Meetings and Trainings

As a part of the Waterfronts Florida Program, designated communities are provided technical assistance and training opportunities to help plan and implement revitalization efforts in their locally defined waterfront areas. FloridaCommerce sponsors meetings for the local program managers of all Waterfronts Florida Communities. The meetings are open to the general public. These events are typically hosted by one of the designated communities, and the themes and topics for each meeting are chosen based on the technical assistance needs of the communities. The meetings are an opportunity to build long-term relationships with public and private partners, gain invaluable technical assistance and guidance, and learn from the successes and challenges of other waterfront communities. Listed below are details about upcoming meetings and training sessions, as well as materials from meetings held over the past three years. Please contact the Waterfronts Florida Coordinator if you have any questions or requests for information.

Past Meetings

May 14 - 15, 2015, Apalachicola

Waterfronts is thrilled to be working with the City of Apalachicola to hold a Program Managers meeting in mid-May! The upcoming meeting will feature a special cast of presenters, covering topics ranging from Low Impact Development around the Waterfront Area, Waterfront Law, Placemaking, Native Landscaping, and RESTORE updates. Also plan to participate in our Program Manager’s Roundtable Discussion (see Program Resources for the pre-meeting roundtable form). We look forward to catching up with our program managers in what is sure to be a fantastic meeting!

May 30 and 31, 2013, Ft. Myers and San Carlos Island

The two-day meeting this spring took place in two locations, San Carlos Island and neighboring Ft. Myers. The presentations included a sustainable working waterfronts toolkit and demonstration, using partnerships to facilitate oyster restoration, tax-increment financing and working waterfronts, clean and resilient marinas, planning and hosting of community festivals, how to increase tourism through marketing, and Punta Gorda’s efforts towards adaptation planning. Meeting attendees participated in guided tours of San Carlos Island's working waterfront and the revitalized downtown of Ft. Myers, as well as a screening of the award winning film Ocean Frontiers. An open discussion where participants could ask questions, express concerns or challenges, and share ideas and successes from their respective communities, rounded out meeting activities.

• Ft. Myers and San Carlos Island Meeting Agenda

Presentations

• Using Partnerships to Facilitate Oyster Restoration in the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
• City of Fort Myers, Community Redevelopment Agency
• Art Fest Fort Myers
• The Tiff over TIF: Using Tax Increment Financing to Protect Working Waterfronts
• GOMA Resilient Marinas
• City of Punta Gorda Adaptation Plan
• The Sustainable Working Waterfronts Toolkit

May 24 and 25, 2012, Crystal River

The two-day meeting event included presentations on conflict resolution techniques, local partnerships to protect water quality through homeowner-based strategies, green infrastructure, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's mooring pilot project, derelict vessel removal, invasive species removal, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Coastal Wildlife Conservation Initiative. The meeting also included an extended discussion of communities' recently encountered successes and challenges with their revitalization efforts, an extended discussion of Crystal River's long journey to creating a successful revitalization program, and tours of the recently acquired Three Sisters Springs and of King's Bay. The meeting was followed by a meeting of Levy, Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco County participants in the Coastal Wildlife Conservation Initiative.

• Crystal River Meeting Agenda
• Crystal River Meeting Summary

Presentations

• Neighborhoods Protecting Water Quality
• Green Infrastructure in Coastal Communities
• Derelict Vessel Removal
• Fish and Wildlife Commission Mooring Pilot Project Update
• Coastal Wildlife Conservation Initiative