Resiliency was everywhere at the Sunseeker Resort in Port Charlotte recently, when three environmental nonprofits held several conferences and two annual meetings wrapped around one topic: resiliency.
Not the type of resiliency shown by the resort’s staff as hundreds of people came and went from the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership’s 2025 Southwest Florida Resiliency Summit during the first part of last week. That continued in the latter part of that week when hundreds more came and went for the 4th Annual Florida Resilience Conference, which the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association and Resiliency Florida co-hosted.
During the fourth annual conference, the FSBPA held its 68th annual meeting, and Resiliency Florida held its 8th annual meeting.
The form of resiliency being discussed encompasses a community’s reaction to a disastrous environmental event caused by any of the cascade of natural disasters tied to global warming and the changing climate.
In short: being ready for trouble, staying safe during it, and bouncing back fast afterward.
Think of "resiliency" as the Energizer Bunny before, during, and after a hurricane.
An example would be preparing for, absorbing, and recovering from storm-caused floods, wind damage, and power outages.
David Rathke, Resiliency Florida’s executive director, said his organization’s goals match what needs to happen to keep Floridians as safe as possible: connect municipalities with the companies that have developed ways to prepare or repair from storm damage, find investors to pay for it, and support laws that bring it all together to keep communities safer from flooding and extreme weather.
“I think we're well ahead of most other states when it comes to adapting and trying to make sure we're mitigating as much as we can for the future that's coming. I think everybody realizes now that's coming,” he said. “Whether you agree with the reasons it's coming or not, is another conversation, but I think we're setting a good example for other states to follow.”
The 4th Annual Florida Resilience Conference allowed companies in the industry to showcase their ideas, materials, and systems. Rathke said there is already “a lot of conversation going on” between those companies and local and state government officials working on keeping residents safe.
“We need to continue to encourage them (discussions) to happen into the future, because we're not going to solve this today,” he said. “We're going to set things in place today that will solve it tomorrow. It takes years to get these projects permitted, built, and then actually doing their job.
“And that's part of the challenge,” he said. “Everybody wants the quick fix, and this is not a quick fix.”
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by Volo Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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