Registration Open for the SE FL Regional Climate Leadership Summit | |
Join us December 16 to 17, 2025, for the SE FL Climate Leadership Summit! The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact and Palm Beach County (PBC) are proud to host the 17th Annual Southeast Florida Climate Leadership Summit at the PBC Convention Center in West Palm Beach, FL. The Compact is a partnership of Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties that helps South Florida continue to thrive while facing shared climate challenges. This Summit is a key opportunity for sharing innovative ideas, displaying successful climate initiatives, and fostering collaboration among leaders. For more details about speakers, hotels, sponsorship opportunities, and registration, click HERE.
| | OOR Partners with Six PBC Municipalities to Host Flood and Sea Level Rise Community Workshops | | In April 2025, the PBC Office of Resilience (OOR) collaborated with six local municipalities to host community workshops to gain community feedback for the municipal flood and sea level rise risk assessments. The assessments will help identify the impacts of current and future flooding and sea level rise on critical assets in each community. These workshops discussed how flood risks affect these communities and asked residents for feedback about investments they would like to see made to address flooding. To learn more about this project, click HERE. | | OOR Hosts Resilience Action Plan Workshops for Unincorporated and Glades Communities | | In April 2025, PBC OOR hosted a series of community workshops in Belle Glade, Pahokee, and West Palm Beach to discuss the County's Resilience Action Plan. The workshops provided an overview of the Plan's goals and outcomes and offered an opportunity for residents to share feedback on how the County can better prepare for climate challenges. Through this community engagement, the project team learned that there was strong support for stormwater system improvements, the construction of resilience hubs, microgrids, and EV stations, and efforts to restore and preserve natural areas across all three communities. This feedback reinforced the urgent need for targeted adaptation strategies to strengthen infrastructure, improve emergency preparedness, and ensure access to essential services. To learn more about this project, click HERE. | | OOR and Engineering Staff Selected for PBC Golden Palm Award | | The Engineering and Public Works Department (EPW), with support from OOR staff, led a critical effort to replace the functionally obsolete Prosperity Farms Road Bridge over the C-17 Canal, which faces growing risks from sea level rise. When rising construction costs threatened to outpace the original budget funded by the County’s Infrastructure Sales Tax, EPW partnered with OOR to identify and secure alternative funding. Their successful application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Florida Grant Program resulted in a $4 million award, covering approximately 50% of the project’s cost. This achievement not only preserved public resources but also advanced the County’s resilience and infrastructure goals. Congratulations to Natalie Frendberg, OOR Environmental Program Supervisor, and Kathleen Farrell, P.E., PBC Engineering & Public Works Division Director, on your award! | | The heat is back with a vengeance, and it's only May! | | |
Recognizing Heat Stress
- Heat Stress can lead to very serious injury and can be fatal if the symptoms are not recognized and treated.
- During the hot summer months, it is important to recognize the symptoms and dangers of heat-related illness. The body works to rid itself of excess heat through sweating and dilation of blood vessels. You begin to cool off as sweat evaporates from your skin. Likewise, when blood vessels dilate, heat is released by bringing blood close to the skin surface. When the body's cooling mechanisms do not work as intended, heat-related illness can occur.
Prevention
- Eat light—the more calories you take in, the more body heat you produce.
- Avoid caffeine and drink plenty of fluids before work and throughout the day.
- Replace salt lost due to sweating by drinking sports drinks or fruit juice.
- Wear loose, lightweight clothing and a wide-brimmed hat when outdoors.
- Avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day, typically from 11 AM to 3 PM.
- If you must be outside, use sunscreen—a sunburn affects the body's ability to cool itself.
- Pace yourself when exerting yourself.
How to recognize if someone is suffering from heat-related illness and what to do:
- Heat cramps: Ensure the person drinks water or sips a sports drink. Gently massage, stretch, and ice the affected muscle.
- Heat syncope: Have them lie down on their back in a cool area.
- Heat Exhaustion: Remove excessive layers of clothing and provide water or a sports drink, but not if the person is vomiting. Cool the body with a water sprayer or use wet clothes and a fan.
- Heatstroke: Immediately call for medical help before beginning to cool the victim. Consider covering the person with wet towels or cloths, or spray with cool water; fan the victim to evaporate the dampness on the skin.
For more resources, visit the Florida Health Extreme Heat Webpage.
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Citizen Science: Globe at Night Project
Location: Virtual
Date: June 1–30, 2025
Details: Join the “PBCLS 2025 Citizen Science: Globe at Night” Project! This is a scientific, ongoing collaboration between SciStarter and the Globe at Night Campaign. Join other citizen scientists by measuring your night sky brightness and submitting your observations to the Sky Tonight app. Your data, paired with time and location, will help create a light pollution map worldwide. It's easy to get involved - all you need is a computer or smartphone. Light pollution may be a global problem, but the solutions are local, and it starts with you. Click here for more information and to join the project.
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PBC Library System Summer 2025 BioBlitz
Location: Virtual
Date: June 1–July 31, 2025
Details: Join the PBCLS BioBlitz Summer 2025 Project during the Summer Reading Challenge! A BioBlitz is a community science effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible. Share your observations to the PBCLS BioBlitz Summer 2025 Project. The project runs for all of June and July. Click here for more information and to join the project.
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Why Mangroves? with Keith Rossin of MANG
Location: Mounts Auditorium, 531 N Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415
Date: June 17, 2025, 6:30–8:45 PM
Details: The PBC Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society’s June Chapter Meeting will feature Keith Rossin of MANG speaking about the importance of Mangroves. MANG is a local organization with an international reach that sells mangrove-themed outdoor apparel to raise money for mangrove restoration projects. Meetings are FREE and open to the public. Meetings include refreshments, a speaker program, and a native plant drawing. For more details, click here.
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Florida Resilience Conference Call for Abstracts OPEN!
Location: Charlotte Harbor, FL
Date: September 17–19, 2025
Details: The Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association and Resiliency Florida are hosting the 4th Annual Florida Resilience Conference to provide a professional forum for in-depth discussion on the state’s burgeoning resilience programs. The conference program will feature concurrent sessions on beach management, energy, infrastructure (gray, green, cyber, transportation), and smart planning. For more details, click here.
SAVE THE DATE: Florida Climate Week 2025
Location: Virtual
Date: October 16–17, 2025
Details: Florida Climate Week, presented by VoLo Foundation, is a powerful celebration of engagement, education, and collective action focused on the climate and resilience challenges facing our state. This weeklong initiative invites all Floridians to attend expert-led virtual sessions, connect through community events, take meaningful action, and amplify their voices for a sustainable future. This event is free and open to all. For more information, click here.
SAVE THE DATE: The 17th Annual Southeast Florida Climate Leadership Summit
Location: Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL
Date: December 16–17, 2025
Details: The 17th Annual Climate Leadership Summit, organized by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact and hosted by Palm Beach County, is a key regional gathering that fosters critical collaboration with regional and national leaders to address the climate crisis on a large scale. For more information, click here.
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