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Legislative Track

Rural Track

8 – 8:45 am:  Session Halftime Check-in

We’ve reached halftime in the 2026 Florida Legislative Session and time to huddle up and review the playbook! This session will provide a comprehensive update on key bills moving through committees and hitting the floor, as well as a closer look at legislation APA Florida is actively monitoring. From high-impact proposals shaping planning and development to the much-anticipated glitch bills to SB 180, we’ll break down what’s in motion, what’s at stake, and what to watch as the second half of session unfolds. Join us for insights, strategies, and a chance to stay ahead of the legislative game.

8:45 – 10:45 am: Speak Up for Planning:

Mastering Conversations with Elected Officials

(Participants will be recorded.) Advocacy starts with effective communication and knowing how to connect with elected officials is key. This interactive session, tailored for a rural focus, will give you practical strategies to make your message resonate. Through hands-on exercises, role-playing scenarios, and real-world tips, you’ll learn how to approach meet-and-greets with confidence and clarity. Plus, you’ll receive a downloadable advocacy communications toolkit to keep the momentum going after the workshop. Our goal: to empower you to champion planning initiatives that matter to your community, while building strong, productive relationships with decision-makers that you can utilize during your Meet + Greet.

10:45 am – 12:30 pm: Wave One:

Legislative Meet + Greets

You’ve learned the strategies, now it’s time to use them! The Legislative Meet + Greets gives you the opportunity to connect directly with Florida legislators and staff and put your new communication skills into practice. APA Florida will provide talking points.

12:30 – 2:30 pm: Wave Two:

Legislative Meet + Greets

You’ve learned the strategies, now it’s time to use them! The Legislative Meet + Greets gives you the opportunity to connect directly with Florida legislators and staff and put your new communication skills into practice. APA Florida will provide talking points.

2:30 – 4 pm: Advocacy Debrief:

Lessons Learned & Next Steps

(Participants will be recorded.) After connecting with legislators, let’s come together to reflect and refine. This interactive debrief session is your chance to share what worked well, what challenges you faced, and how we can improve for future advocacy efforts. We’ll discuss key takeaways from the meet-and-greet, identify strategies to strengthen communication, and make adjustments to ensure even greater impact next time.

4 – 5 pm: A Conversation: Leveraging Rural Momentum

Rural Florida is gaining unprecedented momentum in the Legislature and local elected officials are uniquely positioned to benefit from it. Senate President Ben Albritton has made the Rural Renaissance initiative the flagship priority for the 2026 session, and the sweeping proposal (SB 250) has the potential to reshape the trajectory of rural communities across the state.

This “fireside chat” will provide local leaders an opportunity to explore how this moment can be used to advance their community’s needs and planners’ role in these changes. From expanded healthcare access and education incentives to major investments in infrastructure like roads, sewer, and broadband connectivity, the initiative is designed to fuel economic development and enhance quality of life.

For county commissioners and other elected local officials, this is a prime opportunity to advance goals by leveraging funding opportunities and partnerships so that communities benefit from this rare window of statewide focus on rural prosperity.

8 – Noon: Mobile Tour:  Reinventing Rural

Main Streets: Havana & Quincy in Action

Experience how the Main Street organizations in Havana and Quincy are leading bold transformations of their Rural Main Streets through the proven Four-Point Approach. These powerhouse Main Street groups work hand-in-hand with their CRAs and local city planners to spark arts-focused retail, creative placemaking, historic building rehabs, and targeted reinvestment that bring their downtowns to life.

This tour highlights how their collaborative model turns vision into action—giving rural communities practical, adaptable tools to energize public spaces, support small businesses, and reactivate treasured historic assets. Havana and Quincy showcase the momentum, creativity, and community pride that emerge when Main Street leaders, CRAs, and planners join forces to reinvent rural downtowns.

1 – 2 pm: $how Me the Money: Ca$hing in

on Grant Funding for Rural Communitie$

With their combined nearly 20 years of experience, our panel of speakers have been successful in securing nearly $1.5B worth of awarded grant funding for their communities. By providing well-crafted proposals that clearly outline a compelling need, a realistic and detailed project plan, and measurable goals, all tailored specifically to the funder’s priorities and guidelines. Their results speak for themselves.

This interactive, workshop style, session will have you engaged in the process and leave you with perhaps a few tricks up your sleeve you can take back to use in your communities.

2 – 3 pm: Fields of Dreams: Working Agricultural

Lands as Economic Engines & Cultural Assets

Working agricultural lands offer more than crops—they preserve open space, protect ecological systems, and maintain rural heritage while driving economic growth. This session explores how these landscapes enhance land value, support tourism, and serve as a conservation tool, balancing development pressures with long-term environmental and cultural benefits.

3 – 4 pm: Opportunity in Action: Rural

Areas Shaping Florida’s Tomorrow

An RAO is a rural community, or a region made up of rural communities, that has been adversely impacted by an extraordinary economic event, severe or chronic distress, or a natural disaster, or that offers a unique economic development opportunity with regional significance.

About This Session:Join us for an inside look at two of Florida’s three RAOs. Opportunity Florida serves 12 counties in Northwest Florida, while the North Florida Economic Development Partnership spans 15 counties across North Central Florida and the Big Bend. Within these regions lie vast resources and significant infrastructure ready for business use. Yet, since 2018, these areas have faced unprecedented environmental and economic challenges.

As the saying goes, “Problems are just opportunities in disguise.” With this mindset, RAOs are turning adversity into innovation—developing new solutions, fostering resilience, and driving success in Florida’s rural communities. Discover how these regions are leveraging challenges to create growth and opportunity.

4 – 5 pm: A Conversation: Leveraging Rural Momentum

Rural Florida is gaining unprecedented momentum in the Legislature and local elected officials are uniquely positioned to benefit from it. Senate President Ben Albritton has made the Rural Renaissance initiative the flagship priority for the 2026 session, and the sweeping proposal (SB 250) has the potential to reshape the trajectory of rural communities across the state.

This “fireside chat” will provide local leaders an opportunity to explore how this moment can be used to advance their community’s needs and planners’ role in these changes. From expanded healthcare access and education incentives to major investments in infrastructure like roads, sewer, and broadband connectivity, the initiative is designed to fuel economic development and enhance quality of life.

For county commissioners and other elected local officials, this is a prime opportunity to advance goals by leveraging funding opportunities and partnerships so that communities benefit from this rare window of statewide focus on rural prosperity.