WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Exhibitor Set-up
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Registration and Information Center Open
8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Pre-Con workshop: So You Want to Be a City/County Manager
Speakers: Mark Huston, CFP®, Certified Financial Planner, ICMA-RC; Kathryn Matos, Assistant City Manager, City of Boynton Beach; Nicholas Mimms, City Manager, City of Fort Pierce; Alan Rosen, County Manager, Lake County; and Jill Silverboard, Deputy County Administrator, Pinellas County
Description: Whether you are at the start of your career or a long-time public servant with city management ambitions, then you need to attend this session! Becoming a city manager may be your dream job, or it may be the one you haven’t yet started to think about. What exactly does it take to get there? Join us for an entertaining and informative half-day session where you’ll hear from various professionals on how they got to the top spot, or just to the spot they always wanted. You won’t want to miss this informative session if you have ever thought about being a city or county manager.
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Pre-Con Workshop: Bias Behind-the-Scenes: What the Groveland Four Can Teach You About Ethical Decision-Making (There will be a book signing after the event.)
Speaker: Gilbert King
Description: In the books Gilbert King has written about Florida history, the culture of ethical behavior plays a large part, from local government all the way up to the highest political offices in the state. And while many of the issues and challenges have evolved over the decades, there continue to be ethical dilemmas that arise due to the wide range of backgrounds and experiences among governmental staff today. In this session, we will explore both historical lessons learned using real-life cases, as well as current examples that affect ethical decision-making. This session will also examine practical experiences and scenarios that take into account public trust and citizen understanding of good government practice, as well as a long-held distrust of government that still resonates.
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Good Ideas Center Open
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
First Time Attendees’ Orientation
All new attendees are encouraged to attend this session where the FCCMA officers and staff will be introduced. Tips will be given on how to get the most from the conference and there will be plenty of time for questions and answers.
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
President’s Welcome Reception
THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2021
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Registration and Information Center Open
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall
7:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Good Ideas Center Open
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Resume Review Appointments
Professional recruiters have been invited to meet one-on-one with attendees to discuss their individual résumés and the current job market. Click here to sign up. Early reservations are recommended as there may be limited availability on-site.
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Financial Planning appointments
Mark Huston and Hortensia Perez will conduct virtual financial planning consultations to conference attendees. Appointments will be scheduled on Thursday, June 3 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. In the event you attempt to register for an ICMA-RC CFP consultation and all the appointments have been taken; please send an email to Mark or Hortensia and they will be happy to schedule a consultation: Hortensia Perez: HPerez@icmarc.org or Mark Huston: mhuston@icmarc.org. Click here to sign up.
8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Opening General Session:
Honor Guard: Leesburg Police
Pledge of Allegiance: President Micah Maxwell
National Anthem: Terrance Stewart, City Administrator, Arcadia
Invocation: Mayor John Christian, Leesburg
Welcome: Mayor John Christian, Leesburg
President announces Richard G. Simmons Award Recipient
Title: A Smooth Sea Never Made A Skillful Sailor
Description: The future success of today’s leader is inextricably linked to their mastery of change agility. Failure to do so will turn today’s legacy into tomorrow’s corporate disaster story. In the words of Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but rather those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” Although anxiety and distress are the common responses to the prospect of change and left unchecked, they can blind us to the opportunity for growth that change provides. A Smooth Sea Never Made a Skillful Sailor outlines five foundational principles that when followed can serve as an anchor when the waves of change are upon us. Infused with humorous stories and valuable lessons learned through a lifetime of navigating change, this keynote will not only leave you energized, refocused and ready to take on your next challenge, but also give practical tools to assist you.
Opening Speaker: Tony Moore
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Business Watch/Vendor session
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions:
Session 1: So You Have a Strategic Plan in Place-Now What?
Speaker: Catherine Givens, Assistant City Manager, City of Coral Springs; Reese Goad, City Manager, City of Tallahassee; and David Mitchell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida
Description: Local government strategic planning has caught on in the past decade, but is it more than a buzzword or performative activity? In this session, you’ll hear from several municipalities on how they’ve put their strategic plans in action, generating a return on investment for their respective communities. Kick your strategic plan into high gear with meaningful performance measures, target-specific business plans or real-time performance dashboards to demonstrate value and provide the transparency that many of your stakeholders are seeking.
Session 2: How the “New Normal” Affects the Configuration of our Central Business Districts
Speakers: Whit Blanton, Executive Director, Forward Pinellas and President-Elect, Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association; Greg Chavarria, Assistant City Manager, Fort Lauderdale; Geoffrey Dickinson, Senior Vice President, SB Friedman Development Advisors; and Sarah Hannah-Spurlock, Nighttime Economy Manager, Fort Lauderdale
Description: As a result of COVID-19, the way people work, live and play has significantly changed. As we consider future planning initiatives, we look at how our “new normal” in terms of impact on retail, transportation, entertainment, and real estate will affect our traditional downtown and its appeal as a destination to live, work and entertain.
Session 3: Developing a Regional Business Case for Coastal Resilience
Speakers: Anne DeBoer, Associate, Sustainable Economics, AECOM; and Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resiliency Officer, Broward County
Description: The costs of a changing climate are expected to be significant, yet the costs of failing to act are expected to be far greater. Understanding the economic impact of sea level rise, flooding and investments in adaptation and resilience are essential to developing a business case for pre-emptive action. This project represents a collaborative public-private partnership to highlight regional interdependencies and associated costs and benefits from adaptation and resilience investments.
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Buffet lunch inside the exhibit hall
Join fellow participants and exhibitors in the exhibit hall for networking opportunities and a great lunch, as well as the chance to win some door prizes. This lunch is included in your registration fee.
12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Board of Directors Meeting
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Session 1: Negotiation and Persuasion Skills
Speakers: Russ Blackburn, City Manager, City of Port St. Lucie;Jorge Gonzalez, Village Manager, Bal Harbour Village; and Dan Kleman, Past President, Florida City & County Management Association
Description: Some city and county managers move up in their careers because of the technical skills they’ve learned and applied along the way as they increase their levels of responsibility. What many may not realize when they take the top seat in their organization is the need to have executive level negotiation and persuasion skills. Whether negotiating a large procurement contract or attempting to persuade elected officials to support a critical project, your soft skills are regularly put to the test. This session will focus on best practices and lessons learned from current and former managers on how to achieve win-win scenarios for your organization and elected officials.
Session 2: Partnering to Improve the Educational Systems in our Communities
Speakers: Ron Drew, Executive Vice President, Great Fort Lauderdale Alliance; Eric Hall, Ed.D., Chancellor for Innovation, Florida Department of Education; and Dr. Maria Vazquez, Deputy Superintendent, Orange County Public Schools
Description: Public education (K-12) is one of the most important services provided at the local level, yet it is primarily deemed a responsibility of the county school board. Many Florida municipalities have concerns regarding education, but don’t understand what they can do to positively impact this service. This session will provide an overview of how the public education systems affect our communities and their ability to attract quality businesses. It will explain why and how businesses, municipalities and school boards need to work together to advocate for public education, and the benefits of this collaborative “business action team” model.
Session 3: How Public/Private Partnerships Can Turbo-Charge Economic Development
Speakers: Glenn Burden, Area Manager and Senior Principal, Woodard & Curran; Tracy Garcia, Director, Agency for Economic Prosperity, Elevate Lake County; and Mike Smith, Vice Mayor, City of Groveland
Description: Learn how to use public-private partnerships to fortify your city’s economic development efforts. In this case study, our presenters will show how the ability to deliver on promised incentives and utility services was key to winning a $125 million economic development deal for Groveland that will produce up to 400 new jobs with an average salary of $52,000 this year.
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Refreshment break
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Session 1: The Immigration Conversation
Speakers: Alexis Davis, Policy Analyst & CBPP State Policy Fellow, Florida Policy Institute: Santra Denis, MPH, Executive Director, Miami Workers Center; Josefina DeVito, Immigration and Refugee Program Director, Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Antonio Tovar, Principal Investigator for Research Projects, Farmworker Association of Florida
Description: Although the issue of immigration policy is primarily a federal one, the topic of immigration has a significant impact on our communities. Giving consideration to changing politics in D.C., this session will look at the current effects of immigration policy on local government. It will include a roundtable discussion of the challenges and opportunities created by these policies, such as their impact on public safety, the local labor force, social services, schools and educational needs, housing, homelessness and many services provided by municipalities.
Session 2: Long-Term Impacts of a $15 Minimum Wage on Municipal Operations
Speakers:
Description: Florida voters have spoken and Amendment 2 has passed. What will a $15 minimum wage mean for Florida communities? How will fiscally-strapped local governments be able to fund the increases in their own payrolls, and what might the impacts be on employee morale and their sense of fairness? Will inflation lead to lower sales for retailers and what will the net effect be of that on sales tax revenues? Will workforces be reduced and businesses become more efficient? And what about low-skilled workers and Florida’s large population of people living on fixed incomes? Will they bear the brunt of this new policy?
Session 3: From Crisis to Recovery: Using AI to Better Understand Your Community
Speakers: Jonathan Buchen, Customer Success Manager, Zencity; Michael Cernech, City Manager, City of Tamarac; Lee R. Feldman, City Manager, City of Gainesville; and Jonathan Lewis, County Administrator, Sarasota County
Description: COVID-19 and the long-anticipated recovery process will require cities and counties to be attentive to their communities’ needs and concerns more than ever before. Learn how cities and counties from across the state use AI technology as an essential enabler for connecting to their residents, quantifying sentiment and opinions on key issues, and adapting policies and services around the various challenges they face.
5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Awards Program – Celebrating Professional Management
Be sure to join your colleagues for this special event to recognize FCCMA’s 2021 award winners.
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
BBQ Dinner and Tour at Kissimmee City Hall
Come enjoy Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ at Kissimmee City Hall, including a demonstration of the city’s innovative underground refuse system. The tour, dinner and transportation are all included in your registration.
Buses will load starting at 6:15 p.m. outside the hotel’s ______ entrance.
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Desserts Reception
Join your colleagues for a late-night reception featuring mouth-watering desserts and great conversation. This is an event you don’t want to miss and is included with your registration fee.
FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2021
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Registration and Information Center Open
7:45 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
7:45 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Inspirational Breakfast: Learning to Dance with a Limp-After Life Trips You Up
Speaker: Pam Brangaccio, ICMA/FCCMA Senior Advisor
Description: How does an individual “step forward” after experiencing four major life stressors at almost the same time? FCCMA past president and senior advisor, Pamela Brangaccio, has faced the terminal illness and death of a life partner during a hurricane; the end of a forty-year local government career; a major physical injury resulting in learning to walk again; and selling a family home and moving on the first day of the 2020 COVID-19 national lockdown. Through human generosity and the support of family and friends, she made it!
9:00 a.m. – 5:00p.m
Resume Reviews Appointments
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
General Session – Leadership for the Future
Speakers: Jan Tighe
Description: Jan Tighe currently serves on the Board of Directors for Goldman Sachs, the Huntsman Corporation, Progressive Insurance, IronNet Cybersecurity and serves as a Trustee for the MITRE Corporation. Jan retired from the US Navy as a Vice Admiral in August 2018 and returned home to Broward County Florida. Her last Navy assignment was as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare and as the 66th Director of Naval Intelligence. Previously, she served as the Commander of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and U.S. 10th Fleet where she was the first woman to command a numbered Fleet. A career cryptologist, she served around the globe in leadership positions for both the Navy and the National Security Agency, specializing in Signals Intelligence and Cyber Operations. She earned Naval Aviation Observer Wings and supported Operation DESERT STORM in the EP-3E aircraft. Jan is a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has a doctorate in Electrical Engineering and master of science in Applied Mathematics from the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey CA. Jan is also a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Governance Fellow.
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Session 1: Increasing Confidence and Pride in Local Government
Speakers: Michael Abels
Description: A perilous problem confronting local government is the public’s loss of trust in public and private institutions. Currently, most public and private institutions are not viewed with a high degree of trust by the American public; but city government is an outlier to this trend. For decades, city government has received over 70% approval by American citizens. And, on an individual level, 70% of the American public express trust in the management approach used by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation and subsequent panel discussion will review the characteristics that are common to city government and found in the management technique utilized by Dr. Fauci. These characteristics will be presented as a model that leaders of local government can follow to build and maintain trust in their local government.
Session 2: In a Post-COVID World, The Nature of Your Place Matters
Speakers: Patrick Golden, Executive Creative Director, North Star; and Keisha Shoun, Director of Communications and Marketing, Johnson City TN
Description: Quality of place is the new currency for competitive communities, and their brands must convey it. Placemaking has grown as COVID-19 encouraged healthier, nature-based activity. Waterways, trail systems and even productivity of the land speak to a community’s unique character and serve as attractors for talent, tourism and economic development. In this presentation, Johnson City, Tenn. will demonstrate the power of placemaking and marketing a community’s natural assets to capture its distinct essence and story.
Session 3: Post-Disaster Recovery: Are You Ready?
Speakers: Ed Cook, City Manager, Callaway; Taylor Matheny, Director of Operations, SynergyNDS; Mark McQueen, City Manager, Panama City; Matt Mooneyham, Regional Program Manager, Tetra Tech; Mike Morrill, Account Executive, Florida League of Cities
Description: Disasters are a part of life in Florida. It is not considered an “if”, but “when” the next disaster occurs. Cities need to be prepared for their next disaster to fully be eligible for any federal disaster assistance. Failure to follow proper protocols may result in non-eligibility or de-obligation of funding. Large disasters can put a strain on a city’s budget and failure to follow proper guidelines could result in long term budget issues. This session will focus on pre-disaster contracts, mutual aid agreements, procurement of services, insurance management, and the FEMA myths.
12:00 p.m. –1:30 p.m.
Business Meeting/Luncheon
1:45 p.m. –3:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions:
Session 1: Steering from the Back Seat: Building Consensus Among a Fractious Commission and Helping Them Function as a Cohesive Team
Speakers: Jonathon Evans, City Manager, City of Riviera Beach; Joyce Shanahan, City Manager, City of Ormond Beach; and Howard N. Tipton, County Administrator, St. Lucie County
Description: As administrators, we often have to deal with the aftermath of bloody election seasons, commissioners who publicly opposed each other, or other situations where there is uncivilized discourse on the dais. This reflects negatively on the municipality and hinders the administrator’s ability to move the commission, staff and initiatives forward. This session will focus on how the manager advocates for policy, develops consensus, leads the organization and motivates staff in this environment, and other steps to handle this environment.
Session 2: Balanced Growth-Making Infrastructure Investments to Support Development While Preserving the Unique Characteristics of Your Community
Speakers: Cynthia Barber, Deputy City Manager, City of Tallahassee; and Eddy Moratin, President, LIFT Orlando (Purpose Built Communities Network)
Description: Infrastructure investments are an important tool that local governments can use to support areas of their community in need of economic development. But how can local governments balance the need for development while maintaining the unique characteristics of existing neighborhoods or communities? Join in the discussion and hear case studies of how strategic investments can facilitate growth and revitalization, while also balancing the desire to preserve the character of the locale being served.
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Challenging our Paradigms: FCCMA’s Annual Journey’s Session
Speakers: Sarah Hannah Spurlock, Nighttime Economy Manager, City of Fort Lauderdale; Tracy Miller, Manager of Strategy Development, Sarasota County; and Jill Silverboard, Deputy County Administrator, Pinellas County
Description: The annual Journeys conversation is designed to inspire and challenge our thinking as local government managers and potential managers. In the past, this session has brought together managers for a personal reflection on how their careers developed, who were their mentors and where they receive inspiration in tough times. This past year has challenged our skills as community builders and brought to light disparity in our country, communities and organizations. Whether it be systemic racial injustice, gender inequality or even political differences, we have been reminded of the challenges that stem from unconscious bias toward others. This year’s session is meant to provide a self-reflection of alternative perspectives. Through a series of provocations, we hope to challenge attendees’ thinking about traditional norms so that we can embrace change and a future that is more inclusive of our communities’ interests.
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Spouse Informal Gathering
6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Friday Night Social
Entertainment: Dueling Pianos
Conference is almost over and now it’s time to join your colleagues for an evening of great food and entertainment. Dueling Pianos by Fun Pianos! is the entertainment, and they have promised an outstanding, two-hour interactive show perfect for all audiences. There will be a buffet dinner to start the evening, followed by the show. This is an event for the entire family, but everyone who attends MUST be registered. Be sure to register your children if you will be bringing them with you.
SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2021
8:00 a.m. 9:45 a.m.
Closing Breakfast: BrainSHIFT: 3 Mindful Steps to Break the Stress-Success Cycle
Speaker: Dr. Romie Mushtaq
Description: How often do you or your staff have: Difficulty focusing at work? Racing thoughts before bed? Feelings of stress or anxiety and end up with too many visits to the doctor with no real answers? It’s time to get to the core of the issue and break the Stress-Success Cycle.
Dr. Romie’s keynote blends medicine and wellness into her “3 Mindful Steps” and will truly shift your personal and professional lives. In this 60-minute interactive program, you will :
1. Score your current stress level and immediately implement three basic steps to lead with calm, decision, and precision.
2. Start a 7-day process to brainSHIFT from panic-induced symptoms to a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude).
3. Join an interactive Q&A on how to break the stress-success cycle and implement the program at home and in the workplace.
4. Digital Educational materials to implement and wellness and sleep programs.
5. Practical mindful techniques to implement in the corporate workspace.
