Building Coastal Resilience In Florida's Gulf Coast

AGENDA:
• DEP's Resilient Coastlines Program:
Review the mission of the Resilient Coastlines Program and funding opportunities
• Climate Change Science:
Review the science of climate change as it relates to sea level rise and current efforts to mitigate impacts
• Cedar Key Living Shorelines Treatment Master Plan
• A Review of the City of Sarasota Climate Adaptation Plan and Resilient Shoreline Projects
Guest Speakers:
MICHAEL SAVARESE, Professor of Marine Science, FGCU
Mike Savarese's teaching and research interests concern environmental change in coastal settings, particularly in response to human development, climate change, and sea-level rise. In the fall of 2017 he began a 3-year NOAA-funded effort with the University of Florida to help managers and planners contend with the projected effects of sea-level rise in Collier County and Southwest Florida.
WHITNEY GRAY, Administrator of the Florida Resilient Coastlines Program, FDEP
Whitney Gray has worked on climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning for the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Florida Sea Grant. Originally from Florida's Gulf coast, Whitney has seen first-hand how sea level rise has changed the state, from critical erosion to "ghost forests." Her task now is to bring sea level rise resilience planning to the forefront for the long-term benefit of the people and ecosystems of Florida.

SAVANNA BARRY, Regional Specialized Agent, Coastal Ecosystem UF/ IFAS Extension
Savanna Barry completed her Ph.D. program at the University of Florida where she studied seagrass meadows and investigated their morphology, resilience, invertebrate community composition, and carbon storage under different rates of nutrient input. Savanna began serving the Nature Coast as a Regional Specialized Agent with Sea Grant and UF/IFAS Extension in February 2016 and graduated with her doctorate in April 2016. She lives in Cedar Key and is stationed full time at the Nature Coast Biological Station

STEVIE FREEMAN-MONTES, Sustainability Manager, City of Sarasota
Stevie works as the Sustainability Manager for the City of Sarasota. In her role she led the city's first-ever climate change adaptation planning process to assess the vulnerability of over 220 city-owned assets. She successfully applied for and received a FDEP grant to remove a bayfront seawall and install a more resilient solution. Before joining the City of Sarasota in 2015, Stevie worked in local government sustainability in Oregon and served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer on the island of Yap, Micronesia. Stevie holds a Master's Degree in Sustainable Development and Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology.