First SFWMD-sponsored Caloosahatchee Community Forum August 8th

The South Florida Water Management District is undertaking a public initiative to engage key stakeholders in developing and advancing a list of priority projects that will benefit the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary.

The initial step in this process involved in-depth interviews with more than 40 stakeholders for a Caloosahatchee vision study led by the Consensus Building Institute (CBI), a not-for-profit group with extensive experience mediating water-related environmental issues in Florida and elsewhere. You are invited to view the Final Stakeholder Assessment Report that contains CBI's main interview findings and recommendations for moving forward.

Based on the report's recommendations, a multi-day science workshop was held in November 2013, and the District is starting a series of community forums in summer 2014.

Community Forums
The Caloosahatchee Community Forums will bring together multiple agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, local governments and other interested stakeholders to share and collaborate on science, projects and priorities. The first workshops will focus on developing stakeholder support for the implementation of the Caloosahatchee River Watershed Protection Plan.

Staff from CBI will facilitate a process that will engage local governments, state agencies and key stakeholder groups to prioritize specific projects that will benefit the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary. The intent is to identify a realistic and achievable set of short- to medium-term concrete steps that can contribute to improving water quality, quantity and timing of freshwater flows to the Caloosahatchee River.

First Caloosahatchee Community Forum
Friday, Aug. 8 – 1 to 5 p.m.
Riverside Community Center
3061 E. Riverside Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33916
Poster [PDF]
Workshop Agenda – DRAFT [PDF]
Stakeholder Engagement Process Guidelines [PDF]
Project Evaluation Criteria – DRAFT [PDF]
Additional materials for the workshop will be posted here as they become available. Visit the link below for updates.