Call for abstracts

The Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association and Resiliency Florida welcome abstracts for the 2nd annual Florida Resilience Conference scheduled for September 27-29, 2023, at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale,  Florida.   The theme for this year's conference is The Future is Now!

The meeting will feature FSBPA’s traditional beach management program and expands into three additional concurrent sessions  focusing on Smart Planning, Energy, and  the Transportation industries.  Plenary sessions will bring all attendees together for discussion from invited speakers on issues of statewide importance, such as federal and state legislative policy and funding initiatives.  A tentative conference schedule can be found here.

Individual abstracts must be received by June 16, 2023, to be considered by the committees for inclusion in the program.  Abstracts should focus on policy and legal considerations, funding programs, research, and project innovations relating to climate change, sea-level rise, smart planning, beach management, energy, and infrastructure.  Ideas for abstracts are listed below, but other ideas are welcome.  Note, that the conference will be held as an in-person event only.   

• Hurricane response, recovery, and lessons learned
• Federal and state 2023 project funding status and outlook for 2024
• Beach nourishment, dune restoration, inlet management – case studies and lessons worth sharing  
• Coastal resiliency and coastal risk management projects - from beaches and dunes to back bay flooding
• Nothing but sand - regional sand management and sand source needs – today, tomorrow and the next 50 years
• Touting the benefits of beaches – economic, recreational, environmental, and storm protection 
• Funding strategies for local governments and how to maximize partnerships
• Changes to regulatory requirements and environmental resource management guidelines 
• Coral reefs and other offshore resources – redefining their role in resilient communities 
• Harmful algal blooms – lingering effects and threats to coastal communities
• Grass root recruits – growing a new generation of advocates for beach and inlet management projects
• Legal and recent case updates

• Federal and state resilience policies and grant programs
• Pest and disease – effects of climate change; research and innovations
• Water availability and alternative water technologies
• Food security
• Energy audits and strategies to lower costs and increase efficiencies
• Effects of climate patterns and extreme weather shifts on agricultural producers and ranchers (drought, wildfires, floods) 
• Effects of changing climate on Florida’s major crops
• Changes in crop selection with changing environmental conditions 
• Agricultural land use resilience

• Federal, state, and local climate change policies and funding programs for renewable and sustainable energy production 
• Energy demand and security
• Power and renewable energy production – project innovations 
• Retrofits – costs and benefits
• Effective marketing and buy-in of energy efficiency measures by end-users
• Electric vehicle technologies and supporting infrastructure
• EV battery innovations and storage technologies
• Digital technologies 

• Nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines
• Flood preparedness 
• Stormwater retention 
• Retrofit and floodproofing
• Adapting to changing landscapes  
• Federal, state, and local resilience policies and funding programs related to gray and green infrastructure in response to climate change
• Emergency response, mitigation, and buy out programs
• Cyber security in a changing natural environment 
• Cyber resilience of electronic systems
• Transportation – roads, rails, ports, and bridges
• Elevation studies
• Evacuation routes – reducing vulnerability in preparation for coastal storms and sea-level rise
• Ensuring equity in adaptation and climate solutions

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