Engineering Florida - Spring 2023

Resiliency After Hurricane Ian

What is Hotter?

THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET OR THE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY THAT POWERS IT?

Measuring What Matters: HOW THE ENVISION FRAMEWORK IS CHANGING INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

SPRING 2023 ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 1

Everyday Extraordinary Our members represent the engineers and firms that design and build Florida. We take pride in supporting the everday and extraordinary efforts that impact the lives of every Floridian.

2 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

SANIBEL CAUSEWAY SANIBEL, FL The Sanibel Causeway spans San Carlos Bay, connecting Sanibel Island with the Florida mainland in Punta Rassa. Hurricane Ian caused significant damage on Sept. 28, 2022, but the causeway reopened on Oct. 19, 2022.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 3

Introducing Engineering Florida

T

o borrow a quote from Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” It sounds simple but when you really think about what the words mean, you get a look at the future of our organization.

Florida Engineering Society members may recall a publication called the Journal. Most importantly, many may not remember too much about the publication because it became smaller over the years. And it sometimes gave information that was not consistent between engineering professionals.

Having a unified voice when informing the public, and perhaps more importantly informing Legislative leadership in Tallahassee, can have profound consequences. This happened recently with our assembly of the Surfside Working Group, which brought together engineers and building industry professionals from Florida Engineering Society (FES), American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Building Officials Association of Florida (BOAF) and International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI).

This group worked through their differences and agreed on steps the building industry in Florida needed to take to prevent another collapse such as what occurred with the Champlain Towers in 2021.

The work group’s consensus recommendations from “the Florida Building Professionals” became the basis for Florida’s Condo Inspection passed in 2022.

Communication is critical not only to the legislative process, but to make the public aware of the contributions of engineers and the issues we face daily throughout the state. Most engineering associations have public advocacy as one of their top goals, and it’s a goal that each organization mostly approaches in their own unique ways. This no longer has to be the case and is why we are pleased and excited to introduce this inaugural issue of Engineering Florida – the new and improved official publication of Florida’s engineering community!

One of the most noticeable aspects of Engineering Florida is our mutual and joint approach to gathering, sorting and sharing information statewide

04 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

for Florida’s multi-faceted engineering industry.

Engineering Florida is a new quarterly publication by the Florida Engineering Society (FES), the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida), the American Society of Civil Engineers Florida (ASCE), the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE), the Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA), and the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). The magazine will provide engaging, non-technical content that is of interest to engineers, legislators, and industry officials alike.

Engineering Florida is designed to amplify Florida’s engineering voices by keeping the engineering community informed of changes to state regulations; continuing education; legislative issues; technological advances within the industry; and the positive contributions engineers make to every aspect of life in the state of Florida.

By keeping you informed with a unity in our voice, Engineering Florida simultaneously informs the public and those at a Legislative level charged with using our knowledge and skills for the betterment of their constituents. By keeping the information in Engineering Florida in an engaging and not-too-technical format, we are making news about our engineering community palatable to a much wider audience.

Please make this resource a way for professional engineers to come together, stay together, and work together for success!

This publication is designed to: Amplify Florida’s engineering voices Provide updates on state regulations, education, and legislation Discuss technological advances

Educate the public about the engineering community in Florida Celebrate the many positive contributions engineers make to the state of Florida

Kelly Cranford

Scott Martin

FES President

ACEC Florida President

P.E., Env. SP

P.E., LEED AP, DBIA

Contents Table of

28

Cover Story:

RACING TO RESTORE ISLAND ACCESS

MIAMI DADE:

RESILIENCY PLANNING FOR WATERFRONT PARKS

12

HOW FLORIDA'S COASTAL COMMUNITIES

BATTLE RISING TIDES

MARKET SPOTLIGHT: SARASOTA

RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS PAY OFF

18

24 34 40

TECH FOCUS: SMART PONDS HELP SOME

FLORIDA COMMUNITIES THWART FLOODING

WHAT IS HOTTER?

THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET OR THE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY THAT POWERS IT?

46

MEASURING WHAT MATTERS:

HOW THE ENVISION FRAMEWORK IS CHANGING INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 05

Editorial Board Katie Batill-Bigler, CPSM Patel, Greene & Associates | SMPS Stacey Butler, Marketing Specialist FES | ACEC Florida David Cowan, Jr, PE, ENV SP Chen Moore and Associates | FES Kelly Cranford, PE, ENV SP Culpepper & Terpening | FES President Charles W. Davis, Jr, Ph.D. Professor, Valencia College | FES Allen Douglas, Executive Director FES | ACEC Florida Sunserea Gates, PE VHB | ASHE Carmelo Giglio, PE, SI, CGC, CSI-CDT

Editor-in-Chief Stacey Butler

United Professional Engineering | FSEA

Managing Editor Joe VanHoose

Scott Martin, PE, LEED AP

Layout Editor Claire Jordan Creative Direction Hannah Groseclose Contributors Thomas Ehlers Lindsey Ranayhossaini Johnathan McGinty Ad Director Meghan Shiner

Andy Lauzier, PE HDR | ACEC Florida Walter P. Moore | ACEC Florida President Jennifer Nix McGerald, CPSM RS&H | ACEC Florida Edie Ousley, President Yellow Finch Strategies Cherie Pinsky, Chief Operating Officer FES | ACEC Florida Adam Schildmeier, PE WGI | FES Ann Schiola, CPSM CIP-II RS&H | ACEC Florida Meghan Shiner, Communications Coordinator FES | ACEC Florida Jignesh Vyas, PE Parsons Corporation | ASCE

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

2023 Professional Engineers Day at the Capitol

BY ALLEN DOUGLAS

M

ore than 130 members of the Florida Engineering Society (FES) and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida) gathered at the Florida Capitol on March 22, as a part of Professional Engineers Days, to meet with state lawmakers as they consider legislation that directly impacts the state’s engineering industry.

The group included 40 members of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI) Class of 2023. FELI is a leadership program created to transition engineering professionals into community professionals and leaders within our societies, communities and workplaces. The program consists of six sessions held in key cities throughout Florida, and the third session coincided with Professional Engineers Legislative Days in Tallahassee.

Joined by 20 PEs in training from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the FES and ACEC Florida members attended more than 60 meetings with legislators and legislative staff to discuss issues ranging from transportation and water resources to structural and the recent attempt to exempt public universities from the Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA).

The language exempting the state’s universities was introduced the day before as part of the Senate’s budget package, meaning the language could become law without being heard in a single committee in the House of Representatives.

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Florida Senator Jennifer Bradley (R-6) spoke to FES and ACEC Florida members as a part of Professional Engineers Legislative Days in Tallahassee.

Members also examined fully funding FDOT’s Moving Florida Forward program, authorizing FDOT to utilize Phased DesignBuild as a method of procurement, and changes to last year’s legislation requiring milestone inspections of condominium buildings, all supported by FES and ACEC Florida.

Additional topics members discussed with legislators and their staff included a possible attempt to ratify a proposed Florida Department of Environmental Protection rule requiring unreasonable reductions in stormwater nutrients and the increase of statutory limits on liability for tort claims against state and local government agencies from $300,000 to $5 million.

The day concluded with an evening reception in the Old Capitol Museum, with many Florida House and Senate legislators attending, followed by a social hosted by the FES Big Bend Chapter at Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille.

This annual event is a vital component of the FES and ACEC Florida legislative program, and the leadership and staff of both organizations sincerely appreciate the efforts of those members who participated this year.

Left: Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo

Right: Florida Engineering Society (FES) and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida) gather for Professional Engineers Days Below: FELI Class of 2023 on the steps of the Historic Florida Capitol

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 09

EDUCATION UPDATE

The Road to Becoming a Licensed Florida Professional Engineer Evolves

BY ZANA RAYBON

T

After providing an overview of the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE), which is the regulatory body appointed to oversee the practice of engineering, and FEMC, which is the nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation created in 1998 a private-public partnership with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, we provide information on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

he Florida Engineers Management Corporation (FEMC) frequently speaks to university students about the process of becoming a professional engineer and why it is crucial for their careers. Florida has 17 universities with engineering programs accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission.

That means we can stay busy visiting many of the schools to discuss licensure with engineering students.

We generally start our presentation by informing students of the advantages of becoming a licensed engineer and how certain titles or designations such as Professional Engineer (PE) are protected by section 471.013, Fla. Stat. We let them know that simply earning an engineering degree does not grant authority to sign and seal design documents or to qualify an engineering company.

To gain professional licensure as an engineer, an applicant must:

1.

HAVE A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING DEGREE FROM AN EAC- OR ABET-ACCREDITED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

OR

NCEES is a non-profit organization that develops, administers and scores the exams required for licensure in every U.S. state or territory. In addition to advancing licensure through exam development and establishing model laws and rules for the engineering profession, NCEES also provides a variety of services for licensed engineers and surveyors, including a centralized repository for licenses and credential evaluations for those seeking licensure who have a non-ABET degree.

HAVE A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEGREE FROM AN ETAC- OR ABETACCREDITED AND BOARD APPROVED UNIVERSITY

See Section 471.013(1)(a), Florida Statutes and Rules 61G15-20.007 or 61G15-20.008, Florida Administrative Code

2.

3.

SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE BOTH THE NCEES FUNDAMENTALS EXAMINATION (FE) AND THE NCEES PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE EXAMINATION (PE) ATTAIN FOUR YEARS OF FULL-TIME PROGRESSIVE ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE VERIFIED BY LICENSED ENGINEERS (for applicants with a Bachelor of Science in engineering degree from an EAC/ABET accredited college or university)

4.

HAVE THREE PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING REFERENCES PROVIDED BY CURRENT AND ACTIVE U.S. LICENSED ENGINEERS

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OR

ATTAIN SIX YEARS OF FULL-TIME PROGRESSIVE ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE VERIFIED BY LICENSED (for applicants with a Bachelor of Science in engineering technology degree from an ETAC/ABET and Board approved university or accredited college or university) See Chapter 61G15-20.002, Florida Administrative Code

5.

HAVE A U.S. SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD

One thing that has changed drastically in the past few years is the application process for obtaining a PE license. Prior to 2019, applicants were required to complete their education, pass the FE exam, and complete four years of experience before being approved to sit for the PE exam. No one with a technology degree was approved for licensure.

However, after recent statute changes, the requirements for engineering experience were separated or “decoupled” from the approval process for examination, allowing candidates to take the PE exam early. Candidates for licensure are now allowed to register for both the FE exam and PE exam directly with NCEES without applying to FBPE first. Additionally, applicants with an accredited B.S. in engineering technology can now become licensed, with two additional years of experience.

Once an applicant for licensure has graduated, passed both exams and completed four (or six) years of experience under the supervision of a PE, they can apply for a PE license. FEMC encourages applicants for licensure to consider creating an NCEES Record at ncees.org to streamline the licensure process. Once your NCEES Record is established, you may then have NCEES electronically transmit your Record to Florida, or to other states, to complete the PE licensure process. The Record is especially helpful to those seeking licensure in multiple states.

Overall, the licensure landcape is a very different world from just 20 years ago.

Some of the recent changes make for a more efficient process for potential licensees. It alleviates the timing issues when students graduate and then complete their required experience. Also, now that all NCEES exams are computer-based, applicants can schedule exams on demand at Pearson Vue Centers. This means they don’t have to wait six months for another exam administration. They also get their exam results in about one week.

Overall, the licensure landscape is a very different world from just 20 years ago when all exams were pencil-and-paper and waiting for exam results might take two months. Students today can reap the benefits of early examination and quick turn-around on exam results.

ZANA RAYBON Zana Raybon serves as the President of the Florida Engineers Management Corporation and as the Executive Director for the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. Zana started with FBPE in 2008 as the Assistant Director and has been involved in promoting professional licensure for the Board for 15 years. She also actively participates on task forces and committees for NCEES, the national council that develop the engineering examinations and promotes the engineering profession. She is a graduate of FSU with a B.S. degree in political science and also holds an A.S. degree in Legal Studies, having previously worked as a paralegal for over 12 years.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 11

RESILIENCY PROFILE: MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Resiliency Planning for Waterfront Parks

BY CATHERINE OLNICK

I

n early 2017, the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation & Open Spaces Department initiated resiliency planning of their waterfront parks. High tides and sea level rise were becoming a real threat and also impacting daily operations.

The need for resiliency planning was further emphasized by the impacts of Hurricane Irma later that year, which caused damage throughout Miami. Many of the parks include trails through mangroves, beaches, marinas, boat launches and waterside dining, and are also popular areas for kiteboarding, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Fronting the coastlines of Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean means these parks are relatively low lying, which results in flooding to some areas during high tide events. In addition to the negative impact on the visitor experience, flooding has financial impacts, as revenue generating components are impacted operationally and physically. If improvements were not implemented, parts of the parks – or even entire parks – would likely be unusable during a large portion of the year within the next 20 years.

As impacts from flood-related issues started receiving more attention, Miami-Dade County Parks relied on Cummins Cederberg, a leading South Florida based coastal and marine engineering firm, to recommend solutions. A study of the conditions was conducted relative to developing flood mitigation concepts and a longterm roadmap to limit impacts of sea level rise on seven of the County’s waterfront parks, totaling more than 2,000 acres.

12 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

“Our approach is unique and specific to protecting infrastructure assets in pragmatic and cost-effective manner,” said Cummins Cederberg Principal Jannek Cederberg. “By combining sea level rise projections, practical concepts and on-the-ground implementation experience with maintenance and replacement requirements relative to overall service life, we gave the county a clear roadmap relative to planning infrastructure improvements in the park until 2100.”

BUILDING A ROADMAP TO FLOOD MITIGATION Incorporating flood mitigation measures can be costly if performed in an untimely manner or on an emergency basis. Additional costs of adapting to storm surge and sea level rise could be significantly reduced if incorporated incrementally into periodic maintenance or capital improvement events.

Many components are interrelated but might be earmarked for upgrades individually, which makes considering future improvements of related elements important. For this to occur, proper planning of improvements relative to water levels is required.

An assessment of existing infrastructure and environmental resources was conducted on all seven parks to understand and document current conditions. The condition of any existing infrastructure is important to determine remaining service life and potential repair options, as well as the feasibility for adaption relative to increased water levels.

In this case, Miami-Dade County parks lie within pristine natural areas, surrounded by environmental resources including mangrove forests and seagrass beds, which may provide constraints relative to potential flood mitigation concepts.

TIDAL VALUES AND SEA LEVEL RISE Published tidal elevations are average values and are exceeded on a frequent basis. The predictions of tidal water levels show a periodically seasonal high-water level during a certain time of the year, popularly referred to as “king tides.” King tides cause flooding in inland, low-lying areas or when heavy rainfall events occur, as the drainage efficiency is decreased due to the elevated water levels.

An evaluation of typical and extreme tidal water levels was conducted to understand peak tidal levels and exceedance probability. The local tidal range in Miami is approximately 2.0 to 2.5 feet, depending on the time of the year. In addition to variations in the tidal levels, there is also variation between the predicted and the observed water level values because of wind, temperature, pressure and other factors, which can result in differences of up to 1.5 feet at each area.

The adopted sea level rise projections at the time forecasted an increase of 1.2 feet by 2050 and 4.4 feet in 2100 as compared to now. In 2050, these parks would see frequent flooding, and by 2100, entire parks would be flooded most of the time.

To further evaluate areas of flooding, a flood inundation analysis was performed to determine what areas are flooded at various increasing water levels, as well as the sequence of the flooding to identify critical areas that serve as access for other areas of the park. Topographic LiDAR data was compiled and processed in order to develop a detailed three-dimensional contour map of the project area.

The flood inundation modeling showed that, over time, new areas of the parks will be inundated if improvements are not implemented. By 2100, the model found entire parks will be flooded except for small portions due to regular Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) conditions. During extreme tide conditions and storm surge entire parks could be completely flooded.

MATHESON HAMMOCK PARK MIAMI-DADE, FL Construction on the boat ramps at Matheson Hammock Park is underway to improve access by elevating the parking lot, adding a retaining wall and elevated boardwalks.

Photo by Cummins Cederberg

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MIAMI-DADE, FL A flooded beach and roadway during a high tide event deters visitors and reduces revenue for on-site businesses.

Photos by Cummins Cederberg

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FLOOD MITIGATION SCHEDULE AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Based on the condition assessment, sea level rise projection and inundation modeling, flood mitigation concepts were developed. The urgency of implementation was determined based on remaining service life and current flood exposure.

An implementation schedule was developed based on resiliency and service life, marine resource impacts, environmental permit feasibility, maintenance requirements and potential phasing.

The implementation schedule provides information relative to when replacement of a component is required based on the service and the recommended design elevation at each replacement stage.

RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE Today, Miami-Dade County is well into the design, permitting and construction of Cummins Cederberg’s recommended implementation schedule, including upgrades to parking lots, boardwalks, shoreline stabilization, and improvements to boat launches.

Identifying the need to incorporate solutions against storm surge and flooding is the first step of an actionable plan. More importantly is the implementation schedule.

Proper planning and implementation scheduling, combined with routine maintenance on infrastructure projects, will build cost-effective resilient futures for waterfront facilities.

“Not only does this allow for planning individual components relative to each other, but it provides recommended elevations for adjacent components so proper transition can be planned and clearly depict when new projects should be implemented so our financial budgets can be prepared accordingly,” said Joe Cornely, assistant director for Miami-Dade County Parks.

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ACEC

Florida

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES of Florida

BRINGING THE EXTRAORDINARY TO THE EVERYDAY LIVES OF FLORIDIANS

Who is ACEC Florida?

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida) was established in 1973 to represent, promote and advocate for all engineering firms and disciplines in the State of Florida. As an affiliate of the national American Council of Engineering Companies and the Florida Engineering Society, we work to show how doing business with other ACEC Florida firms supports better business practices in Florida.

OUR VISION ACEC Florida is the voice of engineering in the Sunshine State. We bring together more than 300 leading engineering companies, representing over 20,000 employees, who are working to bring the extraordinary to the everyday lives of Floridians.

WHAT WE DO ACEC Florida strengthens the business of engineering for our members through advocacy, political action, education, and growth opportunities.

We work with the engineering community to deliver innovative projects, promote public policy, create jobs, and enhance Floridians' quality of life.

WHO WE REPRESENT We are the engineers and firms that build Florida.

ACEC Florida brings together a diverse group of engineering leaders that impact the lives of every Floridian – from the roads you drive on, the buildings you work in, the energy that fuels your home, and even the water you drink. Our members represent, promote and advocate for all engineering disciplines in Florida.

Our members are focused on making Florida more resilient through robust infrastructure that keeps Floridians safe while also preparing for our fast-growing population and Mother Nature.

2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCES:

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Why Firms Join ACEC

Enriching careers and professional growth through networking, educational opportunities, and resources are the competitive edge ACEC Florida provides its members. As Florida continues to grow, engineering will clear the path forward.

ADVOCACY ACEC Florida is the leading advocate for Florida's engineering community and is working hard to pursue the industry's interest in Tallahassee. State and federal laws and regulations impact day-today firm operations, and the future of engineering is affected by decisions made by elected officials.

To promote and defend the professional interests of all engineers, ACEC Florida maintains a strong and effective voice in the Legislature. Our mission to promote engineering is made more vital every legislative session by our members' commitment to personally visit lawmakers in their communities and at the Florida Capitol.

EDUCATION Technology changes at the speed of life. To remain competitive and on the cutting edge, engineering professionals understand it is essential to keep learning. ACEC Florida provides the state's engineering community with access to knowledge through continuing education opportunities. As an approved provider of these types of programs for engineers in Florida, participants earn professional development hour (PDH) credits. Our robust line-up of programs meets Florida's professional licensure requirements, and ACEC Florida members receive discounted registration rates and access to members-only programming.

Why it Matters

With nearly 1,000 people moving to Florida every day, preparing our state's infrastructure for smart growth and development is essential. Our members are focused on making Florida more resilient through robust infrastructure that keeps Floridians safe while also preparing for our fast-growing population and Mother Nature. Making our built environments more resilient to our changing planet continues to gain momentum with owners and governments worldwide. Floridians are often reminded of our need to do better in the wake of deadly storms like Ian that cause widespread destruction, not just in building codes but in infrastructure planning all over the state.

With that purpose in mind, leaders from ACEC of Florida recently met with Florida's Chief Resilience Officer, Dr. Wesley Brooks, to discuss ways in which ACEC Florida's committees on Environmental and Water Resources, Energy, Transportation, and Vertical Support can aid the state's mission of crafting and implementing plans for a better and more resilient Florida.

EVENTS AND AWARDS ACEC Florida sponsors many statewide conferences to provide professional engineers opportunities to network with peers in communities across Florida.

We host several award ceremonies throughout the year to recognize industry excellence, such as the Engineering Excellence Awards and the Outstanding Project Awards.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 17

How Florida’s Coastal Communities Battle Rising Tides

BY THOMAS EHLERS

R

ising sea levels are no stranger to Broward County. Jennifer Jurado knows that from experience.

Jurado began working with the county 20 years ago, fresh out of the University of Miami’s marine biology doctoral program. She’s held a variety of roles through the years in the water resources, natural resources and resiliency areas, now working as the chief resilience officer and deputy director of the Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department.

“I started with the county in 2003, and one of my responsibilities was staffing our water advisory board,” she said.

“Through the work with the water advisory board and the water resources division, we were working on issues of sea level rise in the early 2000s. It really focused on how sea level rise was affecting water supplies… We appreciated that given the hydrology of the area, we were bound to see some significant impacts."

18 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

LAS OLAS BOULEVARD FORT LAUDERDALE, FL Photos provided by the Broward County Resilient Environment Department.

Without additional

risk-reduction

measures, U.S. coastal infrastructure, communities, and ecosystems will face significant consequences.

A Rising Problem

The phenomenon of sea level rise often gets press time during climate change discussions or when storm surge from hurricanes is worse than past cyclones. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts in its 2022 study that the US East Coast could see 10-14 inches of sea level rise in the next three decades, while the Gulf coast could see 14 to 18.

A few hundred miles away from Broward County, officials on the other side of the state are facing similar problems.

“The Tampa Bay region faces a range of problems from flooding, which can be exacerbated by factors such as heavy rainfall, sea level rise, and storm surge,” said Sarah Vitale, a senior planner and principal urban designer with Resilient Ready Tampa Bay. “Inland basins, estuaries, bay fronts and coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to flooding due to sea level rise because they are low-lying and often surrounded by dense populations.”

The topography of Florida doesn’t help itself either.

Much of the state sits on porous limestone, which

A1A, HILLSBORO BEACH

allows saltwater to either seep through holes or under barriers into the groundwater and raise water levels. When waters come, outdated drainage systems or poorly-functioning devices can’t handle the stress.

The 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report, a publication by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other government agencies along with Rutgers University and Florida International University, painted a rather bleak picture for the future. One key takeaway from the report: By 2050, the expected relative sea level (RSL) will cause tide and storm surge heights to increase and will lead to a shift in U.S. coastal flood regimes, with major and moderate high tide flood events occurring as frequently as moderate and minor high tide flood events occur today. Without additional risk-reduction measures, U.S. coastal infrastructure, communities, and ecosystems will face significant consequences.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 19

Florida Responds

Several Florida communities are taking steps to combat this rise in sea level. SeaLevelRise.org, a collection of local experts from across the United States including Jurado, exists to simplify the risks, causes, and solutions to sea level rise. The organization noted that more than $4 billion in projects are currently underway across the state.

Miami Beach put $400 million towards seawalls, pumps and raising roads. Fort Lauderdale more than doubled that number, creating a $1 billion plan to combat increased stormwater flooding. Broward County invested $250 million towards a sewage system flood plan, but that’s only part of the efforts.

Jurado and other officials faced outdated guidelines but worked to create new ones.

“A lot of the design standards prior to our work on climate like flood elevations from FEMA were 20-plus years old,” she said. “Our groundwater elevation map was based upon the data from the 1970s and ‘80s. Individuals historically could use historic conditions as the basis for planning for infrastructure, but the changes that were happening were happening so quickly that we were beginning to see the weakness of the sluggish operations.

“It was really critical that we began to update our hydrologic models to formally integrate sea level rise and these other changes – groundwater table rise and rainfall intensification – into our understanding of the evolving and future conditions.”

The county was able modify its model to get a better understanding of future conditions. That modified model is helping the area to combat future flooding problems.

“We modeled the 2.5-foot rise and its impact on the groundwater table and utilized that updated model to establish a future conditions groundwater table map that we use today.” Jurado said. “Today any major redevelopment or new development is required to use this future conditions groundwater table as the basis for the design of drainage and surface water management infrastructure. We want to make sure that as development takes place that the systems supporting development today will support the project over the course of its life span.”

HARRISON STREET, HOLLYWOOD 20 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

Banding Together to Find Solutions

Resilient Ready Tampa Bay hosted a charrette, or a project design workshop, where the organization was able to take a look at problems and find solutions. Along with a group of planners, urban designers, landscape architects, engineers and hydrologists, Resilient Ready Tampa Bay came up with three sites in its six-county area to study and hosted three-day sessions to come up with a plan.

The group also explored Pass-a-Grille and St. Pete Beach. Located on a barrier island, these towns face water issues from the Gulf of Mexico, the bay between mainland Florida and the island, rain and groundwater. Resiliency opportunities were found here in bolstering natural buffers, raising streets, seawalls and sand dunes and introducing living shorelines.

“More broadly, an outcome of the Resilient Ready Tampa Bay exercise was that it provided a framework for flood-prone communities to communicate about and respond to flood impacts: defend what is dry today or begin to adapt to a wetter future,” Vitale said. “Both approaches are likely to be pursued in some combination in most places depending on a range of variables, from cost to cultural value.”

For Jurado, the work doesn’t end. She and her team are working on a risk assessment and infrastructure improvement plan to be rolled out next year that will provide basin-specific water management improvements and redevelopment strategies among other parts. She hopes that the project can be implemented across the 31 cities in her county in hopes of building a better future.

Defense strategies include projects with hard infrastructure, such as pumps, gates, and walls, while adaptation strategies tend to be passive and greener, including living systems, natural wave energy reduction, elevation and relocation.

“For us, I think it’s really about being able to move forward with a very strong, solid platform that we can all commit to, have this really ingrained and in place in the next several years, and work very diligently over the next 10 or more years,” she said.

“I think the next 10 years will be very critical in terms of organizing the infrastructure improvements.”

For the North Tampa Closed Basin, resiliency opportunities were found in transforming detention ponds into an interconnected stormwater park system. By allowing water to store where it falls, the area can rely on natural landscape to help mitigate floods before they form and create a process of transporting water to the aquifer.

“ For us, I think

it’s really about being able to

move forward

with a very strong, solid platform that we can all commit to. ”

JENNIFER JURADO Chief Resilience Officer Broward County

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 21

FES

FLORIDA ENGINEERING SOCIETY

F

or over 100 years, the Florida Engineering Society (FES) has been a leading organization committed to supporting engineers and the engineering profession in Florida. FES connects a network of 3,000 professional engineers to enhance successful career paths and provides opportunities to network with engineers in their local communities.

The Florida Engineering Society has established 19 local and student chapters in 7 regions across the state to engage engineers in their community.

Each chapter sponsors local events including an annual Engineers’ Week event, a math tournament, awards programs, fundraising tournaments, and educational events. Most chapters host breakfast, lunch, or dinner events that provide our membership with access to speakers like the administration at the FDOT, local municipalities, state-of-the-art design techniques, and emergency rescue leadership.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR CURRENT PROJECTS AND MEMBERSHIP AT

FLENG.ORG

The MATHCOUNTS® Competition is where local students are able to show off their abilities and challenge themselves. Providing our membership with opportunities to help cultivate and mentor the next generation of Engineers.

In addition to MATHCOUNTS®, many chapters host additional K-12 outreach. This takes the form of science night, STEM competitions, and serving as judges at science fairs.

FES chapters throughout Florida contribute to tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships each year to graduating seniors and current college student. In addition, many chapters support the Florida Engineering Foundation (FEF) whose mission is to promote and enhance engineering education in Florida in order to position Florida as a technological leader in the global economy.

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This year FES along with the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida) hosted the 30th year of The Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI), which is a leadership program that puts training into practice. This leadership training focuses on different aspects of leadership, ranging from development of personal leadership skills to team building. It also focuses on true community leadership through impactful community projects.

Our members provide professional guidance for technical issues impacting our society. Recently, together with ACEC Florida, we formed the Surfside Working Group which included six other professional organizations. The group created a report, which included many recommendations that were carried over into the current law. Together the group presented clear and concise recommendations from the Florida building professionals as one voice.

Over 150 FES members recently attened PE Days in Tallahassee. We met with legislators and other public officials, testified at hearings, made lasting friendship and professional connections.

We look forward to the impact this magazine will have on the engineering profession and community.

Go to fleng.org/membership for more information and to join our community of over 3,000 engineers across Florida.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 23

Sarasota Market Spotlight

RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS PAY OFF

BY NIKESH PATEL PE, CPM, PTOE, CGC, AICP

City Engineer, City of Sarasota

A

ccording to the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2022, Florida is the fastest-growing state in the nation.

The Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research predicts Sarasota County alone will see a 27-percent increase in population by 2045.

Investing in sustainable, resilient infrastructure is essential to protect Sarasota's growing population from natural disasters. The City of Sarasota is proactively achieving resiliency by safeguarding Florida's natural resources and infrastructure. Through multimilliondollar projects and strategic partnerships, the city is leveraging innovative technology to improve quality of life.

STRENGTHENING SHORELINES Fortunately, Lido Beach suffered no significant erosion when Hurricanes Ian and Nicole passed through Florida, a testament to the efficacy of the City’s partnership with the U.S. Army Corps (USACE) of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for the recent renourishment project on Lido Beach.

The $12.9 million endeavor dredged Big Pass and pumped roughly 700,000 cubic yards of sand onto a 1.56mile stretch of Lido Key, extending the beach's width by an average of about 300 feet. Two groins of nearly 5,000 tons of armor stone have also been installed along south Lido Beach to reduce erosion effects further.

LIDO BEACH SARASOTA, FL Photos courtesy of the city of Sarasota

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The City will continue reinforcing Lido Beach by partnering with the FDEP and Sarasota County to construct a vegetated dune. The primary goal of this project is to buffer potential flooding impacts on Benjamin Franklin Drive, upland private property and critical infrastructure. Other benefits include reducing the effects of wave run-up, enhancing the coastal ecosystem, improving storm protection, reducing wind speed, and retaining sand volume. Construction will begin this spring.

On Lido Key, Ken Thompson Park requires a different approach. Years of coastal erosion caused by sea level rise and storms have reduced the shoreline. The City will minimize erosion by overlaying mangroves, grasses, and oyster beds to form a “living shoreline.” This approach outperforms traditional seawalls by restoring the ecosystem for native species, resulting in a biodiverse environment that improves water quality.

Sarasota's first live seawall arrived in 2018 along Bayfront Park. The first phase installed 250 feet of "Eco-Rap" modules, creating an artificial concrete reef attractive to marine life. Another 1,500 feet of seawall will be rehabilitated at Bayfront Park thanks to the new Resilient Florida Grant Program. Over $275 million will be awarded through FDEP, with the City receiving $2.5 million with a City match of a project cost of over $5 million for the Sarasota Bay resiliency projects.

The Bay Park Conservancy has also deployed living shorelines, a partnership project to implement a long-term master plan for 53 acres of city-owned land along Sarasota Bay. This park establishes the region's cultural and economic legacy by prioritizing sustainability and resiliency in its master plan.

CITY OF SARASOTA IMPROVEMENTS MAP

Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded over $10.4 million to the City of Sarasota to enhance water quality and protect it from erosion, storms, and flooding in Bay Park.

Phase one of construction restored wetlands and enlivened the park's landscaping.

Bioswales were created to filter runoff and rainwater into native root systems and drainage infrastructure for treatment before reaching the bay. Bank stabilization and erosion control were achieved by strategically placed rock revetment walls, living shorelines, vegetated flood barriers and retaining walls.

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Market Spotlight: Sarasota DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING The City recognizes that accurate data is one of our greatest assets. We are collaborating with neighboring municipalities, the State and Federal government, nongovernmental organizations and engaged citizens to expand technological, financial, and physical resources.

The collective approach is exhibited by the projects housed in our Smart City Initiative.

This Initiative is an effort to transform the City through strategic planning and innovative technologies targeting resiliency. It includes sea level rise monitoring, red tide mitigation efforts, and installation of fiber connectivity infrastructure and Connective Automated Vehicle (CAV) technology.

Mote Marine Laboratory, our red tide mitigation and sea level monitoring partner, has provided a framework for tracking coastal conditions through the Beach Conditions Reporting System (visitbeaches.org).

The reporting system allows City staff and engaged residents to report beach conditions.

Mote and government agencies then use this data to deploy innovative mitigation technologies that will decrease the impacts of red tide and improve water quality.

Similarly, the Sarasota Bay Resiliency Mapping Project uses aerial and ground-based mobile LiDAR to map 15,400 acres topographically.

This will provide datasets on streets and infrastructure to identify drainage utility assets and flood-prone areas.

Funded through the Resilient Florida Grant Program, this project will streamline design, produce a surface model for ICPR stormwater and sea level modeling, and serve as a GIS base for future planning. Access to new information will allow our teams to identify vulnerabilities in city infrastructure and create effective adaptation strategies.

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RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE Promoting and installing connective fiber infrastructure is key to the City's resiliency strategy. Communication is critical during an emergency, especially for government facilities, hospitals and schools. Fiber connectivity and underground power lines improve durability, bandwidth and security. Underground power lines and fiber optic cable will be integrated into capital improvement projects as Complete Streets transform the City's transportation corridors.

Furthermore, the City of Sarasota continues to increase its reliance on roundabouts.

Roundabouts promote continuous traffic flow while naturally slowing vehicles. This creates an improved evacuation route ahead of potential storms that can function during power outages. The traffic pattern reduces idling times, fuel consumption, and air pollution.

The roundabout at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue is the newest of Sarasota's 13 roundabouts. It became functional in December 2022 and addressed flooding and sea level rise by installing drainage inlets, raising the road, increasing stormwater retention capacity, and improving stormwater treatment.

A world-renowned community like Sarasota is defined by its natural resources, cultural offerings, and bustling downtown. Resilience is the key to ensuring longevity for this charming City. The challenges of climate change, a growing population and extreme weather events require quick, innovative action.

Our City has committed to integrating climate projections in early project planning. The City of Sarasota has more than 60 potential projects in development, all of which empower us to withstand threats and expedite recovery.

Racing to Restore Island Access

HOW FDOT, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS REOPENED SANIBEL CAUSEWAY AFTER IAN

BY JOE VANHOOSE

T

he effects of Hurricane Ian were devastating for much of Florida. Lee County, which includes Ft. Myers, Cape Coral and a handful of barrier islands, took the hardest hit. The hurricane was responsible for at least 149 deaths in the state, with 72 of those fatalities in Lee. The combination of wind and storm surge flattened neighborhoods, flooded infrastructure and knocked out an entire section of the Sanibel Causeway, a three-mile, locally-owned bridge that serves as the only connection with the nearby Fort Myers-Cape Coral area on the Florida mainland.

With the road destroyed, the 12-mile barrier island with nearly 6,500 full-time residents could only be reached by boat or helicopter.

It would take a herculean effort to make the causeway passable for emergency responders, much less for local traffic. But the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and a quickly-assembled project team were ready to respond.

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Work began on the Sanibel Island Causeway just days after Hurricane Ian passed, and the causeway was opened to local traffic in just 15 days.

Photo courtesy of FDOT

Jaw-Dropping Damage

As Ian approached Florida’s Gulf Coast, initial projections focused on a landfall near Tampa Bay. Superior Construction Division Manager Ryan Hamrick worked with his Tampa-based teams to secure their job sites and get their personal affairs in order. Many Superior employees, including Hamrick, were evacuated and left their homes.

But as Ian approached the coast, its trajectory shifted further south, right toward Lee County and Ft. Myers. The storm hit Sanibel Island head-on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022 with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, tying the record for the fifthstrongest hurricane on record to strike the United States.

Hamrick and his team met with FDOT the following day, less than 48 hours after the storm blew through. They arrived off Sanibel Island via boat, as whole sections of the causeway had collapsed during the storm.

“We spent all weekend with FDOT officials walking around the causeway and assessing what happened,” Hamrick said. “Really, we were picking our jaws off the ground looking at all the damage.

“It was quiet. You had a lot of time to think about what you could do and how long it would take.”

No one thought it would only take 15 days.

Ian was the most powerful hurricane to hit Florida since Michael in 2018 and the first Category 4 hurricane to impact Southwest Florida since Charley in 2004. An unprecedented storm surge of 12 to 18 feet was reported along the southwestern Florida coast. Fort Myers itself was hit particularly hard with a 7.26 foot surge – also a record high.

Racing to Respond

“We found out pretty quickly that there was substantial damage done to that part of Lee County, Sanibel Island specifically,” Hamrick said. “Knowing the area, I called around and let (officials) know we were here and ready to help.”

By the following Tuesday, the contract was awarded to Kisinger Campo & Associates (KCA) and a joint venture between the de Moya Group and Superior Construction for repairs to the causeway. Hardesty & Hanover played a major role in the causeway redesign with KCA, Sherrard said, while RS&H and Ajax Paving were design-build partners for the roadway.

FDOT had suspended tolls and pre-staged equipment and teams before Ian made landfall.

Those teams sprang into action as soon as the storm passed to provide first responders, suppliers, emergency repair personnel and utility restoration teams safe access to impacted areas.

Kati Sherrard, PE, CPM, the corridors program engineer for FDOT District 1, arrived at the agency’s command center and began assessing the damage.

“It was clear on Day One, when people and equipment began to mobilize,” she remembered.

“We all shared a common goal, and that was to restore vehicular access to Sanibel and Captiva islands. People began working and equipment began operation from the moment of arrival.

“It was evident that so many people from the FDOT, Lee County, the City of Sanibel and numerous other agencies were working tirelessly off-site to provide much needed support in whatever ways they were capable.”

Hours after Ian had passed, conversations were well underway – reaching all the way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office – on how the causeway could be quickly repaired for emergency use. A design-build contract was put out, and letters were coming in within 24 hours.

“We identified our needs and brought in the best of the best,” Sherrard said.

Crews came together to start work on Oct. 5 with an audacious goal: to reopen the causeway three weeks later.

To accomplish this, FDOT implemented a 24-hour, 7-days-per-week work schedule and positioned management personnel onsite at all times. Pride and egos were checked at the door, Hamrick said.

“The project manager for FDOT moved mountains to get them out of our way,” he said. “We did nothing but produce progress every hour of every day we were working for two weeks.

“You can’t bring in 7,000 loads of embankment in 11 days unless that sort of thing happens, especially given the situation the area was in.”

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Traffic signals were still out and the nearby roads were a mess. There was nowhere to eat or stay.

Several people on the team lived onsite or rented temporary housing nearby.

Sherrard was able to catch a few hours of sleep in an RV, as long as she continued to hear the sound of dump trucks as they arrived on-site – the continued sound of dump trucks meant progress, and progress meant she could catch a little rest.

Living on-site during the emergency repairs will forever be one of her most cherished memories.

“It’s a memory full of joy and sadness, energy and exhaustion, coordination and chaos,” Sherrard said. “I felt like I was living in a bubble of sorts, as I was not able to watch the news or have long conversations with my loved ones. For 15 days my entire world consisted of what was happening in this bubble.”

Sherrard and the FDOT team worked to address any potential issues contractors foresaw and flagged traffic to ensure the arrival of construction equipment and materials were not delayed by others working in the same area.

FDOT established staging sites and traffic patterns for disaster relief vehicles and equipment trying to get to Sanibel, which would sometimes have to wait over eight hours before being able to load on a barge that was located at the boat ramp near the base camp.

“Everything was stacked against you, but because of the people working together onsite with a ‘we can get this done’ attitude, that’s how it all came together,” Hamrick said.

On the second day of work, Sherrard experienced an overwhelming sense of excitement mixed with disbelief, as her team walked across Sanibel A Bridge to Island A. On the third, she stood on the causeway and watched the sunset at the edge of the 800-foot channel caused by the hurricane on Island A. “I was flooded with emotion,” she said. “I was thankful to experience so much beauty through all of the destruction and thankful for the opportunity to be a part of an incredible team that would accomplish what looked like the impossible, and close the gap by daybreak the next morning.”

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Portions of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed following Hurricane Ian. Photo courtesy of Ryan Hamrick, Superior Construction

An Early Reopening

On Oct. 11, less than a week into working on the project, Sherrard led a utility convoy across the temporary roadway put in place. The convoy expedited the arrival of much-needed support to Sanibel and Captiva islands.

“Being greeted and celebrated as we arrived on Sanibel, by people who have just experienced so much sadness and destruction, brought me to tears,” Sherrard said. “And it also gave me a much needed adrenaline rush to keep pushing towards our goal.”

Hundreds of electrical and utility workers, Publix grocery trucks, Army Corps of Engineers vehicles and more were able to get across the causeway.

Two large FDOT trucks packed full of supplies were some of the first vehicles across to reach the community. FDOT provided and distributed over 250 coolers, 16,000 pounds of ice and almost 22,000 bottles of water.

With emergency personnel able to cross, the construction team needed another week to get the structures more stabilized and open to the public.

During the emergency repairs, around 100 crew members worked on-site each day, totaling more than 36,000 workforce hours. Material used totaled 8,200 loads of fill dirt, 2,400 loads of rock, and 4,000 tons of asphalt. More than 70 pieces of heavy machinery, including 4 barges and 7 cranes, operated daily.

The project team on the $100-million emergency effort still had to navigate around power outages, a lack of cell phone service and shuttered businesses limiting supplies and food. They just kept working.

“The phrase ‘I can’t’ or ‘We can’t’ wasn’t allowed to be used,” Hamrick said. “We were all in this together, and we worked together nonstop to get the causeway restored.”

Fifteen days into the project, Sherrard drove to the law enforcement checkpoint a mile before the causeway to let safety officials know the route was ready for civilian traffic.

“As I was getting close, that is when I noticed there were so many people waiting to be granted access, I could not even tell how far the line of vehicles extended,” she said. “These people were all anxiously waiting to see if they even had anything left, yet they were standing outside their vehicles with signs and balloons, so thankful for what we had done.”

On Oct. 19, just three weeks after Hurricane Ian washed away the land and roadway connecting the mainland to Sanibel and Captiva islands, and a week ahead of schedule, FDOT opened the bridge to first responders, utility crews, contractors and residents.

FDOT drafted a scope of work based on recommendations of industry experts and professional engineers, offering suggestions for permanent repairs regarding resiliency, aesthetics and functionality of the causeway islands. The plan entails building the roadway to standards and specifications, constructing permanent bridge approaches, and restoring drainage, lighting and pavement markings, as well as providing access for utility service along the causeway islands.

Lee County will ultimately make the decision on what elements of the proposed design are incorporated into the permanent repairs and FDOT will provide support as needed.

Sheet pile walls with aesthetic treatments are replacing mechanically-stabilized earth (MSE) walls. Underground armoring is being considered for locations along the roadway on the causeway islands to better protect against storm surge.

FDOT is not just looking at the gray infrastructure improvements for the area, instead opting for a holistic approach that considers green infrastructure for added resiliency, Sherrard said. Several resiliency measures are included in the 30-percent design plans.

“We saw that native Florida plants and natural infrastructure protected a lot of areas and properties if it was in place prior to the storm,” she said. “So we are looking at including green infrastructure to balance the gray and using that green infrastructure as additional resiliency measures to protect the islands themselves when another storm comes through.”

The causeway has been open ever since.

The end-of-year goal for finishing permanent repairs will take another herculean effort to realize.

Then again, Sherrard has already seen what that kind of effort looks like.

Permanent Repairs Underway

And how important the work is.

The Pine Island bridge repairs are expected to be completed by fall of 2023 and are estimated to cost $25 million when completed, the Governor’s office reported in March. Likewise, permanent repairs to the Sanibel Causeway will be complete by the end of this year and are estimated to cost a total of $350 million when complete.

“Our transportation infrastructure is so critical to the happiness, health and success of our communities,” she said. “This was our opportunity to bring the best and brightest together to make an immeasurable positive impact for those suffering so much heartache and loss.”

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TECH FOCUS: SMART PONDS

Smart Ponds Help Some Florida Communities Thwart Flooding

BY LINDSEY RANAYHOSSAINI

T

he financial toll from flooding left in the wake of Hurricane Ian is estimated to range from $18 billion to $35 billion, with many communities struggling to rebuild.

But some communities near Port Tampa Bay and in Charlotte County were mostly unscathed by the flooding, protected in part by smart ponds, a new technology that has changed the way stormwater is managed. Smart ponds are remotely managed stormwater ponds with a valve system that can alter their water level based on real-time weather forecasting.

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The automated control technology that powers smart ponds was developed

by Boston-based company OptiRTC and introduced in Florida by National Stormwater Trust, Inc., headquartered in Tallahassee. A smart pond combines those automated controls with cloudbased software and weather data and can manage its water-level without human intervention needed.

“The system is running on autopilot all the time,” said National Stormwater Trust Co-Founder Jeff Littlejohn. “And the system allows us to configure every pond with site-specific information, so every pond is configured in a unique way.”

“

The smart pond at Babcock Ranch

The system allows us to configure every pond with site-specific information, so every pond is configured in a unique way.

JEFF LITTLEJOHN

NATIONAL STORMWATER TRUST

”

Photo courtesy of National Stormwater Trust

Founded seven years ago, National Stormwater Trust has retrofitted traditional stormwater ponds throughout Florida in collaboration with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and other businesses, local governments and residential communities. After installing the technology, the company remotely manages the ponds through an online dashboard.

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Jeff Littlejohn, the co-founder of National Stormwater Trust, discusses smart pond technology onsite.

Photo courtesy of National Stormwater Trust

FLOOD PREVENTION IN THE FACE OF A HURRICANE The true test of the ponds’ capabilities came as Hurricane Ian pummeled parts of Florida with record rainfall in September 2022.

“It’s hard for us to talk about because [Hurricane Ian] was a tough situation for a lot of folks, but it was a great opportunity for us to show how well this technology works and how much of a difference it can make for communities,” Littlejohn said.

The company had installed its smart pond technology in an FDOT pond in Port Tampa Bay in June 2022, just in time for hurricane season. The Port Tampa Bay pond utilized National Weather Service data to determine that it did not have the capacity to capture the rainfall as Hurricane Ian approached.

The pond then drained almost four feet of clean, filtered water into the bay and captured nearly 175,000 cubic feet of polluted stormwater when the hurricane made landfall.

“For that community, which is an economically challenged community, they were able to prevent flooding and treat twice the amount of stormwater as they would have with a traditional pond,” said Patrick Blair, vice president of engineering for Port Tampa Bay. In this community, the smart pond made the difference between flooding and not flooding. And for the environment, it meant that this large volume of untreated stormwater stayed out of Tampa Bay. 36 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

Smart ponds also prevented hurricanerelated flooding in Babcock Ranch, a residential community in hard-hit Charlotte County. At the time of the hurricane, Babcock Ranch had three ponds. In this case, the ponds were not fully automatic, so National Stormwater Trust alerted the community’s managers of the flood risk and encouraged them to monitor the ponds. Because the system worked efficiently, rising water stayed out of the community’s homes.

“The system connectivity and additional storage goes above and beyond the typical regulations and proved to be a difference maker in preventing flooding in the community,” said Amy Wicks, vice president at Kimley-Horn and Associates, the information system development engineer for Babcock Ranch. “In addition, the requirement of native landscaping proved to be helpful in the storm as there was much less debris.”

Littlejohn noted that flood prevention is not guaranteed for communities with smart ponds, but the ponds’ unique ability to drain clean water to increase storage capacity when the need arises does mitigate the risk of flooding.

“Each storm is different and each community is different, so this is very much a generic problem to try to solve,” Littlejohn said. “But in a lot of communities, every little bit of storage matters.”

WATER QUALITY AND STORAGE When severe weather isn’t on the radar, smart ponds prove useful in storing and treating stormwater using the same filtration system of plants and naturally occurring bacteria as a traditional storm pond. The key difference, according to Littlejohn, is that a regular pond “is just a hole in the ground,” whereas a smart pond can be drained to create additional storage capacity.

The added storage capacity is a significant factor when developers must weigh the costs of purchasing additional land or using high-value property for the construction of traditional storm ponds. Prior to the advent of smart ponds, the only alternative for stormwater storage was underground vaults constructed from concrete.

Though the vaults save space, they become damaged over time and are costly to repair. In Port Tampa Bay, heavy port equipment takes a toll on the vaults and land is too valuable to construct additional storm ponds.

“We’re big fans of [the smart pond technology], both for converting our owned land to offsite stormwater and converting some of our existing ponds into smart ponds with the same technology,” Blair said.

A second smart pond is currently being added in Port Tampa Bay. In normal weather conditions, the continuous cycle of filtering and discharging water from a smart pond ultimately equates to less polluted water.

“During regular rain events, what the ponds are doing is releasing regular stored water ahead of the event and then capturing rain water,” Littlejohn said. “That difference in when that stormwater is discharged corresponds to approximately a 50 percent improvement in water quality.”

For Littlejohn, whose 20-year engineering career included a three-and-a-half year stint with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, improving Florida’s water quality has been a long-held goal.

“During that time, I really learned more about the water quality challenges that our state has, and I was very interested in looking for opportunities to earn a living as an engineer but also solve or be part of the solution we need here in Florida,” Littlejohn said.

National Stormwater Trust is slated to install 26 more ponds in 2023.

Photo courtesy of National Stormwater Trust

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ASCE

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

TZUFIT BOYLE

PE, F.ASCE, PMP Past President, ASCE Florida Section 2022-2023

C

ivil engineering, one of the country’s oldest professions, has always been a trusted source for information and knowledge. As engineers, we are sworn to protect the public’s health, safety and welfare.

But what does that really mean? And how can we hope to keep up with the latest trends and solutions that our world faces today?

Today’s environment is vastly different from that of our country’s founding, or to a person of the Industrial Revolution. We are living in a world where protecting the health of the public involves providing communities with clean water, varied forms of transportation, reliable electric grids and a data network that can support our business and leisure.

Safety means that the cars we drive can assist us in crash avoidance, and the air we breathe is free from harmful chemicals. Welfare needs extend beyond affordable housing to encompass connected communities and transportation.

Professional societies, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), have offered the engineering community the support it needs to face today’s challenges. From continuing education and professional development to networking and task force opportunities, ASCE has assisted engineers in Florida in achieving their mission. We provide a trusted source to disaster response and the evaluation of structures from natural to manmade events.

The Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (Florida Section) holds several professional development events at every level of membership. Student Chapters benefit from mentoring programs throughout the state, as well as a student conference geared towards integration

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into the workforce and an understanding of the demands of the profession. Working professionals attend multiple local events that focus on continuing education and networking, while the Florida Section hosts a continuing education day in the winter and professional development conference in the summer.

The Florida Section’s main event each year is the Annual Conference, taking place this year on July 13-14 at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando. The Florida Section Annual Conference brings more than 80 technical and professional development sessions in 7 tracks of engineering: structural, geotechnical, environmental & water resources, transportation, utilities, sustainability, and professional development.

In addition to professional and technical development, the state-required two-hour Laws/Rules & Ethics course will be offered. The conference also offers exhibitor space to showcase new and innovative products and hosts the annual recognitions awards ceremony. The conference offers something for everyone, including our growing number of student members, offering learning opportunities and scholarships.

ASCE also offers specialized institutes to create a community that helps focus learning on different civil engineering disciplines: Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI); Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI); Construction Institute (CI); Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI); Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI); Geo-Institute (G-I); Transportation and Development Institute (T&DI); Structural Engineering Institute (SEI); and the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI).

These institutes hold national and international conferences for the advancement of their respective engineering members.

Today's civil engineer uses every advantage to meet the demands of their profession.

On the issues of sustainability and resiliency, ASCE is a founding organization of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, whose mission is to help communities around the world build sustainable, resilient, and equitable civil infrastructure; train and credential Envision® sustainability professionals and verify projects using Envision®; and protect the environment, enhance human health and well-being, and bolster economic prosperity.

The Envision® program provides a consistent, consensus-based framework for assessing sustainability, resiliency, and equity in civil infrastructure. Last year, nearly 300 projects sought the Envision® rating, largely in the transportation and water sectors. Since the program’s inception, over 6,000 professionals have been accredited in the program.

ASCE is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion by providing guidance on proper inclusive communication, meetings, events and leadership. The Florida Section accepts all members and enjoys a diverse leadership team. As membership is spread over a large geographic area, events are planned throughout the state to provide opportunities for accessible continued learning.

The Florida Section was founded nearly 100 years ago and is the third largest Section in ASCE. The mission of the Florida Section is to advance professional knowledge and improve the practice of civil engineering.

Today's civil engineer uses every advantage to meet the demands of their profession. We pioneer new programs, policies, educational activities, and professional resources to help engineers successfully compete in their business.

We are proud to support this publication, as we know that Florida’s engineering community will benefit from the content it offers.

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PERSPECTIVES

What is Hotter, The Electric Vehicle Market or the Lithium-Ion Battery that Powers it?

BY NICHOLAS ALBERGO P.E., DEE, D. WRE, F. ASCE, F. EWRI

GHD Services, Tampa, FL

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A

s Hurricane Ian pummeled southwest Florida in late September 2022, few were likely concerned with the status or condition of electric vehicles (EVs) beyond the owners.

But then electric vehicles that were flooded and damaged by the storm began catching fire without warning. Firefighters reported using 8,000 to 12,000 gallons of water to put out the fires, more than 10 times as much as a gasoline engine-based vehicle. Worse yet, some EVs re-ignited after the flames were extinguished.

The culprit was saltwater. The flooding created a chain reaction in some EV engines and batteries, making the parts more likely to catch fire.

Lithium-ion vehicle battery fires have been observed rapidly igniting and igniting several weeks after battery damage. The timing of the fire initiation is specific to the battery design, chemistry and damage to the battery pack. As EVs grow in popularity, this is a potential threat that EVs and EV battery manufacturers will manage. A key method for achieving this is by applying passive fire protection materials.

A traditional EV battery consists of many cells combined to form a module; these are integrated inside the battery enclosure to create a pack. This gives several opportunities for the application of fire protection materials. Materials can be applied around the pack, inside the enclosure, beneath the lid, around the modules, and between the cells.

What I remain less sure about is the broader picture.

The goal for battery designers is to have a material that can sit between the cells and stop a thermal runaway event from propagating from one cell to another. The material needs a low thermal conductivity and strong flame resistance to do this.

But this is easier said than done when improving energy density and reducing costs.

The Biden Administration is concerned that global supply chains can quickly be affected by regulatory changes, trade restrictions, or political instability in a small number of countries. There is no question that North America needs lithium mines to compete with China’s electric vehicle battery chain dominance. Otherwise, it is shifting from U.S. reliance on Middle East oil to U.S. reliance on China’s lithium and cobalt refining.

Safety remains a high priority amongst all manufacturers; thus, they have a vested interest in tackling the problem now. A key methodology to achieving this is by replacing old functional materials with ones that can carry out that function while also providing fire protection. I am certain that the industry will identify the right balance of materials that are thermally and electrically insulating, lightweight, conformable, easy to work with, low cost and able to provide fire protection.

President Biden is allocating billions of dollars to cultivate the U.S. battery supply chain and wean the auto industry from relying on China. These Federal initiatives aim to incentivize domestic manufacturing and mining, build a robust battery supply chain in North America, and lessen the industry’s dependence on overseas supply chains that could be subject to disruptions. The question is how, considering the myriad of technical and regulatory challenges.

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From the perspective of a global energy shift to electric propulsion, the elephant in the room remains that the production of the requisite minerals required is dominated by a handful of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, many with track records of human rights and environmental abuses. As a result, there is a desire for the U.S. to shoulder more of the burden for the minerals it consumes.

Current and proposed incentives offered by the federal government are not likely to provide any relief regarding battery manufacturing or recycling in America. That’s mainly because of the bill's requirement that an electric vehicle contains a battery built in North America with minerals mined or recycled on the continent. This presents a dilemma.

Environmentalists in the United States do not see the mining and processing of these materials as “green.” They use the nation’s laws and regulations to delay or remove lithium mining and processing projects. Meanwhile, the price of lithium has increased fivefold since mid-2021.

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I envision a collision due to recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules; the Biden Administration attempts to wean the U.S. from foreign dependence and EV industry concerns regarding minimizing the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) costs of acquiring essential EV materials.

Lithium, indispensable to the EV industry, has become a national health-based concern. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has provided initial results of a review of 1,464 publicsupply wells and 1,676 domestic-supply wells distributed across 33 principal aquifers in the U.S., indicating the widespread presence of lithium in U.S. source waters.

Based on sampling data to date, the USGS reports that “45% of public-supply wells and about 37% of U.S. domestic supply wells have concentrations of lithium that could present a potential human-health risk.”

This places the U.S. growth of the EV manufacturing industry in a precarious position as provisional standards become law. Understanding how these regulations unfold will be critical to the industry, as potential liability concerns and costly decisions about an overall growth strategy must be made in the next few years.

Whatever the drawbacks, the acquisition of lithium, no matter where it is found, probably won’t slow down. Battery technology may not be benign, but we have much greater control over how we generate electrons than we do over where we get our oil. Not only does our dependence on gas and diesel engines harm the climate and our lungs, but it’s also a significant national security risk. We continue to export billions of dollars annually to countries that don’t share our ideals.

I am confident that with the money spent to promote a robust domestic EV market – and the availability of the best technological human intellectual capacity on the planet – the industry will prevail and flourish.

We may have some bumps and bruises along the way. We may have to endure for a bit longer before we can meet a “no risk” threshold for battery safety.

But it will happen.

NICHOLAS ALBERGO, P.E., DEE, D. WRE, F. ASCE, F. EWRI, is a Professional Engineer who serves as a Senior Advisor to GHD Services, one of the largest engineering consulting firms in the world. He also serves on the engineering faculty at the University of South Florida and is a founding Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers and a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. He can be reached at nicholas.albergo@ghd.com.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 43

SMPS

SOCIETY FOR MARKETING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is the premiere organization dedicated to the advancement of marketing and business development (BD) professionals and practices within the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. Members have access to 7,000-plus AEC practitioners across North America — more than 400 in Florida alone — that can provide business connections, technical knowledge, client insights and more.

Through professional programs and continuing education specific to AEC disciplines and market sectors, SMPS members learn directly from leaders in the industry about the latest technology and market trends, ever expanding their capabilities and expertise to grow their firm’s brands and win work.

How does SMPS benefit your firm?

SMALL FIRM With limited, if any, dedicated marketing staff, it’s crucial to leverage the resources available to small firms through SMPS. Engineers and project managers can enroll in SMPS training to develop effective seller-doer skills. If you have a marketing team of one, SMPS provides a network of experience to tap into, opportunities for mentorship, and confidence that they are not alone in their day-to-day experience. Ready to grow your marketing team? SMPS chapters invite firms to post related job openings that are only accessible to a qualified and targeted talent pool, including student members.

MID-SIZE FIRM Your firm has grown to maybe 50 or 75 employees. You have a few marketing staff (if you don’t by now, start hiring!), but they’ve never developed a formal marketing plan before. Need to understand the process, see examples and get actionable guidance about how to execute an effective plan? SMPS is the best resource to support your firm’s efforts to deliver a document that is going to support your long-term growth goals. Unsure about which marketing and BD roles to focus on filling as you continue to grow your business? SMPS can help with that, too, with research and literature that lays out which positions to fill and when.

BIG FIRM With staff in multiple locations, volunteering with their local chapters, opportunities abound to interact with clients and teaming partners at SMPS events. Become an annual sponsor of your local chapter and/or sponsor individual programs, and your firm’s brand saturation can expand even further. Ensure that your staff are always up to date on the latest technology and tools to optimize your firm’s marketing and BD approach, that they have the resources to continue growing professionally, and that your leadership understands the value of having a marketing professional at the table when making critical business decisions.

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SMPS Foundation Standing out from the competition is hard, and savvy professionals are always on the hunt for industry information that builds their competitive advantage. SMPS operates an independent, not-for-profit foundation focused on in-depth market and scientific research to uncover industry trends, psychological tendencies, as well as long-term forecasting to guide AEC firms in the pursuits to win work and build client relationships. Recent publications include Theory into Practice: The Neuropsychology of Influence and Decision-Making and Measuring for Success: A Look at Hit Rates & Other KPIs in the A/E/C Industries. For many publications, members have free access, while non-members can purchase for a fee.

SMPS IN FLORIDA Firms and their staff have access to five SMPS chapters across Florida.

Each chapter operates both independently and as an extension of the larger organization.

SMPS EMERALD COAST SMPS NORTH FLORIDA SMPS CENTRAL FLORIDA SMPS TAMPA BAY SMPS SOUTH FLORIDA

Members have access to dozens of local and national events and webinars year-round. Just this year, Florida SMPS chapters are facilitating a variety of programs that provide professional development opportunities, as well as direct industry insights delivered by clients serving as speakers and panelists: Reading Beyond the Selection Criteria: A sales and marketing method to help your firm stand out Innovation in Healthcare and How it Will Impact the Built Environment Leveraging LinkedIn for Business Development, Branding, and Building Relationships Transportation Through a Safe Systems Lens Managing Conferences (Pre/During/Post) Market Research with the Jacksonville Business Journal What Every Leader Should Know to Catalyze Higher Team Performance: Cutting through the complexity to make the basics of teaming practical and accessible

How does SMPS benefit the AEC Industry at-large?

A marketer’s job is to capture and share stories about how AEC projects, consultants, and clients elevate the communities in which we live. Building for future generations, Marketing and BD are a critical piece of the puzzle for firms’ effective business operations. SMPS gives these professionals the tools, resources and connections they need to succeed and, in turn, help firms and the industry at-large succeed tomorrow and well into the future.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 45

Measuring What Matters: HOW THE ENVISION FRAMEWORK IS CHANGING INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

JASON M. BIRD

CFM, Florida Resilience Lead, Jacobs

+

S

HOWARD LUSK

PE, ENV SP, LEED AP BD+C Co-Leader of Sustainable Infrastructure Community of Practice, Jacobs

ince 1998, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card has provided a way to translate infrastructure condition assessments into clear and concise terms to communicate with the public and to guide decisionmaking.

But what if there was a tool to help municipalities, utilities, engineers and consultants translate the more complex economic, social and environmental aspects of an infrastructure project into a scorecard that also factors in resilience?

Fortunately, there is.

The Envision Sustainability Framework gives infrastructure agencies and their consultants an objective measurement tool to examine the related effects of infrastructure on people, prosperity and the planet.

Envision

is about supporting higher performance through better choices in infrastructure.

46 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE The Envision Sustainability Framework was developed by the Zofnass Program at Harvard and the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), which was founded by the ASCE, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the American Public Works Association (APWA).

Envision improves infrastructure projects, programs and agencies in a number of ways. It provides objective metrics for measuring performance, negative impacts and positive benefits, and it reveals additional considerations to inform decisions. Envision encourages designing for future adaptation instead of past conditions and identifies opportunities for increasing sustainable and resilient design beyond minimum regulatory requirements.

“Envision is about supporting higher performance through better choices in infrastructure development,” said Patricia Gómez, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Resilience Officer with Miami-Dade County and member of the Envision Review Board.

Envision encourages project co-benefits and additional value to the community. It can provide talking points for collaboration with stakeholders and help demonstrate good stewardship of economic, environmental and social resources.

MEASURING THE FULL RANGE OF EFFECTS ON A COMMUNITY Envision’s 64 technical topics are known as credits and cover the full range of effects on the natural environment and on a community.

The Envision v.3 manual provides evaluation and documentation guidance for the 64 credits, which are organized into five categories: Quality of Life – Credits assess the project’s impact from the health and wellbeing of individuals to the wellbeing of the community.

Subtopics include improving public health and safety, enhancing construction safety, encouraging sustainable transportation, protecting cultural resources and advancing equity and social justice.

Leadership – Credits demonstrate effective leadership and commitment by the owner, design team and construction contractors.

Actions include establishing sustainability management policies, developing management plans, conducting life cycle economic evaluations and establishing plans for maintaining and adapting the infrastructure to changing conditions of the future.

Resource Allocation – These credits measure the use of renewable and non-renewable resources for the project. This area concerns aspects such as water and energy use during construction and operations, construction waste management, use of recycled content and the sustainable procurement of materials.

Natural World – Credits assess preservation and renewal of ecosystem functions.

Examples include preservation of habitats and undeveloped land, management of stormwater and control of invasive species.

Climate & Resilience – Credits examine two main concepts: 1) minimizing greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions and 2) focusing on resilience. Envision calls for a comprehensive hazard assessment and action plans to strengthen resilience to both short-term hazards and altered long-term future conditions. For the highest levels of achievement in resilience planning and design, the project considers the surrounding communities and connected and dependent infrastructure systems.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 47

ENVISION CREDENTIALS FOR PROFESSIONALS, AGENCIES Envision Sustainability Framework reference material and program information are available for free download from sustainableinfrastructure.org. There is no cost to use the framework as a planning and design guideline. Projects only incur fees when pursuing the optional award verification portion of the framework.

Professionals who have completed Envision training and passed an exam earn the Envision Sustainability Professional credential, which is abbreviated ENV SP. Envision Supported Agencies are public-sector infrastructure entities in ISI’s community, with one or more ENV SPs on staff.

There is no annual membership fee for Envision Supported Agencies. In addition to project-scale metrics, the majority of the Envision credits are also applicable for guidance at the program and agency level.

Envision Qualified Companies are private-sector member corporations. They pay an annual fee based on the number of total staff.

AWARD-WINNING ENVISION PROJECTS IN FLORIDA In 2017, FDOT’s I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project achieved the platinum rating, the highest available recognition in the Envision platform. Begun in 2015, the I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project is a $2.87-billion transportation infrastructure project in Central Florida that includes the reconstruction of 21 miles of limited-access interstate and 15 major interchanges and construction of 140 bridges. The project traverses downtown Orlando through Orange and Seminole counties, connecting travelers to some of the most popular destinations in the state.

“This particular corridor is critically important not to just local residents but to Florida’s overall economy,” said Brett Nein, director of Jacobs’ Advanced Planning Group and Principal Landscape Architect for the I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project. “And that’s why Envision certification was vital in helping mitigate the overall impacts and ensuring that all the landscape and aesthetic improvements were sustainable for the life of the project.”

While Envision project verification alone does not guarantee long-term project performance, it does provide an easy-touse framework to guide building with the future in mind to improve infrastructure reliability, limit adverse impacts on natural resources and help improve the quality of life for future generations. Application of the Envision Sustainability Framework during project planning, design and commissioning is shaping the future of our industry and developing sustainable and resilient communities of tomorrow.

48 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

"Envision certification was vital in helping mitigate the overall impacts and ensuring that all the landscape and aesthetic improvements were sustainable for the life of the project."

BRETT NEIN

P R I N C I PA L A R C H I TE C T FO R I - 4 U LTI M ATE

FDOT’S I-4 ULTIMATE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

As of March 2023, six projects in Florida have received an Envision award and another half dozen or so projects have registered or are in the process of pursuing Envision verification.

Award

Project

Type

City

Year

Owner

Platinum

I-4 Ultimate Improvement

Road

Orlando

2017

Florida Department of Transportation

Verified

Ion Exchange Resin Plant and East Water Treatment Plant Improvements

Water Treatment

Boynton Beach

2017

City of Boynton Beach

Silver

Naples Bay Restoration and Water Quality Improvements at the Cove

Environmental Restoration

Naples

2019

City of Naples

Silver

Tamiami Station Park-and-Ride/ Transit Terminal Facility

2020

Miami-Dade County Department of Public Transportation & Public Works

Verified

Dolphin Station Park-and-Ride/ Transit Terminal Facility

Parking Lot

Miami

2021

Miami-Dade County Department of Public Transportation & Public Works

Verified

Cocoplum 1 Pump Stations Force Main Upgrades

Wastewater Collection

Coral Gables

2022

City of Coral Gables

Parking Lot

Miami

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 49

ASHE ABOUT ASHE American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) is a forum for members and partners of the highway industry to promote a safe, efficient and sustainable transportation system. ASHE has been opening roads of opportunity since 1958. ASHE was founded by members as a grassroots organization and has grown to 47 sections in 18 states and 7,000+ members nationwide.

Get to know ASHE in Florida. As part of the ASHE Southeast Region and with four local sections across Florida, ASHE has more than 365 members and numerous programs and events to get involved in.

We are a volunteer organization focused on partnering together to create opportunities for the transportation industry through fellowship, diversity, innovation, leadership and education. ASHE is inclusive of all individuals in transportation-related industries -- we are DOT/agency representatives, engineers, consultants, contractors, suppliers, marketing professionals, technologists and students collaborating, networking and building relationships!

FELLOWSHIP We value the opportunity to interact with our members and all partners in the industry. We do this organically by meeting together, community engagement and just having fun! In addition to our renowned happy hours and Transportation Tuesday events, we host poker nights, bowling events, arcade game/billiard nights and many events for social networking.

DIVERSITY We value, respect and welcome anyone from the transportation industry. We also regularly attend and promote partner organization events and socials.

50 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS

LEADERSHIP We value the opportunity to advance our members’ leadership potential, both personally and professionally, through sharing at technical seminars or encouraging National, Regional and Local Officer, Director and Committee position opportunities. We support transportation agency leadership by promoting industry initiative and hosting Work Program update meetings and technical seminars or tours.

EDUCATION We value and strive to offer a diverse array of educational topics across the transportation industry. ASHE holds technical seminars and career enhancement topics in what you tell us you are interested in and routinely offer professional development hours. As an organization, we provide over $1 million annually to student scholarships for industry growth through our golf tournaments, clay shoots and other fundraising events.

INNOVATION We encourage innovation in transportation through exposure to new techniques and technology transfer via our technical meetings. From annual transportation summits with industry experts to local technical sessions with suppliers, agency representatives and transportation providers, we seek out opportunities to share innovative topics and learn together.

GET INVOLVED IN ASHE • Build friendships.

• Expand your network.

• Share technical education and career growth skills.

• Reach out to the community.

• Support partner organizations.

The opportunities are as endless as the road ahead of you. Attend an event. Connect with a local section on LinkedIn. Tell us you are interested in being a member on ashe.pro. Check out our local section websites and subscribe to our mailing lists. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming ASHE event!

CONTACT US: Central Florida: centralfl.ashe.pro South Florida: southfl.ashe.pro Northeast Florida: northeastfl.ashe.pro Tampa Bay: tampabay.ashe.pro

COME SEE WHAT ASHE IS ALL ABOUT 2023 National Conference June 7-11, 2023 Hosted by the Georgia Section

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 51

Advertise With Us Are you looking to get your company in front of industry professionals, firm leaders, government officials, business leaders and potential clients from every part of Florida? If you are doing business anywhere in the engineering or consulting space in the Sunshine State, this is exactly the valuable audience you want to reach.

WHO READS ENGINEERING FLORIDA? Decision-makers from the leading engineering and consulting firms from across the state, as well as the public and private sector clients who hire engineering companies and the local and state officials who influence the A/E/C industry. Readers turn to Engineering Florida for relevant content highlighting business trends, economic development, public policy, and the innovation of Florida’s A/E/C business community.

OUR CIRCULATION OF 10,000 INCLUDES: • Leading Professionals in the A/E/C Industry • Private Developers • State and Local Elected & Appointed Officials • Key Leaders within State Agencies • State and Local DOT Officials • The Florida Governor’s Office and Key Staff • County Commissioners, Managers and Department Heads • Mayors, City Council Members and City Managers • Utility and Planning Departments • Economic Development Leaders

52 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

Editor-in-Chief Stacey Butler sbutler@fleng.org Ad Director Meghan Shiner mshiner@fleng.org

Editorial

FOR QUESTIONS OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT ENGINEERING FLORIDA MANAGING EDITOR JOE VANHOOSE AT JOE@TRESTLECOLLECTIVE.COM.

EDITORIAL CALENDAR ISSUE 1.2 (SUMMER ‘23)

ISSUE 1.3 (FALL ‘23)

ISSUE 1.2 (SUMMER ‘23)

Workforce

Growth

People & Projects of the Year

• Cover Story: How Our Industry Moves Forward Amidst Supply, Labor Shortages • Features: • Mental Health in the Workplace • STEM in schools/universities • Accreditation and Licensing challenges and ideas

• Cover Story: Economic Engines fueling Florida’s Economy (Airports/Ports/Tourism) • Features: • Applying a DE&I Lens to Infrastructure • Florida Freight and Logistics Infrastructure • Projects responding to — and preparing for — growth

• Cover Story: How Our Industry Moves Forward Amidst Supply, Labor Shortages • Features: • Mental Health in the Workplace • STEM in schools/universities • Accreditation and Licensing challenges and ideas

ENGINEERING FLORIDA | 53

Editorial

FOR QUESTIONS OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT ENGINEERING FLORIDA MANAGING EDITOR JOE VANHOOSE AT JOE@TRESTLECOLLECTIVE.COM.

ENGINEERING FLORIDA EDITORIAL GUIDELINES Engineering Florida accepts editorial contributions from industry specialists and relevant news releases from sector stakeholders. While not all submissions will be accepted, the following criteria will be used in the review process: • Submit your story ideas at least 3 months before the publish date. Ideas for contributions should be discussed with the editors in advance. The first step is to submit an abstract describing the article focus and available photos and other assets.

• Submissions must be no longer than 2,000 words in length. Submissions should align with our editorial calendar, photos and other assets.

• Engineering Florida holds the right to edit any submissions for length, clarity or content.

• Only original work will be accepted. No copied work or plagiarized material will be accepted.

US POSTAL SERVICE STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION Title of Publication................................................................................................... Engineering Florida Publication No.................................................................................................................................277-720 Date of Filing ....................................................................................................................................... 2022 Frequency of Issue......................................................................................................................Quarterly No. of Issues Published Annually............................................................................................................4 Publisher ..............................................................................................................................Allen Douglas Editor.......................................................................................................................................Stacey Butler Owner ..........................................................................................................Florida Engineering Society Engineering Florida, ISSN 0015-4032, is published quarterly as the official publication of the Florida Engineering Society. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. FES members receive Engineering Florida as part of their membership benefits. Editorial matter, change of address, and correspondence regarding advertising should be mailed to: FES, P.O. Box 750, Tallahassee, FL 32302 or email fes@fleng.org.

Mailing Address of Office of Publication, General Business Office, Publisher: Allen Douglas, Owner: Florida Engineering Society, P.O. Box 750, Tallahassee, FL 32302-0750 The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during preceding 12 months.

54 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA

OUR MISSION: To promote and enhance engineering education in Florida in order to position our state as a technological leader in the global economy.

OUR GOAL: To assist students enrolled in engineering and those interested in an engineering education.

To provide resources to programs promoting engineering in Florida.

To encourage diversity in the engineering profession.

To raise public awareness of the role of engineeering in society.

To learn more or to donate, visit:

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