Leading Without a Title: A Leadership Experiment

Tuesday, Oct. 13
9 – 11 AM
AICP CM credits:  xx
Capacity: 50 people

Registration: You must pre-registser for this workshop when you register for the conference. Select Workshop: Leading Without a Title under Add Ons when registering.  No walk-ins will be accommodated.

Many planners associate leadership with title or authority, yet leadership behaviors are practiced at every career stage. This interactive workshop helps participants recognize how they already lead, identify emotional triggers that affect decision-making, and intentionally choose leadership behaviors aligned with their values.

Using a professionally designed workbook and guided facilitation, participants will reflect individually, identify patterns through small-group discussion, and apply the PAUSE framework to respond more effectively in challenging situations. The session concludes with participants designing a realistic leadership experiment they can test in their current role, supported by take-home resources that extend learning beyond the session.

SPEAKERS:

• Jahaira Beltran, AICP, Graduate Student, University of South Florida
• Justin Hannah, AICP, Reynolds, Smith & Hills (RSH)
• Varshini Renikunta, Osiris 9 Consulting
• Jarrell Smith, AICP, VHB
• Kelsey Olinger, AICP, Patel, Greene & Associates

Building Compassion, Connections, and Credibility

Tuesday, Oct. 13
11:30 am – 1:30 pm 
Cost: FREE
AICP CM credits:  xx

Hard conversations are a big part of planning, but most of us were never trained on how to manage them. This interactive workshop builds the human skills behind effective engagement: grounding yourself under pressure, validating lived experience without centering your own reaction, and moving from tension to shared understanding. Through guided reflection and structured practice, participants will strengthen their ability to lead conversations with compassion and will gain practical tools they can apply immediately to build trust, defuse conflict, and continue to move the work forward.

SPEAKERS:

• Lauren O’Neill, AICP, City of Tampa
• Michelle Auriana Simmons, MAS COMM, INC
• Lori Cox, AICP, Osceola County
• Jason Gonzalez, Conscious Community Connectors
•  Fatima Elkott, Conscious Community Connectors

From Planning to Action: Building Livable Communities for Every Age

Tuesday, Oct. 13
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Cost: FREE
Maximum: 125 persons
AICP CM credits:  xx

Explore how communities can pair data, research, resident voice, and practical implementation support to create tangible change for residents of all ages.

Examine Florida examples where age-friendly and livable communities work is informing and leading implementation, resulting in safer streets, more functional public spaces, expanded housing choice, improved access to services, and planning approaches that recognize the needs of residents at every age.

Reflect on lessons learned from the 10-year anniversaries of both the AARP Community Challenge and AARP Livability Index and their role in supporting community-driven change.

Discuss how local projects can serve as catalysts for long-term planning and help inform infrastructure, housing, transportation, public engagement, resilience, policy, and advocacy efforts.

Engage with the topic through three components:

• Presentation by AARP Florida on demographic trends, research, planning tools, and policy considerations.
• Panel discussion featuring Florida livable communities and age-friendly practitioners.
• Facilitated attendee discussion focused on identifying local strengths, opportunities, and practical applications.

Wild by Design: Planning for the Florida Wildlife Corridor

Tuesday, Oct. 13
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Cost: FREE
Maximum: 100 persons
AICP CM credits:  xx

Florida’s rapid growth demands planning solutions that protect ecological connectivity while enhancing community resilience and access to nature. Wild by Design: Planning for the Florida Wildlife Corridor moves from the landscape scale down to the parcel, equipping planners with practical tools they can apply when advising public and private clients: designing at the site scale for wildlife, planning cost-effective wildlife crossings where roads bisect the Corridor, expanding equitable trail and outdoor access amid development, and using Payment for Ecosystem Services to make conservation an economic option. The session opens with a landscape overview from the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation — including the Mind the Gaps method and the successes it has produced — and closes at the site scale, with a facilitated discussion on putting the tools to work in participants’ own communities.

Learning outcomes

1. Recognize that site selection is the paramount first step in planning for connectivity, and use the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s Mind the Gaps method — and the successes it has produced in host communities — to identify and prioritize where action matters most.
2. Once priority sites are identified, apply site-scale design strategies — layout, preserve placement, littoral and habitat plantings — to make development compatible with wildlife movement and reduce conflict between the built environment and ecological systems.
3. Assess how cost-reducing strategies for wildlife crossings can make crossing features a viable, plannable option when advising on local road and development projects within the Corridor.
4. Evaluate principles for equitable trail and outdoor access planning that balance environmental protection with community recreation needs in contexts of rapid growth and development.
5. Explain the concept of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and how emerging PES pilot programs can be used by planners and their clients to integrate ecosystem valuation into development and conservation decisions.
6. Integrate the day’s tools in a facilitated, applied discussion — putting site selection, site design, crossings, access, and incentives to work on a planning challenge in the participant’s own community.

SPEAKERS:

• Meredith Budd, Live Wildly Foundation
• Allyn Childress, AICP, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
• Dylan Rigsby,  Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
• Jeremy Sterk, CEP, Earth Tech Environmental LLC
• Tia Norman, PRIME AE
• Erica Hernandez, Trust for Public Land
• Laila Racevskis, Ph.D., The Balmoral Group

Building the Record: Rules, Language, and Evidence in Quasi-Judicial Hearings

Tuesday, Oct. 13
11:30 am – 3:30 pm
Cost: FREE
Maximum: 100 persons
AICP CM credits:  xx

This four-hour interactive workshop provides a practical examination of the legal and procedural framework governing quasi-judicial hearings. Participants will explore applicable statutory requirements, evidentiary standards, hearing procedures, and the roles and responsibilities of staff, decision-makers, applicants, and the public. The workshop will also address how local codes can be reviewed and revised to establish clearer procedures, promote due process, support consistent decision-making, and create a legally defensible record. Through discussion and practical examples, participants will gain tools for preparing for, conducting, and documenting fair and effective quasi-judicial hearings.

SPEAKERS:

• Latilda Hughes-Neel, AICP
• Melissa I. Ward, AICP
• Allara Mills-Gutcher, AICP
• Brooke J. Davis, Attorney
• Denise Rowan, Attorney

Advancing Safe Streets: A Practitioner’s Guide to Corridor Design and Safety Countermeasures

Tuesday, Oct. 13
1:45 – 3:45 pm
Cost: FREE
Maximum: 125 persons
AICP CM credits:  xx

This hands-on workshop is designed for transportation practitioners seeking to apply the Broward Safe Streets Design Guidance Manual, developed to support the vision of eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes. Led by experienced transportation design professionals, the workshop provides practical, step-by-step guidance through the five-stage process of identifying safe street design criteria for a corridor, evaluating appropriate safety countermeasures, and developing context-sensitive design solutions that improve safety outcomes.

Participants will gain direct experience using the Manual’s comprehensive toolkit, which includes more than 40 proven safety countermeasures applicable to a wide range of urban street environments. Grounded in the Safe System Approach, the workshop equips practitioners with the knowledge and resources needed to implement safer street designs that advance community priorities, including enhanced livability, long-term economic vitality, and reduced societal and financial costs associated with traffic crashes. By translating policy into practice, this workshop empowers agencies and practitioners to confidently deliver safer, more resilient transportation infrastructure.

SPEAKERS:

• James Cromar, Broward MPO, Deputy Executive Director
• Fazal Qureshi, Broward MPO, Senior Engineer
• Christine Fanchi, WSP, Senior Transportation Plangineer

Leadership in Motion: Decisions Under Constraints

Tuesday, Oct. 13
1:45 – 3:45 pm
Cost: FREE
Maximum: 50 persons
AICP CM credits: xx

Registration: You must pre-registser for this workshop when you register for the conference. Select Workshop: Leadership in Motion under Add Ons when registering.  No walk-ins will be accommodated.

This interactive workshop focuses on leadership as real-time decision-making and influence when authority is limited and conditions are changing. Participants work through realistic planning scenarios to examine constraints, tradeoffs, and momentum, using guided exercises and a professional workbook. Public-sector leaders and a private-sector firm owner each lead defined portions of the session, offering practical perspectives on how decisions move forward in complex environments.

The session emphasizes action over discussion, helping participants practice decision logic, influence strategies, and next-step thinking they can apply immediately in their current role.

SPEAKERS:

• Kyle Dost, AICP, Univeristy of Florida
• Nicole Dufva, AICP, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)
• Lara Bouck, AICP, PE, MetroPlan Orlando
• Uma Sarmistha, Ph.D., FRA-RA, Univeristy of Florida

Home Matters: Understanding Affordable Housing and Homelessness in Florida’s Communities

Tuesday, Oct. 13
1:45 – 3:45 pm
AICP CM credits:  xx

Florida’s housing crisis is reshaping communities across the state — straining infrastructure, limiting workforce capacity, and challenging the core planning principle that communities should work for everyone. This session examines the root causes of housing unaffordability and homelessness, explores evidence-based policy and land use strategies that planners can champion, and highlights real-world models from Florida communities navigating these pressures. Attendees will leave with a stronger framework for integrating housing equity into comprehensive plans, zoning codes, and community partnerships. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or newer to housing policy, this session offers actionable insight for every level of practice.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): Theory, Principles, & Case Study

Tuesday, Oct. 13
4 – 6 pm
AICP CM credits:  xx

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) examines how the built environment can be intentionally designed to reduce crime, enhance safety, and improve quality of life. This course introduces core CPTED principles—natural surveillance, access control, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance—and explores how these strategies shape human behavior and perceptions of safety in residential settings.

Using the multi-million-dollar redevelopment of Dunbar Village as a case study, participants will address real-world design challenges, assess environmental risks, and develop practical, equity-focused solutions.

By the end, participants will gain actionable tools to transform design decisions into proactive strategies for safer, thriving communities.

SPEAKERS:

• Leon Lipsick, FCP, Florida Design Out Crime Association
• Carlos Austin, FCP/FCPP, Florida Design Out Crime Association

Placekeeping as Practice in Changing Communities

Tuesday, Oct. 13
4 – 6 pm
AICP CM credits:  xx

Planners shape what gets built, but we also shape what gets remembered and what gets erased. Placekeeping is a framework that focuses on protecting culture, memory, and local identity alongside growth.

This workshop focuses on placekeeping as a practical planning approach, showcasing historic preservation, cultural activation, and stewardship strategies across volunteer, academic, and municipal contexts. Participants will then move beyond inspiration into action, working through how to develop tangible placekeeping actions they can integrate into their own work regardless of budget or authority.

SPEAKERS:

• Megan McLaughlin, AICP, Plusurbia Design
• Desiree’ Powell, CNU-A, DRBTS/Do Right By The Streets
• Dr. Rebecca Friedman, Public Humanities Lab at Florida International University
• Dr. Aarti Mehta-Kroll, Public Humanities Lab at Florida International University
• Fatima Elkott, Conscious Community Connectors

From No to Know: Code Clarity

Tuesday, Oct. 13
4 – 6 pm
AICP CM credits:  xx

Planning departments are often caught between rigid codes and ambitious development goals. This session introduces a solution-focused framework to help planners guide developers toward their desired outcomes; without compromising adopted regulations or public trust. Drawing from A Solution-Focused Culture, participants will explore practical communication tools, leadership techniques, and collaborative strategies that move conversations from “no” to “how.” Through real-world examples and interactive exercises, planners will learn how to, reduce conflict, increase transparency, and build stronger working relationships.

SPEAKERS:

• Jessica Leavins, MS, City of Crestview
• Tom Bolduc, CPM, SFC Enterprises

Planning Without a Script: Public Speaking and Engagement Workshop

Tuesday, Oct. 13
4 – 6 pm
Maximum: 50 people
Cost: $20
AICP CM credits:  xx

Registration: You must pre-registser for this workshop when you register for the conference. Select Workshop: Planning Without a Script under Add Ons when registering.  No walk-ins will be accommodated.

This interactive workshop uses improv-based techniques to strengthen planners’ communication and collaboration in public engagement processes. Participants will explore storytelling, active listening, thinking on their feet, and responding effectively in high-stakes public settings. Through icebreakers, warm-ups, and group exercises, attendees will build confidence, adaptability, and presence—essential skills for meaningful public engagement and leadership in today’s planning environment. Attendees leave with concrete tools they can immediately apply in community meetings, stakeholder interviews, and contentious planning discussions.