The Florida Bar has approved the conference for 8.0 General CLE credits. Of these, the bar has approved 1.0 as a Mental Health and Wellness CLE credit and 1.0 as a Technology CLE credit. The conference reference number is 2600298N.

The University of Florida Levin College of Law is located at 309 Village Drive, Gainesville, Florida.

Gainesville’s Regional Transit System provides convenient access to the law school.

If you bring a bicycle to the conference, you may park free of charge at any bicycle parking location.

If you bring a motor vehicle to the conference, you may park free of charge during the Thursday evening reception. During the Friday conference sessions, you may park free of charge in any green-designated parking space surrounding the law school. Some parking surrounding the law school is designated orange and the university has reserved these spaces for parking-permit-holders. The university will cite others who park in orange-designated spaces. In addition to onsite signs, this webpage identifies green designated parking spaces.

As AI and data centers drive unprecedented demand for electricity, long-standing assumptions about energy use, conservation, and regulation are being tested. In The Tech Energy Transition, Professor Amy Stein analyzes how emerging technologies are transforming the energy landscape and considers what this shift means for environmental protection, infrastructure planning, and the law’s role in managing rapid technological change.

Professor Amy Stein

Professor Amy Stein is an internationally recognized expert in energy and environmental law and policy, focusing on legal pathways to sustainably develop emerging technologies such as AI, data centers, and energy infrastructure. She holds an AB and JD from the University of Chicago, Prior to her academic appointments, she practiced as an environmental and litigation associate for Latham & Watkins LLP. For more than 25 years, she has examined the regulatory and policy challenges of integrating innovations such as renewable energy, energy storage, and AI into existing legal frameworks.

In various roles over at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, Professor Stein has showcased her leadership within the university and on a national level. As the Cone Wagner Professor of Law, she served for many years as the Law School’s Associate Dean for Curriculum and the Faculty Advisor for the Journal of Technology Law & Policy. She serves as an affiliate faculty member of the University’s AI2 Center and the University’s AI Working Group in AI Ethics and Policy, as well as a member of the national Association of American Law Schools’ Natural Resources and Energy Law and Environmental Sections.  In 2025, the University of Florida awarded her a UF Research Foundation Professorship, an honor provided to only 35 of the most productive and promising tenured faculty members.  

A lawyer and scholar, Professor Stein has authored more than fifteen solo-authored articles in leading law reviews, including the California Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review, and the Yale Journal on Regulation. Her work has attracted international attention from scholars, industry leaders, and policymakers, and she has contributed chapters to major collaborative projects, including the Oxford Handbook of the Foundation and Regulation of Generative AI and the Environmental Law Institute’s Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization. Popular Science named her a “Visionary Thinker” for her work on algorithms and the climate crisis. Her forthcoming MIT Press book (2026), The Data Center Next Door, explores how Big Tech, AI, and data centers are reshaping the energy future.

Florida’s agricultural industry is evolving as it faces environmental, legal, and economic challenges. The Changing Landscape of Florida Agriculture panel explores how traditional agriculture is being reimagined to meet modern demands and how legal and policy frameworks can foster resilience in the state’s food systems. Topics include the regulations shaping agricultural practices, the growing importance of sustainability and resource management, and the integration of emerging technologies. The discussion also considers how cities are incorporating food production into urban environments. The panel will examine how Florida’s agricultural sector is adapting to shifting realities, from tariffs decimating farm revenues, to rapid land development consuming farmland, to citrus greening devastating the citrus industry.

Mr. Steven Lamar Hall

Steven is a sixth-generation Florida farmer and the executive director of the Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) Foundation, where he leads the development of sustainable solutions to combat threats to citrus farming. Hall’s career began at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, spending over five years as general counsel before becoming assistant deputy commissioner of agriculture. 

Allan Charles

Allan is an attorney at Lewis, Longman, & Walker, P.A. in Tallahassee, Florida, and is Florida Bar board certified in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice. He previously served as a Senior Attorney at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Allan earned his J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law and his LL.M. in Environmental Law and Policy from Florida State University College of Law.

Catherine G. Campbell, PhD, MPH, CPH

Campbell is an assistant professor and extension specialist in community food systems with UF/IFAS. Her research and Extension program focuses on legal and regulatory issues in community food systems with a focus on urban food systems. Campbell attended the College of William & Mary, and then UF for a PhD in philosophy and a Master’s in Public Health focused on food systems. She currently serves on the USDA Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production.

Elizabeth Putnam, Juris Doctor candidate, University of Florida Levin College of Law

Libby is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. In May 2024, she graduated from UF with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education and Communication with minors in Agricultural and Natural Resource Ethics and Policy, Agricultural and Natural Resource Law, and Family, Youth, and Community Sciences. She is currently a student in the Environmental and Community Development Clinic and a Research Fellow for the National Agricultural Law Center.

This panel features emerging leaders who are shaping the future of sustainability, environmental justice, and policy innovation. Panelists will share their experiences in consulting, government, and the nonprofit sector, focusing on how young professionals can create measurable impact through collaboration, creativity, and persistence. Topics include translating policy into practice, integrating ESG principles into operations, advancing circular economy initiatives, and promoting equity in environmental decision-making. Attendees will gain practical insight into emerging trends and strategies that drive positive change within organizations and communities. The session encourages open dialogue between experienced professionals and the next generation of environmental leaders.

David Cohen, PMP, CSP, CHMM

David S. Cohen, PMP, CSP, CHMM, is the Hazardous Materials Manager at Moffitt Cancer Center, a University of Florida MBA Candidate with over ten years of experience in environmental consulting and public-sector program management. His work spans sustainability, EHS compliance, and circular economy initiatives for leading corporations and municipalities.

Jaklynn Rivero

Jaklynn Rivero is an Environmental Engineer and entrepreneur dedicated to balancing economic development with environmental conservation. With experience in civil design, water systems, environmental compliance, and regenerative landscape planning, she advances sustainable solutions rooted in ecological health. As a double Gator and founder of a permaculture design firm, she integrates engineering, biodiversity, and community resilience to create practical, nature-based designs.

Claudia Emerson

Claudia Emerson is a renewable energy leader with 7+ years of experience advancing solar development, sustainability strategy, and regenerative land practices. She has launched companywide sustainability programs, led large O&M portfolios, and pioneered one of the nation’s first pollinator-friendly solar initiatives. Skilled in GHG reporting, waste and materials reduction, and cross-functional collaboration, she excels at building programs from concept through implementation.

This panel examines the relationship between diet and mental health and wellness issues affecting lawyers and legal professionals. Presenter Hannah Allen will discuss how the foods we eat affect stress management, depression, anxiety, and overall well-being.

Moderator, Ritzy Ettinger, LMHC

Ritzy Ettinger is a licensed mental health counselor serving students at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Speaker, Hannah Allen, PhD, RDN, LDN

Dr. Hannah Allen is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist who has a B.S. and Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from the University of Florida. Her specialty is in working with those with eating and body image issues, including those with eating disorders. Hannah’s focus is to help clients feel better about themselves and their lives by helping them heal eating issues and improve body image. With these changes, her clients find taking care of themselves and eating healthfully much easier to do.

She has over 10 years of experience practicing medical nutrition therapy in a clinical research setting where she spent much of her time helping children with epilepsy. During this time she specialized in using food as medicine for children who did not respond to traditional treatment.

She became interested in alternative approaches to eating and weight when what she had learned in college was just not working and she realized that regimented eating practices are not sustainable and cause feelings of failure. 

Her search for an approach that works brought her to intuitive eating. She saw how clients no longer felt controlled by food, and are able to achieve a sense of peace around food and weight, and was hooked. Since 2017, she has dedicated her on-going training to intuitive eating, treatment of disordered eating and eating disorders, and Health At Every Size (HAES). 

She also is focused on the psychology of eating, and to enhance her work with clients, is trained in the Enneagram personality typing system.

Dr. Hannah is passionate about helping clients tune in to their internal signals and embrace the intuitive eater within, as well helping clients embrace body positivity and body acceptance. She works with clients of all ages, and especially loves working with teens, as well as LGBTQ and neurodivergent populations.

She is a member of the American Nutrition and Dietetic Association, American Academy of Nutrition, and the American Society of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition.

Local governments, land trusts, regional planning councils, and the state face growing pressure to balance development, flood resilience, habitat protection, and ecological connectivity—often with limited staff capacity and scattered data. The Florida Ecological Connectivity Planning Viewer (EcoCon) offers a transformative solution supporting conservation in this “Age of Change”. This free, web-based platform integrates Florida’s leading conservation datasets into a single, user-friendly tool for planners, policymakers, and advocates. With no downloads or maintenance required, EcoCon empowers collaborative, transparent conservation action. This session will demonstrate the tool’s capabilities, share examples of county-level applications, and explore how integrated, accessible data can drive more connected and resilient conservation outcomes across Florida in an age of rapid change.

Sarah Lockhart, MEM

Sarah has been working with the University of Florida’s Center for Landscape Conservation Planning since 2018 and is a doctoral candidate in Interdisciplinary Ecology.  She holds a Bachelor of Science from Eckerd College and a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, with a focus in Ecosystem Science and Conservation. Sarah has a passion for knowledge exchange and community organizing around the protection of ecological connectivity. 

Michael O’Brien, MLA, MS

Michael O’Brien is GIS manager at the University of Florida’s Center for Landscape Conservation Planning.  Trained in landscape architecture and GIS, he has worked in the public and private sectors and has fifteen years’ experience in conservation GIS.  He has contributed to projects like the Florida Ecological Greenways Network, Rural and Family Lands Protection Program GIS scoring, and the Florida Ecological Connectivity Planning Viewer.

Erik Finlay

Erik Finlay is an Assistant Scholar at the University of Florida GeoPlan Center. As a geospatial professional, Erik supports research, teaching, and service at the Center. His work focuses on geospatial analysis, data management, and the development of decision-support tools for projects related to public health, transportation, and environmental and urban planning.

Heather A. Obara, Esq.

Heather Obara, Esq. is Associate Director of the Alachua Conservation Trust. She has been working with Florida non-profits for more than 15 years. Heather received her B.A. in English Literature from Florida State University and her Juris Doctor with Honors in Environmental and Earth Law in 2013 from The Dwayne O. Andreas Barry School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Florida and has experience in environmental law, property law, non-profit management, and transactional real estate.

This panel will explore the growing role of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in the legal profession. Panelists will discuss practical applications that enhance efficiency and access to legal services, as well as the limitations and risks associated with relying on these tools. The conversation will also address the ethical considerations lawyers must navigate as technology becomes increasingly integrated into legal practice, including confidentiality, accuracy, bias, and professional responsibility.

Dean Jane O’Connell

Jane O’Connell is Associate Dean for Legal Information & Technology, Senior Lecturer, and Legal Skills Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Prior to joining UF Law, she was the Deputy Director of the Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas. At UT Law, she taught courses on intellectual property legal research and Texas legal research. She also served as the editor of the Tarlton Law Library’s Oral History series.

Professor Elizabeth Hilkin

Elizabeth Hilkin is the Associate Director of the Legal Information Center and a Legal Research Professor at the Legal Information Center at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Prior to joining UF, she was the Head of Special Collections at the University of Texas School of Law. She received her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University, her J.D. from Mercer University School of Law, and her master’s degree in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

This panel, sponsored by the Public Interest Committee (PIC) of the Florida Bar Environmental and Land Use Law Section (ELULS), will explore a broader and more inclusive meaning of “public interest” work in the legal profession that goes beyond the conventional notion of the admirable environmental attorney who exclusively advocates for “Conservation in an Age of Change.”  All attorneys, regardless of background or employment, can carve out a professional path and contribute to justice and the public good.  Members of PIC who practice in the nonprofit, government and private firm sectors will share their diverse backgrounds and experiences, examine opportunities (and limitations) of public interest advocacy in each sector, and present practical tips for all current and future attorneys to incorporate the public interest into their practice.

Derek Howard

Derek Howard is a Senior Assistant County Attorney with the Monroe County Attorney’s Office in the Florida Keys. For nearly two decades, he has handled Monroe County’s environmental and land use litigation at the trial and appellate levels.  Derek is board certified as an expert in City, County & Local Government Law, serves as the Secretary of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section (ELULS), and is the Editor of the ELULS Reporter. 

Byron Flagg

Byron advises landowners, business entities, individuals, and local governments on land use, zoning, environmental, regulatory, conservation, and real estate issues. Although having a statewide practice, he is focused on North Central Florida, based in GrayRobinson’s Gainesville office, his hometown. Byron has additional experience as outside counsel to several Florida municipalities and nonprofit organizations, advising on a variety of land use and coastal-related issues across the state of Florida.

For more than 15 years, Byron has advocated for his clients in all types of forums. He previously served as an assistant general counsel for the St. Johns River Water Management District handling Environmental Resource Permit matters, and as a felony assistant state attorney in the 8th Judicial Circuit handling numerous jury trials. He has litigated criminal and civil jury trials, as well as a range of administrative hearings involving environmental, land use, property appraiser, and code enforcement issues. More recently, Byron served in a unique role as conservation land negotiator for Alachua County’s Office of Land Conservation and Management where he assisted in the administration of Alachua County’s taxpayer-funded land acquisition program Alachua County Forever.

Katie Bauman

Katie Bauman is the Florida Policy Manager at Surfrider Foundation. She works at the intersections of policy, law, and public engagement to protect and support our ocean, coasts, and communities. Previously, Katie was a staff attorney for the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory Law School. She focused on a range of environmental issues related to energy, agriculture, and natural resources. Katie attended law school at Florida State University College of Law.

The field of energy law is extremely diverse and intersects in multiple ways with environmental law and policy, particularly in the realm of conservation. This panel of speakers presents a broad array of practitioners in the fields of energy and conservation law. Considering this year’s topic of “Conservation in an Age of Change,” each speaker will discuss their particular role and experience. This panel provides a forum for discussions about the wide variety of opportunities within the field of energy law. There will be an open discussion with questions and answers will follow the brief panel presentations.

Susan Sapoznikoff (moderator)

Susan Sapoznikoff is Special Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel of the Florida Public Service Commission (“PSC” or “Commission”). Since September 2022, she has worked in the Appeals, Rules, and Ethics Section of the PSC. In that capacity she is tasked to defend Commission orders on appeal, handle rulemaking and rule challenges at the Division of Administrative Hearings, provide legal counsel to Commission staff and Commissioners, provide legal analysis of proposed legislation, and provide ethics training and guidance to staff of the Public Service Commission.

Ms. Sapoznikoff graduated from the New College of Florida in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy. Her thesis was on welfare economics. She earned her Juris Doctor in 1990 from the Florida State University College of Law, where she served as Student Bar President and was a member of the Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, and interned with Justice Gerald Kogan at the Florida Supreme Court.

Prior to joining the Commission, she was in private practice from 1990 to 2018, focused in the area of Workers’ Compensation defense and employment litigation. From 2018 to 2022, she handled Medicaid Administrative Litigation and Medicaid Program Integrity matters at the Agency for Health Care Administration, where she also served as an Informal Hearing Officer.

Floyd Self

Floyd Self is the President of the Energy Bar Association, and a former President of the Southern Chapter of EBA. Mr. Self is a partner in the Tallahassee office of Berger Singerman, and has practiced state utility regulatory law for over 35 years before the Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas utility commissions. Mr. Self is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as an expert in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice; he is also licensed in Tennessee. His energy, telecommunications, water, and land use practice includes regulatory representation, financing and acquisition due diligence, oversight and compliance, Attorney General investigation defense, procurement and purchasing disputes, rulemaking, anti-trust and anti-competitive conduct, show cause, performance measures and standards, and lobbying services.

Mr. Self received his J.D. with honors and a Bachelor of Science cum laude from Florida State University. He is rated a Band 1 lawyer for Energy and Natural Resources by Chambers and Partners since 2023; he has been included in Best Lawyers in America since 2023, and rated the 2026 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” and the 2023 and 2025 Energy Regulatory Law “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America; and he is a Lawdragon 500, Leading Energy Lawyer for 2024. He is very engaged in providing leadership and leadership/team development for Leadership Tallahassee, Scouting America, the Knight Creative Communities Institute, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, the Challenger Learning Center, and NovusWay Ministries.

Adria Harper

Adria Harper is President of the Southern Chapter of the Energy Bar Association. She serves as General Counsel for the Florida Public Service Commission. Prior to her appointment as General Counsel, Ms. Harper held the position of Attorney Supervisor at the Commission. Throughout her tenure, she has worked on a broad range of regulatory matters, including electric rate cases, small water and wastewater rate cases, conservation issues, and telecommunications dockets. She has also served as the Commission’s Ethics Advisor and has handled rulemaking and appellate matters, including appearances before the Florida Supreme Court.

Ms. Harper graduated with honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism–Telecommunications. She earned her Juris Doctor in 2004 from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Harper was Director of the First Amendment Foundation, where she educated Florida citizens on open government laws and monitored legislative activity by tracking proposed bills, providing commentary, and assisting with legislative drafting. She also practiced law in the private sector with Harper and Harper & Associates, P.A., in Tallahassee, where she served as President of the firm.

Bradley Marshall

Bradley Marshall is a Senior Attorney with Earthjustice. Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, wielding the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change.

Mr. Marshall graduated Vermont Law School in 2012 and began his career in the Florida Regional office of Earthjustice that same year based in Tallahassee. Mr. Marshall has more than a decade of experience representing environmental and energy justice groups in front of the Florida Public Service Commission and in appeals to the Florida Supreme Court. Mr. Marshall is an experienced litigator regarding Florida energy regulation, having represented clients in numerous cases, including rate cases, energy efficiency proceedings, and need determinations for new power plants.

Janet Bowman

Janet Bowman is Senior Policy Advisor/Climate Policy for the Nature Conservancy in Florida  where she focuses on state climate and conservation policy, resilience policy, and transportation. She has also served as the Legal Director of 1000 Friends of Florida, attorney for the Senate Community Affairs Committee and the Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, focusing on local government land use, governance and finance issues, and Senior Attorney for the Department of Environmental Protection. She has served as an adjunct professor at Florida State College of Law teaching environmental law.

She received her J.D. from the Florida State University College of Law, and her B.A. from New College of Florida. She is a past Chair of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of the Florida Bar and a frequent speaker on conservation policy topics and on environmental and land use law. 

Shaw Stiller

Shaw Stiller is proud native of New Orleans and alumnus of Loyola University and the Florida State University College of Law. Shaw began his career as a law clerk for the Honorable Maurice Paul, Chief Judge for the Northern District of Florida. Shaw spent several years in private practice following this clerkship, and then joined the Department of Community Affairs in 1997. In fourteen years with the Department, including four years as General Counsel, Mr. Stiller served as lead counsel in important administrative proceedings across the State, including litigation regarding the Bay County /Panama City International Airport, proposed expansions of the Miami-Dade Urban Development Boundary, and the adoption of the rural land stewardship program. Mr. Stiller then spent several years in solo practice and as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Tallahassee before returning to state employment as Chief Counsel of Litigation for the Office of Insurance Regulation. Mr. Stiller joined the Public Service Commission in 2020, where he has served as lead counsel in the most recent base rate cases for Duke Energy Florida and the Florida Power & Light Company. Shaw currently serves as the Attorney Supervisor for the Regulatory Analysis Section at the Commission.

This panel discusses the role of grassroots coalition building and community organizing in promoting conservation and environmental justice amid weakening state and federal environmental laws and regulations. It highlights efforts of on-the-ground community and movement lawyers and law students in enacting tangible change to their communities.

Alyssa Huffman, esq., Jacobs Public Interest Law Fellow

Alyssa Huffman is an attorney and the inaugural Jacobs Public Interest Law Fellow at Stetson Law School’s Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment, working with Healthy Gulf. Originally from Texas, she moved to Florida in 2019, receiving her B.S. in marine biology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Tampa and her J.D. with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Miami School of Law.

Abigail Fleming, esq., Associate Director, University of Miami Environmental Justice Clinic

Abigail Fleming is an attorney and the Associate Director of the University of Miami Environmental Justice Clinic. Her work focuses on climate, environmental, and energy justice, seeking systemic change through community lawyering, advocacy, public policy resources, rights education, and interdisciplinary research.

Noah Peretz, Juris Doctor candidate, Stetson University School of Law

Noah Peretz is a community organizer and Stetson Law student concentrated in Social Justice Advocacy and Environmental Law. They serve as President of the Stetson National Lawyers Guild chapter and work as a student law clerk with the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic. Noah is preparing for a career in public interest environmental law.

Renata Happle

Renata Happle earned her BA in Political Ecology from Columbia University with a Master of Philosophy in Anthropocene Studies from the University of Cambridge. She has engaged in environmental policy work for Our Children’s Trust, Earth Law Center, Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and now works as a Public Comment Organizer for Healthy Gulf, translating legal and policy goals into effective public communication.

Conservation easements are a tool used nation-wide to protect and preserve property in perpetuity that is utilized by both public and private entities to achieve a wide range of goals. This panel will discuss how conservation easements can be utilized in different ways, and how the landowner’s intent in granting the easement affects the subject property. This panel will explore how the landowner’s intent in granting a conservation easement plays a role in the differences and similarities between proprietary conservation easements, regulatory conservation easements, and groundwater conservation easements.

In the last year, conservation easements have made headlines in Florida. Whether through the announcement of conservation easements purchased by state entities (like FDACS and FDEP) through programs like Florida Forever and the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, or due to the release of a regulatory conservation easement by state Water Management Districts. The differences in the intent of both the grantor and the grantee in recording a conservation easement has an effect on what happens to the subject land, and ultimately the easement instrument. In a time where conservation news stories dwell on golf courses and pickleball courts on state lands, questionable land swaps, and newspaper articles questioning the efficacy of conservation easements, environmental policy professionals should be aware of the differences in the type of conservation easements that exist in order to better serve their clients and environmental stakeholders writ large. This panel proposes to highlight those differences to environmental-policy professionals, through the lens of the landowner’s intent. Apart from the distinction between proprietary and regulatory conservation easements, the panel will also discuss an exciting new use of conservation easements – groundwater conservation easements. Used currently in western states, these easements also serve to highlight how a landowner’s intent for their property can be realized through unique conservation easements. Given Florida’s perpetual groundwater concerns, this third easement paradigm is relevant to this “age of change.”

Joel Benn, Esq.

Joel Benn serves as In House Counsel for the North Florida Land Trust. After graduating, cum laude, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law Joel began his practice in the private sector before joining the St Johns River Water Management District as Assistant General Counsel. As In House Counsel, Joel provides a wide range of services to NFLT to help meet its mission of protecting and preserving North Florida’s irreplaceable landscapes.

Jessica Quiggle, Esq.

Casey is the Conservation Policy Director for Florida Wildlife Federation, having previously served as the Advocacy Coordinator for the Florida Oceanographic Society. Casey also volunteers as the co-lead of the River Kidz, a youth advocacy group focused on clean water in the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon, and as a community scientist for the Florida Oceanographic Society. She lends expertise in environmental policy, advocacy, and science.

Travis Brammer, Esq.

Travis Brammer joined PERC as its first-ever Director of Conservation, overseeing PERC’s Conservation Innovation Lab and all field projects. He began his career at the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust rising to become the group’s Interim Conservation Director. He later graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming College of Law and most recently served as a Conservation Fellow at the Ruckelshaus Institute and MacMillan Private Lands Stewardship Program.

Heather A. Obara, Esq.

Heather Obara, Esq. is Associate Director of the Alachua Conservation Trust. She has been working with Florida non-profits for more than 15 years. Heather received her B.A. in English Literature from Florida State University and her Juris Doctor with Honors in Environmental and Earth Law in 2013 from The Dwayne O. Andreas Barry School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Florida and has experience in environmental law, property law, non-profit management, and transactional real estate.

Byron Flagg

Byron advises landowners, business entities, individuals, and local governments on land use, zoning, environmental, regulatory, conservation, and real estate issues. Although having a statewide practice, he is focused on North Central Florida, based in GrayRobinson’s Gainesville office, his hometown. Byron has additional experience as outside counsel to several Florida municipalities and nonprofit organizations, advising on a variety of land use and coastal-related issues across the state of Florida.

For more than 15 years, Byron has advocated for his clients in all types of forums. He previously served as an assistant general counsel for the St. Johns River Water Management District handling Environmental Resource Permit matters, and as a felony assistant state attorney in the 8th Judicial Circuit handling numerous jury trials. He has litigated criminal and civil jury trials, as well as a range of administrative hearings involving environmental, land use, property appraiser, and code enforcement issues. More recently, Byron served in a unique role as conservation land negotiator for Alachua County’s Office of Land Conservation and Management where he assisted in the administration of Alachua County’s taxpayer-funded land acquisition program Alachua County Forever.

Strong Everglades restoration depends on trust and accountability; when that fails, America’s landmark environmental laws provide a critical backstop to vindicate the public’s interest in conserving precious wetlands and wildlife. One such law, the National Environmental Policy Act, came in response to a plan to build the “World’s Largest Jetport” in the Everglades. Fortunately, the ill-advised vision of a bustling international airport in the heart of the Everglades ended with one solitary runway, and the formation of Big Cypress National Preserve. But once again the nation’s commitment to conservation is being tested in the crucible of the Everglades, with the construction of a federal immigration detention facility at the exact same site, and a resulting lawsuit. The panel will discuss how foundational environmental laws are as relevant now as they were decades ago to ensure activities in the Everglades are thoughtful, strategic, and informed by science and public participation.

Elise Bennett, Esq.

Elise Bennett (she/her) is the Florida & Caribbean director and a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. In this role, she uses science, law, and creative media to advocate for endangered species and the lands, water, and climate they need to survive. Born and raised in Florida, she holds a law degree and a certificate of concentration in environmental law from Stetson University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and policy from the University of South Florida’s Honors College. Before working at the Center, Elise clerked for circuit judges in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsborough County and worked pro bono to help advance a UNESCO World Heritage nomination for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Eve Samples

After two decades as a journalist, Eve Samples joined Friends of the Everglades in early 2020, recognizing an opportunity to meld her passion for environmental reporting with Friends’ legacy of grassroots advocacy and education. Eve previously worked as opinion editor for the USA TODAY Network-Florida, a columnist and editor for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers, and a reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She is from Miami and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Paul Schwiep

Paul Schwiep is chair of Coffey Burlington’s Environmental and Class Action Litigation Group. He maintains a wide-ranging practice, with an emphasis defending class actions, professionals in various fields, contract and commercial disputes and business torts. His clients include fortune 500 companies, private enterprises, and environmental organizations.

Tania Galloni

Tania Galloni is Managing Attorney of the Earthjustice Florida Regional Office where she oversees litigation to enforce state and federal environmental laws. After graduating law school, Tania served for three years as a judicial law clerk in the Southern District of Florida and at the Eleventh Circuit. Before working at Earthjustice, she served as senior attorney with the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (now Americans for Immigrant Justice) and Southern Poverty Law Center’s Florida Office.

Edward Ornstein

Edward Randall Ornstein serves as the Deputy General Counsel and Embassy Director of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. Mr. Ornstein also served as the Senior Co-Chair of the ABA’s Indigenous Law Committee, and now serves as an Environmental Justice advisor for ABA Section leadership. His work for the Miccosukee fuses traditional legal advocacy with press and political coordination strategies. Mr. Ornstein is an enrolled member of the Southeastern Mvskoke Nation, a state-recognized Tribe in Alabama.

Jaclyn Lopez, Esq.

Professor Jaclyn Lopez directs the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson’s College of Law. Before that, she served as the environmental nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity’s Florida Director and senior attorney for over a decade. She holds an LLM in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida, a JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and an MS in urban planning from the University of Arizona.

This panel will highlight the key environmental issues and decisions facing our state in 2026. Panelists will discuss the primary current statewide and regional policy issues, and offer their perspectives on how the Legislature, state agencies and local governments should resolve them.

Panelists will include representatives from the environmental community, state government, local government and industry, to explore the options and implications – from maintaining the status quo to making significant policy changes.

Topics of discussion will include land use planning policy, water quality protection, land acquisition funding, climate change and sea level rise, among others.

The session will be timely because the Legislature will be in session during the conference and major issues will be playing out in that forum and, because Florida’s rapid population growth – coupled with its increasing loss of environmental habitat and quality – make these issues timely. The session would be relevant to attorneys, law students, and other environmental-policy professionals, and would further environmental conservation because it help translate concepts otherwise discussed during the conference into an understanding of specific laws and policy actions that impact the issues discussed throughout the conference, and help attendees identify the specific action needed to further environmental conservation.

Richard Grosso, Esq.

Richard Grosso has 39 years of experience representing public interest clients throughout Florida as a litigator, appellate lawyer, advocate and counselor on environmental, land use, constitutional, property rights and governmental law. Mr. Grosso has been a law professor and General Counsel for environmental non-profit organizations and a staff attorney for the state of Florida. He successfully litigated significant precedent – setting cases and speaks and writes extensively on these issues.

Implemented in 2001, the Florida Forever Act emphasized the importance of conserving Florida’s natural and cultural heritage, while also providing quality stewardship of the lands acquired. Florida Forever is more than just a land acquisition program focused on protecting water resources, biodiversity, and greenways It is one of the most successful programs of its kind in the United States. Furthermore, it is one of many programs aimed at increasing land protection statewide. However, in 2025, multiple land swaps were proposed under the program, oftentimes at great biodiversity and economic losses. We will take a closer look at proposed land swaps within the program and others that are closely related. The format of the session will be informational followed by an audience-engaged discussion.

Katherine Sayler, PhD, MPH

Katherine Sayler is a scientist and policy analyst. After studying disease transmission in wildlife and vectors such as ticks for nearly two decades, she pivoted to utilize her analytical skills to advocate for wildlife policies that benefit Florida’s species with Defenders of Wildlife.

Casey Darling Kniffin

Casey is the Conservation Policy Director for Florida Wildlife Federation, having previously served as the Advocacy Coordinator for the Florida Oceanographic Society. Casey also volunteers as the co-lead of the River Kidz, a youth advocacy group focused on clean water in the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon, and as a community scientist for the Florida Oceanographic Society. She lends expertise in environmental policy, advocacy, and science.

1000 Friends of Florida released a report in June 2025 evaluating environmental impacts of land application of Class B biosolids — sewage sludge — in Florida, and an assessment of alternative management options. Concurrently, the St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Public Trust for Conservation commissioned an economic analysis, released in August 2025, that estimated $1.12 billion in clean-up costs over 10 years from the land disposal of biosolids in the headwaters of the St. Johns River, where a disproportionate share of Florida’s sludge is dumped. In a panel presentation entitled “No Time to Waste: Florida’s Urgent Need to Better Manage Sewage Sludge”, representatives of 1000 Friends, the St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Public Trust will discuss their research and Florida’s need to transition to biosolids management practices that minimize impacts to receiving waters, are cost-effective, and reduce inequities among stakeholders. The discussion will include legislative options.

Haley Busch – Communications & Outreach Director, 1000 Friends of Florida

Haley serves as Communications & Outreach Director for 1000 Friends of Florida, where she leads statewide public affairs, communications, and community engagement efforts in support of smart growth, transportation planning, and land-use policy. Her work focuses on helping communities, local governments, and partner organizations understand and engage in the planning and policy decisions that shape Florida’s future.

Prior to joining 1000 Friends of Florida, Haley served as Administrator for the Florida Conservation Coalition, where she supported statewide coordination among conservation organizations and helped advance collaborative policy solutions to Florida’s environmental challenges. In her local community, she is actively engaged in transportation planning and bike-pedestrian safety efforts through service on advisory committees focused on multimodal planning and safer, more connected streets.

Haley earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Eckerd College, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and holds master’s degrees in Public and Urban Policy from the University of Glasgow and Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida. A Gainesville native, she resides in St. Petersburg with her family and enjoys kayaking, birdwatching, and cycling along the Pinellas Trail.

Craig Diamond, MS, Biosolids Research Director, 1000 Friends of Florida

Craig Diamond serves as Research Director for the 1000 Friends of Florida biosolids project. When not otherwise retired, he supports The Balmoral Group as a resource economist. He has more than 45 years’ experience in environmental economics and in land and water use policy, including work at the local, regional and state governmental levels, the private sector, and more than two decades as a research and teaching faculty within Florida’s state university system.

Lisa Rinaman, St. Johns Riverkeeper 

Lisa Rinaman serves as the chief advocate and public’s voice for the St. Johns River. She utilizes 20 years of policy experience to hold those harming the river accountable and to identify and champion solutions to protect and restore the river, its tributaries, and its springs. Lisa was instrumental in the creation of Waterkeepers Florida, a collaboration of 15 Waterkeeper Alliance programs across the state. She is one of the founding members of the Reunite the Rivers Coalition.

John Henry November, Esq. Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Trust for Conservation

John graduated from the University of Florida Magna Cum Laude and then received his JD from UF’s Levin College of Law. In addition to being a zealous advocate for the environment in his role as Executive Director/General Counsel for the Public Trust, he is Board Chairman & General Counsel for COAST Inc. (the Coastal Ocean Association of Science &; Technology) and practices personal injury, nonprofit, real estate, probate, and contract law.

Pursuing public interest conservation work in this age of change means understanding the sweeping changes to foundational environmental laws. This panel of practicing public interest litigators will share environmental law updates from SCOTUS, the 11th Circuit, Florida courts and from federal and state agencies, and will provide perspective for how these new developments will impact conservation work in Florida. First, panelist Elise Bennett, Florida & Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, will present selected environmental rulemaking taken by the Trump II Administration. Next, panelist Jaclyn Lopez, Professor of Law and Director of the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson’s College of Law, will present notable recent judicial decisions from the Eleventh Circuit. Finally, Alisa Coe, Deputy Managing Attorney for the Florida regional office of EarthJustice, will cover recent Supreme Court cases. An open discussion will follow the panel presentations.

Elise Bennett, Esq.

Elise Bennett (she/her) is the Florida & Caribbean director and a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. In this role, she uses science, law, and creative media to advocate for endangered species and the lands, water, and climate they need to survive. Born and raised in Florida, she holds a law degree and a certificate of concentration in environmental law from Stetson University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and policy from the University of South Florida’s Honors College. Before working at the Center, Elise clerked for circuit judges in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsborough County and worked pro bono to help advance a UNESCO World Heritage nomination for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Jaclyn Lopez, Esq.

Professor Jaclyn Lopez established and directs the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson’s College of Law. She also teaches courses like professional responsibility, advanced legal research and writing, environmental practice, and topics in biodiversity. She comes to Stetson Law from the Center for Biological Diversity, where she served as the environmental nonprofit’s Florida Director and senior attorney for over a decade. She holds a master of laws in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida, a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona. She writes and lectures on access to courts and decision makers, corporate interference in democracy, climate change, water and air quality, environmental injustice, and the extinction crisis.

Alisa Coe, Esq.

Alisa Coe is the Deputy Managing Attorney for the Florida regional office of Earthjustice, located in Tallahassee, FL. She received her law degree with honors from Tulane University Law School and earned a Master of Studies in Environmental Law with highest honors from Vermont Law School. She began her legal practice in New Orleans, uncovering air pollution violations at oil refineries and founding a general litigation firm. For the past 20 years she has been a litigator with Earthjustice working on everything from tort cases to clean energy. Her work, however, has had a special focus on protecting Florida’s waters and the Everglades.

As climate change causes stronger and more frequent storms, coastal states face many ecological and economic problems from storm damage, including destruction of infrastructure, damage to private property, and erosion of ecological habitats. This panel will explore government options to enhance coastal resiliency by increasing natural shorelines while reducing human development. This discussion will include:

1. Policy initiatives to stimulate greater use of nature-based solutions (NBS) such as living shorelines, to preserve beaches and ecological habitats from storm forces;
2. The amortization, and eventually termination, of government-subsidized property insurance policies which encourage human development in storm-vulnerable coastlines;
3. Reduction to government efforts to repair infrastructure after storms; and
4. Exploration of potential takings claims related to each of the foregoing recommendations.

Professor Karen “Kara” Consalo, J.D., LL.M.

Professor Karen “Kara” Consalo is an Assistant Professor at Florida A&M University College of Law. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and an LL.M. from Boston University School of Law. Her scholarship focuses on environmental law and climate resilience, including recent work on regulatory burdens to living shorelines.

Professor Robert H. Abrams, J.D.

Professor Robert H. Abrams is a Professor of Law at Florida A&M University College of Law. He studied at Stanford Law School and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. His scholarship addresses water law and environmental law.

Professor Jeffrey Brown, J.D.

Professor Jeffrey Brown is an Associate Professor of Law at Florida A&M University College of Law. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. He has presented on natural disasters and teaching environmental law.

As challenges intensify and new opportunities arise, nonprofit organizations must be dynamic and strategic in environmental efforts. Effective advocacy requires more than courtroom victories. It demands collaboration across disciplines, innovative policy design, and community-driven solutions. This panel brings together public interest attorneys to explore how nonprofits utilize law, science, policy, and advocacy to protect critical species, habitat, waterways, and ecosystems. Join us for a discussion on how legal frameworks and expertise shape strategy, collaboration, and public engagement for environmental progress.

This session will explore in greater detail all of the ways law and a legal background can be leveraged in nonprofit environmental work — focusing on international negotiation, policy work, science/innovation, and grassroots engagement. It is timely given the important role nonprofits continue to play in bridging communities and levels of government, as well as filling in gaps when there are governmental shifts.

Katie Bauman

Katie Bauman is the Florida Policy Manager at Surfrider Foundation. She works at the intersections of policy, law, and public engagement to protect and support our ocean, coasts, and communities. Previously, Katie was a staff attorney for the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory Law School. She focused on a range of environmental issues related to energy, agriculture, and natural resources. Katie attended law school at Florida State University College of Law.

Holly Parker Curry

Holly is MPA Campaign Director for ASOC. Previously, Holly practiced land use, local government, and environmental law. She clerked for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida and served as a staffer for U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. Holly also worked for the Surfrider Foundation and the Nature Conservancy in environmental policy, governmental affairs, and grassroots organizing. Holly holds a BS in International Affairs, MS in Applied American Politics & Policy, and JD.

Janet Bowman

Janet is senior policy advisor for the Nature Conservancy in Florida, where she focuses on climate and conservation, resilience, and transportation. She previously served as legal director of 1000 Friends of Florida, an attorney for the Senate Community Affairs Committee and the Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, and senior attorney for the FL Department of Environmental Protection. She received her J.D. from the FSU College of Law and her B.A. from New College of Florida.

Jon Paul “JP” Booker

JP Booker is an attorney admitted to practice in Florida and federal district courts. Booker serves on multiple Florida Bar committees and its Environmental and Land Use Law Section Executive Council. A 2023 Bill Sadowski Memorial Award recipient, Booker is Director of Florida Conservation at Ocean Conservancy, focusing on coastal and marine conservation issues across Florida and the Southeast.

Booker is a native Floridian raised on the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County and can trace family roots in Florida to the 1850s.

During the 2025 Legislative Session, the Florida Legislature passed SB 180- Emergencies. While this bill touts itself as setting up safeguards for hurricane relief, its vague language limits the ability of local governments to respond to the changing planning and zoning needs of their community. Despite criticism from local government officials and representatives, the bill was signed into law and came into effect on June 26, 2025.

Two subsequent lawsuits were filed by 1000 Friends of Florida and by a coalition of city and county governments from around Florida.

The goal of this panel will be to explain what the law does, the state of the current litigation, and possible predictions on the legislature’s response in the upcoming session.

Richard Grosso, Esq.

Richard Grosso has 39 years of experience representing public interest clients throughout Florida as a litigator, appellate lawyer, advocate and counselor on environmental, land use, constitutional, property rights and governmental law. Mr. Grosso has been a law professor and General Counsel for environmental non-profit organizations and a staff attorney for the state of Florida. He successfully litigated significant precedent – setting cases and speaks and writes extensively on these issues.

Desmond Morrell

Desmond Morrell is an attorney in the Orange County Attorney’s Office. Morrell earned his Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law in  2013. He is a member of the City, County & Local Government Law and the Environmental & Land Use Law sections of the Florida Bar.

Carson Crockett

Carson J. Crockett, AICP, is a Principal Planner for the City of Alachua. He supports the functions of the Planning and Community Development Department, assists in the development review process and regularly communicates with members of the public. Crockett holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida.

This panel would focus on the challenges and opportunities associated with conservation planning and implementation across state lines, from the perspectives of individuals working across different partner organizations involved across the many stages of the planning and implementation process. Functional connectivity at the landscape scale and protection of wide-ranging species requires collaboration across jurisdictional borders. Our panel will discuss challenges that arise from differences in legal frameworks and land acquisition processes across state lines, and approaches that have been useful in addressing these challenges and building equitable partnerships. We will discuss recent updates to State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), as well as on the ground conservation action from the perspectives of land trusts and NGO’s. The discussion will focus on regional issues and recent impetus at the Florida borders with Georgia and Alabama. The federal role will also be examined.

Jason Totoiu

Florida Policy Director and Senior Attorney at the Center. I am a graduate of Emory University and Tulane Law School. I work in the Center’s Florida and Caribbean region protecting endangered species, public lands, and water quality, with a particular focus on landscape-level conservation. Before joining the Center, I was executive director of the Everglades Law Center, where I worked to advance the restoration of America’s Everglades. I am a past co-chair of the Everglades Coalition.

Asena Goren

I do applied conservation research, with a focus on large, connected landscapes and ecological connectivity. I am interested in data integration and modeling at different spatial scales, including cross-jurisdictional interfaces. I also focus on social governance issues related to cross-boundary collaboration in conservation planning.

Ramesh Buch

I’ve been a full-time real estate professional since 1996, specializing in the protection of environmentally sensitive lands throughout Florida. I have worked with Miami-Dade’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, then in 2001, moved to Gainesville to establish and run Alachua County’s Alachua County Forever Land Conservation Program. In 2016, I became the Real Estate Services Director for the St. Johns River Water Management District. This position involved larger landscapes and more complex deals, with goals beyond conservation, including hydrological restoration, aquifer recharge, and water quality improvement. After retiring from public service in 2021, I became the Director of Conservation Acquisitions for the North Florida Land Trust. Over the course of my career, I’ve facilitated property transactions totaling over 92,000 acres and valued at more than $370 million.