Date: May 14, 2026

Topic: Site Visit Lunch and Learn to C-51 Reservoir Phase 2

Location: C-51 Reservoir Site - 20125 Southern Blvd, Loxahatchee, FL 33470

Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm

Attendee Limit: Event capped at 20 (There will be a waitlist, which will be filled in the order received)

PPE Requirements to Visit Site: High-visibility safety vest, steel-toe shoes, and hard hat.

Cost: $20

Description: Join AWRA Florida Young Professionals Committee for a Lunch and Learn site visit to the C-51 Reservoir Phase 2 project. We will enjoy lunch and networking before a presentation on the project, purpose, design, and any construction-phase lessons learned by the team.  At the conclusion of the lunch presentation, we will tour the site and observe ongoing construction of the reservoir and associated features. This event is an excellent opportunity for students and early-career professionals to expand their knowledge and network with others in the water resources field. This is a limited attendance event that will be on a first come first serve basis with a waitlist.

AWRA National 2026 Geospatial Water Technology Conference

May 18 - 20, 2026 | Niagara Falls, New York

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In 2024, Sarasota and Manatee counties faced an extraordinary year of extreme weather—including a historic “1,000‑year” rainfall event, Tropical Storm Debby, and Hurricane Milton’s landfall near Siesta Key.  Join the AWRA Florida Section in Sarasota to learn how local and regional agencies responded, recovered, and are strengthening resilience for the future. Hear from speakers representing Manatee County, Sarasota County, the City of Sarasota, the City of Arcadia, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Mote Marine Laboratory and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program as they share lessons learned and highlight projects strengthening community resilience.

LOCATION

USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus

Selby Auditorium

8350 North Tamiami Trail

Sarasota, FL

AGENDA (UPDATED 4/21/2026)

Program Moderators: Brian Wozniak and Allison Tritschler

Timeslot	Presentation Title	Presenter / Organization
10:00 – 11:30	Board Meeting	Selby Auditorium
11:30	Registration Opens	—
11:45 – 12:30	Lunch	Chartwells Catering
12:30	Opening Remarks	Greg Stemack, President AWRA-FL
12:45 – 1:15	A Smarter Water Supply: Reliability Through Innovation and Planning	Chris Collins & Patrick Shea, Manatee County
1:15 – 1:45	Adapting to Change: Sarasota County Resilience Planning	Sara Kane, Sarasota County
1:45 – 2:15	Managing Sarasota Bay in a Changed and Changing World	Ryan Gandy, Ph.D., Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
2:15 – 2:30	BREAK	—
2:30 – 3:00	Florida Red Tide Mitigation & Technology Development Initiative	Lizabeth Longstreet, Mote Marine Laboratory
3:00 – 3:30	City of Sarasota's Resilient Future: Storm Recovery and Improvement Projects	Sage Kamiya & Andrew Neuhaus, City of Sarasota
3:30 – 4:00	City of Arcadia Updates	Beth Carsten, City of Arcadia
4:00 – 4:30	Cape Haze Ecosystem Restoration: Striking the Balance	Will VanGelder, SWFWMD
4:30	Closing Remarks	Greg Stelmack, President AWRA-FL
4:45	Happy Hour	Bahi Hut Tiki Lounge or Tarpon Bay Grill

Thank you to our May 2026 Technical Meeting Sponsors!

CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS (CEHs)

4 CEHs will be provided to Professional Engineers & Professional Geologists

4 General Continuing Legal Education Credits will be provided for CLE.

Join AWRA Florida on June 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach for a Technical Meeting with the theme of Engineering and Construction Project Delivery.

LOCATION:

South Florida Water Management District (B-1 Auditorium)

3301 Gun Club Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33406

NOTES:

• Organizations interested in sponsoring the meeting may pay online here or contact Sam Palermo at 561-351-5278.
• Continuing Education credits will be available for Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Attorneys (pending final approval).
• Thank you to our Sponsors!

AGENDA: (Updated 4-14-26)

9:30am - 11:30am: AWRA Florida Board Meeting - All are welcome to attend

11:45am: Meeting Registration Opens and Lunch (provided in the SFWMD cafeteria)

1:00pm - 1:30pm: Welcome and Opening Remarks (Gregory Stelmack, P.E., AWRA Florida President, and Drew Bartlett, Executive Director, South Florida Water Management District)
1:30pm - 2:00pm: Safety in Design: Active versus Passive (Sandy Smith, P.E., South Florida Water Management District)
2:00pm - 2:30pm: How to Build a Culture of Safety in Construction (Sam Heady, Forgen and Palmer Behels, Forgen)
2:30pm - 3:00pm: Three Tier Governance During Construction (Captain Jeffrey Reeves, United States Army Corps of Engineers)
3:00pm - 3:30pm: Break
3:30pm - 4:00pm: Three Phase Quality Governance (Kevin Aubry, P.E. , Terracon Consultants and David Paiko, P.E., Jacobs)
4:00pm - 4:30pm: Tamiami Trail Bridge Construction (Jonathan Fundora, P.E., Florida Department of Transportation)
5:00pm: Happy Hour! (Location TBD)

Thank you to our June 2026 Technical Meeting Sponsors!

CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS (CEHs):

4 CEHs will be provided to Professional Engineers and Professional Geologists

4 General Continuing Legal Education Credits

AWRA Florida Annual Meeting - Key West 

August 6 and 7, 2026 

Harvey Governmental Center

1200 Truman Avenue, Key West, FL

Thursday, August 6

• AWRA Florida Board Meeting  - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm - All are welcome
• Meeting from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Reception and Dinner at the Audubon House - 5:30 pm,  Reception and Dinner at The Audubon House. 205 Whitehead St, Key West, FL 33040 for Speakers, Registrants and paidguests 

Friday, August 7

• Networking Continental Breakfast - 8:00pm
• Meeting  - 8:45 am to 4:00 pm
• Networking Reception - 5:30 pm  -7:30 pm, Location TBD

Confirmed Speakers

Drew Bartlett, Executive Director, SFWMD

Brian Armstrong, Executive Director, SWFWMD

Mike Register, Executive Director, SJRWMD

Lyle Seigler, Executive Director, NWFWMD

Hugh Thomas, Executive Director, SRWMD

Colonel Brandon L. Bowman, District Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District

Major Cory J. Bell, Deputy District Commander for South Florida, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District

Adam Blalock, Deputy Secretary for Ecosystems Restoration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Timothy Breen, Everglades Program Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 Mark Bombard, Assistant Utility Director, City of Winter Haven, FL

Greg Knecht, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy in Florida

Alex Kernan, Senior Advisor and Policy Leader,  Arrow Group

More to come 

Registration Fees

• 2026 Member: $375 ( Includes Thursday night reception and dinner and Friday networking reception)
• 2026 Non-Member: $425 for 2026  (Includes AWRA Florida membership, Thursday night reception and dinner, and Friday networking event)
• Students (Meeting only): $25 Thursday and Friday technical meetings
• Students (Full Registration): $100 Thursday and Friday technical meeting, Thursday night networking and dinner, and Friday night networking reception
• Guests of a paying registrant or speaker: $150 Thursday reception and dinner and Friday networking event  
• Annual Sponsors and Life Members - Free Registration - Contact awra@awraflorida.org for Free Registration Code 

• Organizations interested in sponsoring the meeting should contact Sam Palermo at 561-351-5278 or pay online here. 

• There is no reserved hotel block. Lodging fills quickly—book early!

• Registrants will be able to obtain PE and PG continuing credits and Florida Bar CLE credits.
• We have limited registration spots - register early!

AWRA National 2026 Annual Conference

November 9 - 11, 2026 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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