2025 Call for Abstracts

The Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association and Resiliency Florida invite abstract submissions for the 4th annual Florida Resilience Conference, taking place September 17-19, at the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor, Florida. This year’s conference theme is Adapting Today; Powering Tomorrow! 

The program will feature four concurrent tracks focusing on Beach Management, Energy, Gray and Green Infrastructure, and Smart Planning. Additionally, plenary sessions will bring attendees together for discussions with invited speakers on resilience issues of statewide importance, including federal and state legislative policy and funding initiatives. A preliminary conference schedule can be found here. 

Note, the conference will be held as an in-person event only.   
 

Abstract Submission Details:

• Submission deadline: June 2, 2025 
• The abstract selection committee will review timely submissions, and those with accepted. abstracts will be notified by July 11, 2025.  
• Selected presenters will be allotted a 20-minute timeslot. The abstract portal is not intended for panel submissions.  
• Abstracts should focus on policy, planning, budgeting, regulations, lessons learned, or project innovations within one of the four tracks - Beach Management, Energy, Gray and Green Infrastructure, and Smart Planning 
• Ideas for abstracts are listed below – additional ones are welcome.  

To see a sample abstract, view file here.

• Project Showcase - Beach, dune, and inlet management case studies, including funding strategies, design challenges, environmental considerations, post-construction monitoring, and lessons learned
• Funding strategies - Mechanisms for funding beach and coastal resilience projects
• Sand Resources - Borrow area studies, regional sand management, and beneficial use of dredged materials
• Monitoring and Compliance - Physical and environmental monitoring requirements, protocols, and performance outcomes, including nesting sea turtles, hardbottom, mitigation reefs
• Post-storm response – Emergency recovery efforts and lessons from past storm events
• Economic impact – The value of maintaining a healthy beach and dune system
• Coastal resilience and adaptation – Strategies for strengthening the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems

• Federal, state, and local policies and funding programs for renewable and sustainable energy production
• Projecting energy demand and increasing security for continued growth
• Innovations for power and renewable energy production projects
• Policies to promote the use of renewable energy
• Statewide, community-level, and individual retrofits – costs and benefits
• Effective marketing and buy-in of energy efficiency measures by end-users
• Electric vehicle technologies and supporting infrastructure
• Innovations in EV batteries and other storage technologies
• Using AI and other digital technologies to increase resilience

• Nature-based project developments and lessons learned
• Vulnerability analyses and flood preparedness
• Planning innovations in stormwater retention
• Retrofitting and flood proofing vulnerable resources and other assets
• Design with nature – adapting gray and green infrastructure to changing landscapes
• Emergency response, mitigation, and buy out programs
• Cyber security in a changing natural environment
• Cyber resilience of electronic systems
• Resilience in transportation – evacuation routes, ports, rails, and bridges
• Elevation studies for flood risk assessment, coastal construction, and climate research

• Government policies, grants, and other initiatives to encourage community resilience programs
• Feasibility studies for nature-based solutions
• Adaptation strategies for rising sea levels, flooding, hurricanes, and other climate-related hazards
• Reimagining community infrastructure that can withstand and absorb natural disasters
• Energy-efficient buildings, integrated development and re-development, and energy audits and strategies
• Sustainable land use practices, such as reducing urban sprawl, protecting natural resources, and enhancing green infrastructure as part of new community planning
• Data creation and modeling to support statewide efforts for Florida Flood Hub (USF)
• Data and technology, such as GIS, remote sensing, and AI, to inform planning decisions, improve emergency response, and monitor resilience indicators

All expenses are the responsibility of the speaker, including travel, lodging, and conference registration fees.