The Planning Collaborative

I'm so thankful for this group, and all those not pictured here. Working as a team to serve Florida planners has been something I've been involved with for about 25 years. The passion, grit, and determination of those in our profession is bar none, and I thank them all for it.

This past Thursday night at the NW FL League of Cities quarterly dinner I had the great pleasure of meeting and speaking with Sam Wagoner of the FL League of Cities regarding the 2026 legislative session. It's always interesting to learn other's perspectives and insights. Looking at a busy summer off-session to prepare for 2027.

One of the highlights of each year is attending the FPL Northwest FL Economic Development Symposium. Catching up with leaders across NW FL and the amazing informative and inspirational speakers make this one not to miss. If you have an opportunity to attend a version of this in your region of Florida, I highly recommend it. Along with other current events, AI is a big topic today. With Jim Bagby and Marta Rose-Thorpe
Thank you to Florida Power & Light for investing in our communities.

With our VP of Communications Alessandria Ali Palmer, I attended the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation legislative reception tonight in Tallahassee. On behalf of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA FL), I'm thrilled to build relationships with such esteemed organizations doing amazing things. Catching up with FL Trust board president Ennis Davis, AICP who is a former APA FL board member was a bonus!

It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee!

Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Florida) planners on the hill in 22 separate legislator meetings, and this group right here met with the Governor's office staff. We are working hard for our members to provide our voice and experiences.

"Honor your skills."

This is my favorite quote from an audiobook I finished on my way to the 2026 Rural Counties Day legislative networking reception in Tallahassee tonight.

These two ladies are the epitome of that quote. Julie Dennis and Shawna Martin of OVID Solutions honor their skills through their work. It is incredibly apparent in the passion they have for what they do. Realize what your purpose is and your skills will hone in. Honor that and you will far exceed your expectations. Well done to these two!

Last week, as a representative of APA Florida , I had an opportunity to meet with many legislators of both the Florida House and Senate in Tallahassee. These continued meetings are important for us as an organization to build relationships and help authors and sponsors of proposed legislation understand the practical meanings behind the words. I look forward to continued relationship building and discussions to talk through legislative issues that influence our passions and directives as planners. Thank you to Metz Husband & Daughton, PA for being our conduit and providing the opportunity.

FPC25 in Daytona Beach September 16-19 was great fun! I took the liberty of requesting an astronaut suit to first appear and introduce the plenary speaker, bringing some fun to our first gathering.

Last week at FPC25 in Daytona Beach I had the honor of presenting a law credit session called Press Your Luck with several of my colleagues including Melissa I. Ward, AICP, Denise Rowan, esq., Brooke Davis, esq., and Latilda Hughes-Neel. We discussed how important it is for planners to build your staff report for legal defense, specifically related to compatibility and consistency subject matter. A game (bingo) format, we had a lot of fun with it! Thanks to all who attended.

A big shout out to APA FL's legislative representative team for setting up several meet and greets today at the Capitol complex in Tallahassee. Along with our association's President elect, I met with policy chiefs, legislative directors, deputy secretaries, and the Governor's office to build relationships for potential future collaborations with APA FL to provide boots on the ground expertise during bill formation and hearings.