Local officials lead Florida seacoast recovery conference

Local experts on seacoast ecology are leading state efforts to reconcile scheduled beach replenishment and the environment at the second Florida Resilience Conference, set for Sept. 27-29 in Fort Lauderdale. The conference brings together local, national and international experts to address issues with Florida’s beaches and waterways. One of the lead speakers is Michael Poff, a Lee County professional engineer. His work includes getting the Federal Emergency Management Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and dozens of other parties to sign off on regularly scheduled Lee County beach rebuilding efforts and at the same time, repair the damage from Hurricane Ian.  “They all have to agree on everything,” said Poff, who is who is president of Coastal Engineering Consultants. “It’s one less disturbance to the environment.”