Florida Water & Climate Alliance Workshop
Bridging the Gap:
Integrating Water Resource Management and
Ecosystem Science for Climate Adaptation in Florida
Workshop 1
March 10-11, 2026, Apopka, Florida
Florida’s water resources and ecosystems face increased stress from shifting rainfall patterns, changing water availability, and rapid population growth and land use changes, and addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary efforts. To assist these efforts, the UF Water Institute and the Florida Water and Climate Alliance (FloridaWCA) are collaborating with the Tampa Bay Water, Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (SE CASC), United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station in a project, “Bridging the Gap: Integrating Water Resource Management and Ecosystem Science for Climate Adaptation in Florida”. Connecting leadership across water management, natural resource management, and climate sectors, the project team and its participants will identify research priorities to advance regionally relevant adaptation strategies contributing to climate data informed and integrated water and natural resource management.
The project launched with the first of two workshops held on March 10-11, in Apopka, Florida. Over 25 leadership representatives came together to identify shared challenges and co-develop research priorities that inform integrated, regionally relevant climate adaptation strategies for sustaining water resources critical to people, ecosystems, and wildlife.
The workshop opened with featured speakers who underscored the importance of the project and provided context on future climate forecasts. Bryan Daily, a fellow with the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (SE CASC), provided opening remarks connecting the mission of SE CASC to the project goals. Dr. Ben Kirtman, Dean of the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, was a keynote speaker whose presentation, “From Global Climate Forcing to Florida’s Extremes: A Global to Regional Modeling Perspective on Heat and Rainfall Extremes”, provided insight into the extreme events, shifting rainfall patterns, temperature trends, and other factors affecting Florida’s water resources and ecosystems. Both were critical information for the participants to identify and plan for interdisciplinary future mitigation and resiliency efforts.
Throughout the two-day workshop, participants worked across focus areas of water management, water supply, natural resources, and climate science. UF Water Institute Research Coordinator, Darlene Velez, and Assistant Director, Paloma Carton de Grammont, led carefully structured, facilitated discussions engaging the participants in surfacing shared challenges, identifying synergies, and co-developing a vision for collaborative research and management priorities over the next five years. The discussions had the participants move beyond sector-specific perspectives to clarify where coordination, shared data needs, and integrated research efforts could most effectively support climate adaptation in Florida.
By the end of the workshop, participants had synthesized priorities and challenges across four areas, identified common themes and opportunities for collaboration, and established a foundation for collective action and future planning. This foundation will guide the project’s second workshop, scheduled for Fall 2026, where participants will refine a shared research agenda, implementation pathways, and working groups. Outcomes of this project will be made available after the second workshop, so stay tuned for more!
Through the creation of a new community of practice, the Water Institute, FloridaWCA, and their partners aim to foster ongoing dialogue among regulatory agencies, water managers, utilities, natural resource managers, and climate scientists. This strengthened collaboration will help shape research priorities that advance integrated, regionally relevant climate adaptation strategies for Florida and its critical environmental needs.
Click here to learn more about the SE CASC Bridging the Gap Project.
