⭐️ 2025 FSBPA Award Recipients ⭐️

We are thrilled to recognize the outstanding contributions of this year’s award winners. The annual Awards Banquet is a cherished tradition, bringing our members together to honor the achievements of coastal champions and colleagues.

Join us at 6:30 p.m. at the Sunseeker Resort, Charlotte Harbor, as we celebrate their extraordinary work and dedication. We look forward to sharing this special evening with you!

A heartfelt thank you to our Premier Gold Banquet Sponsor, Freese & Nichols, and Patron Sponsors, Coastal Protection Engineering, Ecological Associates, Inc., Kimley-Horn, and Lewis, Longman & Walker. We also extend our sincere appreciation to Humiston & Moore Engineering for their long-standing support as our Awards Plaque Sponsor.

These awards not only recognize individual excellence but also celebrate the collaborative spirit that drives our community forward. We extend our sincere thanks to this year’s honorees for their enduring commitment to Florida’s coastal future. Please join us in congratulating this distinguished group as we honor their remarkable achievements together.

Thank you to our 2025 Florida Resilience Conference Sponsors!

Notice of Proposed Bylaws Amendments & Annual Business Meeting

The 2025 Annual Business Meeting of the Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 12:10 p.m., during the Florida Resilience Conference at the Sunseeker Resort, Charlotte Harbor. All members are invited and encouraged to attend.

The meeting agenda will include:

• Approval of the minutes from the 2024 Annual Business Meeting
• A financial update
• Approval of the 2026 Slate of Officers and Directors
• Consideration of proposed amendments to the association’s bylaws

**NOTICE: This serves as formal notification of proposed revisions to the bylaws, as required.

The last updates to FSBPA’s bylaws were approved by the general membership on September 25, 2015. At the February 5, 2025, board meeting, Chair Janet Zimmerman requested a staff-led, periodic review of the bylaws. Following the review, several suggested revisions were discussed by the board at its June 16, 2025, meeting and formally approved in July for membership consideration.

Summary of Proposed Amendments:

1. Conflict of Interest Language: New provisions define what constitutes a conflict of interest for board members and establish expectations for compliance as a condition of board service.

2. Clarification of Board Member Removal Procedures: Language has been added to outline specific causes, grounds, and procedures for removal of a director from the board.

3. Definition of Executive Committee Role: Clarifies the responsibilities of the Executive Committee between full board meetings.

4. Meeting Formats and Voting Procedures: Updates reflect current and practical meeting formats (e.g., virtual participation), proper notice requirements, and acceptable voting methods, including electronic voting.

The board of directors has approved these proposed amendments and authorized their inclusion in this newsletter to meet the notice requirement. The amendments will be presented for a formal vote of the general membership at the 2025 Annual Business Meeting.

Annual Business Meeting

Thursday, September 18, 2025

12:10 p.m.

Sunseeker Resort, Charlotte Harbor

A full copy of the proposed amendments to the bylaws is available HERE

If you have questions about the proposed changes, please call the FSBPA office or email us at mail@fsbpa.com.

Additional Summit Opportunity – Come Early for More Learning

Reminder: FSBPA 2026 Tech Conference Call for Abstracts is Open!

The Call for Presentations is now open for the 2026 National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology!

We invite professionals in coastal engineering, environmental science, coastal management, and related fields to submit abstracts. Don’t miss this opportunity to share your research, innovations, and insights with peers from across the country.

Primary Topics:  

• Shore Protection Projects and Coastal Management  
• Coastal Research and Environmental Science  

Additional Topics:  

• Sea Level Rise and Coastal Resilience 
• Beach and Nearshore Hydrographic Surveying Technology 
• Dredging Technology 
• Living Shorelines 
• Environmental Resource Protection and Mitigation Projects 
• Construction of Coastal Piers and Other Structures 
• Beach Operations and Maintenance 
• Red Tide and Other Harmful Algal Blooms 
• Storm Surge Modeling 

Who Should Submit?  

• Public and Private Sector Engineers 
• Environmental Scientists 
• Coastal Geologists 
• Marine Scientists and Biologists 
• Academic Researchers 
• Coastal Surveyors 
• Dredging Industry Professionals 
• Coastal Managers and Local Government Representatives 

🔹 Submission Deadline: October 13, 2025 

🔹 Location: Embassy Suites, St. Augustine, FL 

🔹 Conference Dates: February 4–6, 2026 

For full details on abstract topics and submission guidelines, please visit here or contact us at mail@fsbpa.com. 

We look forward to your participation! 

Article Spotlight - FDEP Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection

September 2025

Resilient Florida Rulemaking:

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is hosting a rule development workshop for the Statewide Resilience Plan (Chapter 62S-8.003, F.A.C.) on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025 1:30 p.m. EDT at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building, Room 137A, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, FL, 32399. For those unable to attend in person, a virtual option will be available. Please register on GoTo Webinar.

The workshop will focus on legislatively mandated updates to the scoring system for assessing project eligibility for inclusion in the Statewide Resilience Plan.

A Notice of Rule Development was published in the Florida Administrative Register on July 31, 2025.

Learn more about DEP's Resilient Florida Program.

Coastal Construction Control Line Rulemaking Begins

The department is beginning the process of rule amendments to the CCCL Rule 62B-33, F.A.C. Chapter 62B-33, F.A.C., provides procedures for permits for coastal construction and excavation seaward of the coastal construction control line. The rules include definitions, exemptions, general criteria, application requirements and procedures for areawide and individual permits, procedures for coastal armoring and related structures, survey requirements and electronic submittal information. A Rule Development Workshop for amendments to 62B-33, F.A.C., is being held on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 pm EST in conference Room 609, at the Bob Martinez Center, 2600 Blair Stone, Tallahassee 32399, with a virtual option available. Please register here: Rules and Procedures for Coastal Construction and Excavation Rule Workshop.  

The proposed changes to the rules in chapter 62B-33, F.A.C., will provide necessary form updates and add clarity to the rule consistent with statutory language. Additionally, the amendments will update the armoring provisions in rule to add definitions for replacements and upgrades, which often occur after storm events. It will also add language to incorporate sea level changes into the design and permitting process and add minimum design standards. Finally, it will adjust the threshold for vulnerability for public infrastructure, based on more frequent storms occurring to meet the definition of a high frequency storm event.

A Notice of Rule Development was published in the FAR on August 07, 2025.

Obtain a copy of the draft rule here: Draft Rule

Critical Erosion Report Updated.

The 2025 version of the Critical Erosion Report is available at: Critically Eroded Beaches. This year’s report added 17.9 miles, bringing the total to 451.1 miles of critical erosion in Florida out of 850 miles of sandy beach shoreline. The longest additions were in St. Johns County at Cresent Beach; 3.6 miles in Indian River County between Wabasso and Vero Beach; and 2.2 miles in Flagler County.

PO Box 13146, Tallahassee FL 32317

Phone: (850) 906-9227 • mail@fsbpa.com