Presenter: Kevin Hayes

Water utilities are at the forefront of ensuring community health and sustainability. In this session, we’ll explore how innovative approaches to asset management can help utilities tackle aging infrastructure, regulatory demands, and service reliability challenges. By combining lifecycle planning, preventive maintenance, and spatial insights, water utilities can improve operational efficiency and resiliency. Real-world examples will illustrate how leading organizations are enhancing service delivery, minimizing disruptions, and meeting compliance requirements with data-driven strategies.

Learning Objectives: Identify how spatial tools and data analytics support proactive resource management; Use best practices for maximizing asset performance through lifecycle planning; Incorporate strategies to reduce service disruptions and improve water infrastructure reliability

Presenter: Scott Graham

Reality Capture technologies are transforming the way spatial data is collected and applied in infrastructure development. This presentation outlines a streamlined workflow that incorporates terrestrial laser scanning, UAV based Lidar, mobile Lidar and Wearable Mobile Lidar with SLAM technology mapping to deliver high-accuracy results efficiently.

This presentation will explore the implementation of a modern Reality Capture workflow throughthree representative projects across Florida.

• The City of Edgewater Deering Park Interchange Design Project, where Reality Capture supported complex highway design with minimal field revisits

• A post-hurricane roadway damage survey on SR 51 in Suwannee County, where rapid data collection enabled timely assessments and repair planning

• And the SR 29 Bypass in Immokalee, which utilized 2D Reality Capture methods to document features across a proposed bypass corridor with precision and efficiency.

These case studies demonstrate the flexibility and value of Reality Capture workflows in various project contexts—from emergency response to long-term infrastructure planning. Attendees will gain insight into practical workflows, technology choices, and the measurable benefits these tools bring to modern surveying and design efforts.

Learning Objectives: Acquire insight into practical workflows; Recognize the flexibility and value of reality capture workflows in various project contexts; See and communicate the operational and decision-making benefits of reality capture across planning, emergency response and roadway design applications

Presenter: Rebecca Price

Public Works truly is the heart of every great community celebration. From neighborhood festivals to citywide sporting events, these teams make the magic happen behind the scenes and often in ways most people never see. This panel brings together Public Works Directors from across Florida to share the lessons, challenges, and surprising stories that come with managing large-scale special events.

Attendees will hear how cities plan months in advance to keep roads open (or closed!), trash collected, and safety top of mind, while juggling tight budgets, long hours, and unpredictable crowds. From coordinating extra crews to ordering that infamous baby oil for light poles, this session celebrates the creativity, dedication, and problem-solving that keep our communities running at full strength during their biggest moments.

Learning Objectives: Coordinate people, plans, and public safety efforts by understanding how Public Works teams orchestrate the moving parts behind large community events, from managing street closures and sanitation, to ensuring safety and accessibility, all while keeping the city running smoothly for everyone else; Anticipate challenges, deploy resources effectively, and adapt to changing conditions to ensure successful management of festivals, parades, and major public events; Engage communities and poster pride and connection by understanding how Public Works initiatives turn local events into meaningful shared experiences that highlight the heartbeat of their communities

Presenter: Ralph Verrastro

Municipal public works departments in Florida are responsible for the maintenance of the bridges in the municipalities’ bridge inventory. FDOT assists in this effort by performing bridge inspections every two (2) years which are mandated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to ensure public safety and maintain national infrastructure standards. To communicate the findings of these inspections, the FDOT prepares bridge inspections reports and submits them to the municipality. Unfortunately, these reports are prepared by bridge engineers for other bridge engineers - not the most user-friendly display of bridge data for a public works official to interpret. This presentation provides a crash course for non-bridge engineers related to how to read these reports to quickly gather the information you need to develop a maintenance plan for the bridge. The presentation provides a review of the common bridge deficiencies that require maintenance and the typical repair approaches. A simplified low-cost approach for soliciting bids from contractors for common bridge maintenance repairs is presented using a performance specification approach instead of detailed repair plans.

Learning Objectives: Understand the information included in a FDOT Bridge Inspection Report; Evaluate the information in a FDOT Bridge Inspection Report; Develop a maintenance plan for the municipalities' bridges

Presenter: Jayesh Bhatt, Dana Mackey

Hillsborough County manages Florida's largest bridge inventory, with 292 bridges and an average age of nearly 46 years. To ensure the safety, security, and resilience of this critical infrastructure, the County has developed a sophisticated, long-standing bridge condition database. This presentation outlines the structured workflow procedures and strategic targets implemented by Hillsborough County to transform raw data into actionable, planned maintenance and improvement cycles. Attendees will learn practical, implementable strategies for utilizing data-driven asset management to enhance the long-term resiliency and safety of their own bridge inventories.

Learning Objectives: Understand the operation of asset management for bridges; Identify the challenges in the maintenance of bridge assets and be able to plan their resources and budgets accordingly; Implement strategies for utilizing data-driven asset management

Presenter: Rhonda Bowman, Scott Garth, Mark Brown

Effective stormwater management begins with understanding the condition and performance of the infrastructure that keeps our communities safe from flooding. Regular inspections of stormwater pipes, culverts, and pump stations are essential to maintaining system reliability, reducing flood risks, and protecting water quality.

Stormwater infrastructure must be routinely evaluated for obstructions such as debris or sediment buildup, structural deficiencies including cracks and joint failures, and signs of illicit discharges that can impair system performance. Left unaddressed, these issues can significantly reduce conveyance capacity and lead to localized flooding or downstream water quality impacts.

Equally critical are pump stations and culverts, which play a vital role in moving water efficiently through low-lying or flat areas. Evaluations of pumps, valves, electrical systems, and structural components ensure that these assets remain operationally reliable—particularly during high-intensity rainfall events when performance matters most. Proactive inspections and maintenance reduce emergency repair costs, extend the service life of infrastructure, and help agencies meet regulatory compliance and resiliency goals.

This presentation will highlight two recent Stormwater System Assessment projects where DRMP integrated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to enhance inspection efficiency, data collection, and reporting processes. Both efforts demonstrate how GIS-based tools can improve collaboration between field and office teams, strengthen decision-making, and advance local government asset management initiatives.

As one example, DRMP partnered with Hillsborough County Public Works to assess 874 critical culvert assets across the southern and eastern portions of the County. The team developed a geodatabase and inspection form using ESRI Field Maps, allowing field crews to use tablets and smartphones to navigate to each asset, input condition data, and attach geotagged photos. By leveraging DRMP’s Enterprise system, office staff could review inspection results in real time, monitor progress, and provide immediate feedback to field personnel.

The collaboration between DRMP and Hillsborough County demonstrates how GIS can serve as the foundation for a proactive stormwater asset management program—connecting engineering, operations, and maintenance teams within a single, transparent data environment. Attendees will gain insight into technology, methodology, and lessons learned from implementing a GIS-based inspection process, including strategies for scaling and customizing these tools for future stormwater initiatives.

Learning Objectives for the presentation will include understanding the value of GIS integration in stormwater inspection and asset management programs; Learning how real-time data collection and visualization enhance system performance analysis; Exploring methods to improve collaboration between engineering, operations, and maintenance teams; Identifying best practices and lessons learned from DRMP’s partnership with Hillsborough County for scalable GIS-driven stormwater programs.

Ultimately, these projects illustrate how GIS technology transforms stormwater inspection programs into efficient, data-informed management systems that improve collaboration, transparency, and infrastructure resiliency.

Learning Objectives: Evaluate stormwater system conditions using GIS-based tools that streamline data collection, field inspections, and reporting processes; Implement ESRI Field Maps and ArcGIS Pro workflows to enhance collaboration, ensure data accuracy, and improve real-time quality assurance in stormwater inspection programs; Interpret inspection data and risk scoring outputs to prioritize infrastructure improvements and support proactive asset management planning

Presenter: Emilio Lopez

Florida's coastal public works face a crisis: nutrient runoff from stormwater, exacerbated by intense rain events, fuels harmful algal blooms (HABs) that decimate seagrass and threaten iconic aquatic life, like manatees . This session moves beyond basic trash capture to introduce an integrated digital field platform essential for addressing nutrient pollution and MS4 compliance. The system uses geotagged, mobile-first tools, including QR code asset markers, to revolutionize asset maintenance and data collection for municipal staff. Crucially, the platform creates a force multiplier by empowering citizen scientists and environmental partners (like Waterkeepers) to crowdsource real-time data on illicit discharges, localized flooding, and pollution hot spots. We will review success stories from coastal Florida, showcasing how this alliance between Public Works, Technology, and Community provides a cost-effective, auditable path to improved environmental stewardship and long-term water quality resilience.

Learning Objectives: Use a mobile-first strategy to achieve paperless field inspections, standardize data collection, and streamline NPDES MS4 regulatory reporting; Implement methods for leveraging citizen science and crowdsourcing to rapidly identify and report critical stormwater issues, including illicit discharges and pollution that threaten coastal water quality; Identify the ROI and operational benefits of digital asset management and public engagement tools in reducing reactive maintenance costs and enhancing community-wide environment stewardship (EPA MCM 1)

Presenter: Peter Cavalli

The Conflict Resolution for Public Works Professionals course, offered by Tampa Bay Training, is a focused 60-minute session designed to equip public works professionals with practical skills to manage and resolve workplace conflicts. Led by Perry Lopez, a seasoned construction and management expert with over 40 years of experience, this course is tailored for the APWA Florida Chapter Expo. It blends academic rigor with real-world applications to address challenges faced by supervisors, managers, and technical staff in public works, utilities, and local government settings.

This interactive session explores the nature of conflict, distinguishing between disagreements and escalatory disputes, and identifies common triggers like personality clashes and resource allocation issues. Participants learn evidence-based strategies, including collaborative problem-solving and mediation, to de-escalate conflicts effectively. The course emphasizes active listening, empathetic communication, and feedback frameworks to build trust and prevent future disputes. Using the Triangle of Truth and other organizational models, attendees address interpersonal and interdepartmental conflicts specific to public works operations.

The session begins with an introduction to conflict dynamics and their impact on productivity and morale, followed by an overview of theoretical perspectives, including Traditional, Human Relations, and Interactionist views. Practical resolution techniques, such as compromise and smoothing, are applied through scenario-based exercises reflecting real-world public works challenges, like disputes over project priorities or safety protocols. Participants engage in case studies and interactive activities to practice de-escalation, concluding with strategies to foster a culture of open communication and align with APWA and Florida-specific standards. Attendees develop a personal conflict resolution plan and receive a digital handout with key frameworks and resources.

Designed for first-line supervisors, managers, aspiring leaders, and professionals in utilities and engineering, the course requires no prior conflict resolution experience. Perry Lopez’s extensive expertise ensures an engaging, practical learning experience tailored to Florida’s public works community. Delivered in-person at the APWA Florida Chapter Expo, this session empowers participants to transform conflicts into opportunities for collaboration, enhancing team cohesion and project outcomes while supporting the APWA’s mission of professional development and operational excellence.

Learning Objectives: Define conflict resolution; Identify problem areas and solutions that can turn conflicts into success stories; Employ a host of strategies and methods to avoid conflict

Presenter: Charles Tofferi

Success in public works and construction depends not only on technical knowledge, but on relationships, leadership, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Professional organizations—such as APWA—offer young professionals the foundation to develop these essential qualities early in their careers.

In this presentation, Charles – who is a young professional himself – explores how early involvement in professional organizations can accelerate personal and career growth. Through participation in committees, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities, emerging leaders gain access to resources, perspectives, and relationships that expand their influence far beyond the job site.

Attendees will learn how engagement in organizations like APWA not only strengthens individual career trajectories but also contributes to the advancement of the entire profession. By getting involved early, young professionals invest in their own development—while helping to build a stronger, more connected, and forward-thinking public works community.

Learning Objectives: Articulate the tangible career and leadership benefits of engaging early with professional organization such as APWA and how these experiences can accelerate professional growth; Identify and apply practical strategies for becoming actively involved in professional organizations, including networking, volunteering, and mentorship, to build confidence and credibility within the industry; Develop an action plan for sustained engagement in professional associations that enhances both individual career trajectories and the collective strength of the public works and construction community

Presenter: Sheryl Parsons

Asset management is a process water and wastewater utilities can use to make sure that planned maintenance can be conducted and capital assets (pumps, motors, pipes, etc.) can be repaired, replaced, or upgraded on time and that there is enough money to pay for it. Many utilities use asset management to pursue and achieve sustainable infrastructure. A high-performing asset management program includes detailed asset inventories, operation and maintenance tasks, and long-range financial planning. Asset management is implemented through an asset management program and typically includes a written asset management plan.

The City of Cocoa Beach takes asset management to a new level. In response to chronic inflow and infiltration (I&I) issues that led to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) during severe storm events (e.g., Hurricane Ian in 2022), the City of Cocoa Beach implemented “Sewer Savvy,” an innovative GIS driven-program to enhance its wastewater collection system management. This project integrates advanced geospatial technologies to reduce I&I and mitigate SSOs, thereby protecting the environment and public health.

This approach has jump started asset management for the City. They have real time “state of the asset” data for critical assets. They have dashboards that show what needs maintenance or needs to be replaced so they ensure the level of service they need for users. They are proactively managing O&M to minimize life cycle costs and are able to decide what to replace and how to fund it.

Learning Objectives: Assess system needs; Determine what makes sense for the system; Apply GIS/AM that makes sense for the system

W3-B - Operational Excellence: Mowing, Landscaping, and Maintenance Within America’s Largest MS4

Presenter: Derrik Mills

In late 2024, Pinellas County, Florida, home to nearly one million residents, was struck by two consecutive hurricanes that damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures. The county’s ability to launch a rapid and coordinated recovery demonstrated the strength of an innovative public-private partnership with consultants, including HR Green. This session presents a case study of how collaboration, adaptability, and a focus on citizen engagement can optimize implementing an effective post-disaster recovery effort, with lessons that can be applied nationwide.

Before the storms, Pinellas County had a solid foundation: a Level 2 Community Rating System designation, clear permitting processes for structures in a regulated floodplain, and an advanced digital information network. Yet these systems alone could not meet the scale of post-storm demands. To supplement staff capacity, the county embedded consultant professionals experienced in floodplain management and disaster recovery into key operations. These experts supported technical processes and citizen outreach, including staffing the county’s call center, where they addressed more than 5,000 inquiries on rebuilding, permitting, FEMA coordination, and insurance claims. Their presence ensured accurate information, faster service, and a calmer public response.

A hallmark of the effort was flexibility. County staff and consultants worked side-by-side to adjust procedures in real time based on operational feedback and resident input. This adaptability improved service delivery and built public trust. The joint team also strengthened consumer protection: enhanced permitting oversight and public information campaigns helped identify and stop more than 100 fraudulent contractors.

Key takeaways for other communities include scalable staffing models to handle surge demand, effective public communication strategies, and fraud prevention measures that accelerate recovery while supporting long-term resilience.

Learning Objectives: Acquire knowledge in disaster relief support for municipalities; Execute a complex communication system in response to a disaster; Identify how HR Green was able to operate a call center to provide the needed support in response to the disaster

Presenter: Brittany Hart

Effective leadership in Public Works isn’t just about policies or processes; it’s about investing in the people who make the work happen and in the community that relies on the department to manage all the behind-the-scenes (or under-the-ground) operations. This session explores how engaging with your team in the field, applying intentional soft skills, and leveraging emotional intelligence can transform team culture and public service.

Attendees will be inspired with practical strategies to build trust and connection with their teams: celebrating big and small wins, acknowledging contributions, and creating approachable communication avenues. This same mindset also extends outward: by listening, engaging, and responding thoughtfully to the community, leaders can ensure that public works initiatives enhance quality of life and demonstrate care for the people they serve.

Drawing from real-world examples, this session demonstrates how leaders who invest in people create stronger, more resilient teams, improve operational outcomes, and foster a culture of service and pride. Because ultimately, people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Learning Objectives: Identify strategies to demonstrate care, understanding and build trust with your team; Develop methods to celebrate success and reinforce a supportive team culture; Leadership practices that connect team well-being with community impact

Presenter: Joseph Zongol, Michael Richard, Tyler Cofelice

Public Works Departments nationwide face similar challenges: maintaining larger fleets, expanding services, and meeting higher performance expectations — often within outdated or undersized facilities. To address these issues, Weston & Sampson developed a six-step process for successfully planning, designing, and constructing modern public works facilities.

This presentation introduces that framework, beginning with methods to “give the project a life” by clearly defining the need and communicating value to both decision-makers and the public. It then outlines strategies for building consensus, establishing realistic budgets, and developing space programs that enhance safety, workflow, and efficiency. The session concludes with design and construction lessons that help ensure facilities meet operational and community goals.

Attendees will see this process in action through current projects — including the City of Cape Coral Fleet Maintenance Facility, which is moving from design into construction. This project showcases how thoughtful planning and collaboration can produce a facility that supports long-term growth, improves working conditions, and integrates resiliency features for Florida’s climate.

Whether upgrading an aging facility or planning a new public works campus, participants will leave with a practical roadmap for turning conceptual needs into built solutions that deliver measurable operational benefits.

Learning Objectives: Apply a six-step framework to plan and deliver modern public works facilities from concept through construction; Develop communication strategies that effectively demonstrate the need for a new or expanded facility and build public and stakeholder support; Identify design and operational considerations that improve efficiency, safety, and resiliency in public works facilities, with lessons from Florida-based case studies

Presenter: Mary Shoufan

The School District of Lee County (LCSD) faces a growing combination of climate-driven hazards that increasingly strain school facilities, threaten instructional continuity, and disrupt critical district operations. Hurricanes, storm surge, sea level rise, frequent flooding, extreme heat, and wildfire risk have each demonstrated the ability to damage buildings, interrupt learning, and endanger students and staff. In response, LCSD partnered with Weston & Sampson to develop a districtwide Vulnerability Assessment grounded in asset management principles, engineering rigor, and data-driven decision-making. This presentation will walk attendees through how the project’s structured methodology is strengthening long-range facility planning, improving resilience, and enhancing operational reliability across one of Florida’s largest school districts.

The project began with a formal initiation process that established a project management framework, clarified deliverables, and set up ongoing coordination through biweekly meetings with LCSD staff. The team then conducted an extensive hazard identification and exposure analysis to characterize the climate and environmental threats affecting each school. Using coastal surge models, sea level rise scenarios, probabilistic flood modeling, extreme heat mapping, wildfire fuel assessments, and environmental justice screening tools, the analysis quantified the exposure of each facility to current and future hazards. This multisource approach ensured that facility vulnerabilities were evaluated using the most accurate, location-specific data available.

A macro-scale evaluation was then conducted to rank all schools according to relative hazard exposure, structural sensitivity, operational risk, and community vulnerability. This countywide screening identified which facilities required deeper investigation and allowed the district to prioritize resources effectively. Detailed impact assessments followed, integrating existing conditions data, a new facility manager survey, review of building plans, and targeted site visits supported by mobile digital data collection tools. These school-level assessments examined structural integrity, roof conditions, HVAC performance, drainage deficiencies, utility locations, building age, and recurring issues from previous storms. Together, these steps connected environmental hazards with physical school vulnerabilities and operational challenges.

The final phases of the project focused on developing realistic mitigation measures and a practical Adaptation Plan tailored to LCSD’s needs. The team produced site-specific and districtwide recommendations such as structural retrofits to meet modern wind codes, drainage improvements, HVAC upgrades to manage extreme heat, floodproofing strategies, wildfire-resistant building practices, and relocation or elevation of critical utilities. Recommendations were prioritized based on urgency, safety, feasibility, cost, and long-term operational benefits. The Final Risk Assessment Report provided LCSD with a clear, defensible roadmap to guide capital planning, pursue funding opportunities, and integrate resilience criteria into future facility management practices.

This session provides a replicable model for school districts and public agencies seeking to embed climate resilience into asset management. Attendees will learn how a structured assessment approach can make facilities stronger, steadier, and more reliable in the face of increasing climate pressures.

Learning Objectives: Identify vulnerabilities in existing wastewater infrastructure; Create an action plan for hardening critical equipment; Utilize the action plan to harden critical equipment