions of the Upper St. Johns River led to legislative and utility changes in Class B biosolids management. As a result, more biosolids are being blended into other products such as soil amendments or compost that are less regulated and can be applied to lawns and commercial properties. This session will review changes in biosolids regulations and subsequent investigation into biosolids management issues with a focus on phosphorus recovery.

Dean Dobberfuhl, PhD, Chief, Bureau of Environmental Sciences
St. Johns River Water Management District

Erich Marzolf, PhD, Director, Division of Water Resources
St. Johns River Water Management District

Implementing Miami-Dade County's "Connect 2 Protect" Septic Initiative
Connect 2 Protect is Miami-Dade County’s approach to extending sanitary sewer service to residents with septic systems in order to protect properties, health, and natural areas such as Biscayne Bay. Improving Biscayne Bay’s water quality will require significant reductions in the levels of pollutants within its watershed. The County is prioritizing conversion of parcels based on the greatest likelihood and impact from failure along with other environmental, social and economic ranking criteria. This discussion will include approaches to funding, challenges encountered, lessons learned and the evolving approaches to the planning, funding, design, construction and customer engagement. It will also outline benefits achieved and the anticipated net outcome of activities in the future.

Joseph Carothers, Lead Project Engineer
The Corradino Group

Juan Curiel, Assistant Director
Miami-Dade County

Unity Park, The Road to Revitalization
(FSA 2023 Outstanding Achievement Award for Stormwater Project) The City of Ocoee’s Unity Park is the first of its kind. Located at the heart of Ocoee’s redevelopment plan for the downtown district, the park has been set aside as not only a retreat from urban development, but also a space to naturally store and treat stormwater from the surrounding community. Join us to find out more about the outstanding stormwater project.

Hseth Burch, EI, MS, CFM, Staff Engineer
City of Ocoee

Steve Krug, PE, Public Works Director
City of Ocoee

Milen Womack, PE, City Engineer
City of Ocoee

It’s time to relax!  So get comfortable and join us for snacks, drinks, and the opportunity to network with your peers.  Be sure to visit our exhibitors to learn more about Florida’s emerging stormwater technologies!

Restoring the Legacy of the Titusville Causeway Shoreline
There’s more to the Titusville Causeway Shoreline than meets the eye. It was a space shuttle viewing site for launches in the 1960s and is known for resident and tourist recreation. Eroded by the south wind and Hurricane Irma, it was time to return it to its former glory. This session will provide an overview project including considerations to determine the best restoration approach that include Wave Attenuation Devices (WADs), seagrass restoration, and returning to native living shoreline.

Ryan Mitchell, PE, Project Manager
DRMP

Carolina Alvarez, Engineer II
Brevard County

Creating Community Resilience through Stream Restoration
Urbanization has imperiled the tributaries of downtown Jacksonville posing flood and health risks to residents. This presentation will provide an overview of Groundwork Jacksonville’s mission to design the stream restoration of Hogans Creek.  The Hogans Creek stream restoration project will combine nature-based solutions to flood mitigation and water quality improvements, neighborhood connections, and direct community engagement to reshape downtown Jacksonville towards a more resilient and sustainable economic, social, and environmental future.

Guillermo Simon, PE, CFM, Director of Water Resources
Halff

Cavel Williamson, Graduate Water Resources Engineer
Halff

The Eelgrass Project
(FSA 2023 Excellence Award for Stormwater Project) A project known locally as “The Eelgrass Project” is a locally funded stormwater rehabilitation project for the Coral Gardens Stormwater Treatment Area. The purpose of the project was to investigate if properly selected Florida native submerged vegetation could be beneficial in a stormwater system. This presentation will include helpful tips and important considerations when attempting this type of stormwater retrofit on your existing system. Data from water quality monitoring will be presented as part of this project.

Nicholas Muzia, PE, Infrastructure Maintenance Manager
Martin County