Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Leonard Vialpando
Department: Public Works and Environmental Services
Division: Administration
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO APPROVE authorization for the Public Works and Environmental Services Department to solicit co-sponsorships greater than $30,000 to support Broward County's hosting of the 18th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit (Summit) in November 2026; and authorize the County Administrator to execute co-sponsorship and other related sponsorship or marketing agreements for the Summit at no additional cost to County, after review for legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney, and to take all other administrative and budgetary actions to implement the co-sponsorships as necessary.
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Why Action is Necessary
Approval by the Board of County Commissioners is necessary to approve solicitations in excess of $30,000 and to delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute and implement such co-sponsorships.
What Action Accomplishes
Allows the Public Works and Environmental Services Department to solicit co-sponsorships in excess of $30,000 to support the 18th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit.
Goal Related Icon(s)
☒County Commission
☐Go Green
☐MAP Broward
Previous Action Taken
None taken.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE PUBLIC WORKS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This item supports the County Commission’s Value: Encouraging investments in renewable energy, sustainable practices, and environmental protection; and the Goal to: Educate the public about the fragile South Florida ecosystems, impacts of severe weather, sea level rise, and climate change, with special emphasis on the coral reef ecosystem.
Broward County is scheduled to host the 18th Annual Regional Climate Leadership Summit on November 4-6, 2026, in collaboration with Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact partners.
The 1st Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit was hosted by Broward County in October 2009. This event led to the adoption of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact by Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties in January 2010, a voluntary collaboration to address shared climate challenges.
Compact deliverables have included creation, update, and adoption of Unified Regional Sea Level Rise Project for Southeast Florida, development of Regional Climate Indicators, three iterations of a Regional Climate Action Plan, implementation workshops, coordinated legislative programs and advocacy, and the annual convening of a Regional Climate Leadership Summit to maintain collaborations, assess progress, and coordinate future actions. Broward County also hosted the 5th Annual Summit in November 2013, the 9th Annual Summit in 2017, and the 14th Annual Summit in 2022.
Summit attendance is expected to reach 600-800 people, consistent with historical attendance levels. The Summit will include the participation of officials representing local, state, regional, and federal governments and agencies, nonprofits, industry, business groups, consulting firms, academics, students, and the public. The event will be held at the Broward County Convention Center and will include a two-day program on November 5-6, with the addition of an Innovation Day on November 4th. The Museum of Discovery and Science will host a pre-Summit launch event on the evening of November 4th in recognition of speakers, panelists, and co-sponsors, with elected officials and Compact staff members also expected to attend. The total cost to host the Summit is estimated at $470,000. A portion of Summit expenses will be offset by registration fees, with sponsorships to be solicited to meet the remainder of the budgetary needs. While the Compact Summit was previously approved for solicitation of up to $200,000 in total sponsorships, evaluation of the estimated expenses for the 2026 Summit indicates additional solicitations will be needed to fully offset the anticipated expenses. Therefore, the Public Works and Environmental Services Department seeks to solicit co-sponsorships outside of the pre-approved Advantage Marketing Plan amount to cover anticipated expenses for the summit.
The co-sponsorships may be solicited by:
• Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer and Deputy Director of the Public Works and Environmental Services Department and her designees within the department.
Per Advantage Marketing guidelines, the Summit co-sponsorship opportunities at the $5,000 level or higher shall be posted on the Purchasing Division’s website as a Request for Information (RFI). The County Administrator shall provide such notice under the direction of the motion to take administrative and budgetary actions to implement the co-sponsorships as necessary. Department staff recommend that all co-sponsorship levels be posted, to provide complete information to any prospective co-sponsors who may see the RFI.
Source of Additional Information
Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer and Deputy Director, Public Works and Environmental Services Department, (954) 519-1464.
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
Co-sponsorships collected for the purpose of hosting the 18th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit will be used to cover printing expenses, promotional materials, refreshments, speaker travel, audio/visual requirements, video recording, and other miscellaneous costs. Based upon co-sponsorships received in previous years, it is anticipated that local governments, industry groups, consulting firms, and nonprofit groups will provide co-sponsorship support. Co-sponsorships are proposed to range from $1,000 to $50,000 each. Funding provided by event co-sponsors will be received through budget resolutions recognizing the unanticipated revenue.