Monroe County and the City of Key West are pleased to host the 7th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit on December 1-3, 2015. The annual summit is coordinated by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, a partnership between Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, their municipalities and other partners.
The Climate Leadership Summit is a major regional event focused on facilitating climate-related collaboration and knowledge sharing. The summit attracts innovative thinkers and leaders from business, government, academia and the non-profit community to exchange ideas and dialogue at panel discussions and networking breaks.
The Summit will kick off in true South Florida style with a snorkeling field trip led by the Nature Conservancy. This year’s speakers include marine scientist Dr. David E. Guggenheim (better known as “The Ocean Doctor”; Retired Rear Admiral Jonathan W. White, Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy, United States Navy; and author Cynthia Barnett. There will be several workshops, including “Sustainability in Your Community”, panel discussions, and the ceremonial signing by county leaders of the “Leading the Charge” Compact 2.0. For the full agenda, click here: 7th Annual SE FLA Regional Climate Leadership Summit Agenda
“Five years ago, local leaders down here, Republicans and Democrats, formed the bipartisan Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact — an agreement to work together to fight climate change. And it’s become a model not just for the country, but for the world.”
~~ President Barack Obama, Earth Day remarks from Everglades National Park, April 22, 2015
The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact was executed by Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties in January 2010 to coordinate mitigation and adaptation activities across county lines. The Compact represents a new form of regional climate governance designed to allow local governments to set the agenda for adaptation while providing an efficient means for state and federal agencies to engage with technical assistance and support.
At the conclusion of the first Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit on Oct. 23, 2009, four County representatives – Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, Palm Beach County Commissioner Shelley Vana, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, and Monroe County Mayor George Neugent – signed the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact committing to take it back to their County Commissions for review and adoption.
The Compact calls for the Counties to work cooperatively to:
- Develop annual Legislative Programs and jointly advocate for state and federal policies and funding
- Dedicate staff time and resources to create a Southeast Florida Regional Climate Action Plan to include mitigation and adaptation strategies
- Meet annually in Regional Climate Summits to mark progress and identify emerging issues.
Since 2009, the four Compact Counties have accomplished much together and have also worked with a growing number of federal, state, regional, municipal, nonprofit, academic and private sector partners. Widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading examples of regional-scale climate action, the Compact continues to serve as the mechanism to collaborate for climate adaptation.
The 7th Annual Southeast Florida Climate Leadership Summit will be at Casa Marina, 1500 Reynolds Street, Key West, Florida. For more information and to register, visit SoutheastFloridaClimateCompact.org
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