Transportation and utility infrastructure in Florida continues to evolve on multiple fronts as technology, travel patterns, and resiliency planning influence how our infrastructure is designed, funded, and utilized. This panel gathers engineers, economic specialists, and planners to discuss how their work is evolving in the face of these changes.
Jannek is formally trained as a civil engineer, specializing in coastal engineering from the Technical University of Denmark. He has more than 21 years of experience in marine field investigations, hydrodynamics, linear and nonlinear wave dynamics, numerical modeling, coastal structure... Read More →
Cortney Cortez is Senior Economist of The Balmoral Group, an economic and engineering firm focused on public policy, socioeconomic impacts, and design within infrastructure, water resources, and the environment.
Friday July 24, 2026 8:30am - 10:10am EDT Calusa 4-5
This course provides an overview of the latest developments and best practices in tools available to non-federal entities to comply with the federal Endangered Species Act. Section 10 of the ESA allows for incidental take permits or enhancement of survival permits that provide durable, long-term regulatory assurances that are not available under the federal consultation process of ESA Section 7. These tools have been widely used across the country but less so in Florida. This course will provide a roadmap for how to consider these tools for your projects, lessons learned from successful plans, and pitfalls to avoid. The panel will also discuss how recent court decisions and regulatory changes may influence this key provision of the ESA. Highly relevant case studies will be provided from Florida, the eastern United States, and around the country.
Niki has over 20 years of experience managing protected species monitoring programs and coordinating/conducting field work in Florida. Her expertise is in sea turtle nesting beach management, shorebird/seabird conservation, and habitat conservation planning. Please ask Niki about... Read More →
Lead Wildlife Biologist, Permitting and Compliance, South Florida Water Management District
Holly Andreotta has over 20 years of experience overseeing permitting and compliance for multiple large-scale Everglades restoration projects at the South Florida Water Management District with an emphasis on managing, protecting, surveying, and monitoring of protected state and federal... Read More →
I lead ICF's large Practice in habitat conservation planning and implementation, including state and federal Endangered Species Act compliance for state and local governments, utilities, energy companies, and private developers. I oversee and lead large, complex biodiversity and habitat... Read More →
Manager, Division of Environmental review, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Jose started his Federal career as a student Park Ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) at Saylorville Lake, in Johnston, Iowa in 1998. After a few years working in recreation, interpretation, water safety and natural resource management, he headed South to Florida... Read More →
Brian advises clients on matters that arise under the Clean Water Act (CWA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental statutes. He assists applicants in obtaining and defending federal permits for complicated energy and development... Read More →
Friday July 24, 2026 10:30am - 12:10pm EDT Calusa 4-5
