At the forefront of the PIC agenda was the 8th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference. The 8th Annual Environmental Conference was entitled “Industry is from Mars, Environmentalists Are From Venus, Reconciling Our Differences on Earth.” In good spirit the conference was held over the Valentine’s Day holiday at the University of Florida. The Conference focused on Florida Industry, specifically in the areas of Agriculture, Development, Infrastructure and Tourism. It was a huge success!

     The goal of the conference was to increase attendance and bring a renewed focus to the objectives of the Public Interest Committee; while at the same time, broadening the scope of the presentations and including speakers representing all sides of an issue pertaining to the “greening of Florida.” Attendance rose dramatically from the previous year, and the issues were thoroughly represented by the 70 panelists and speakers.

     I would personally like to thank all of the PIC members who worked very hard at making the conference a spectacular success. The PIC conference is an excellent forum for accenting key statewide environmental issues. We are now focused on making the conference even bigger and better next year.

     If you are interested in joining the PIC, this is an excellent time to do so. For any information on the Public Interest Committee please contact me, your Chair, at (813) 204-2849 or mcollins@bbs-law.net. I have joined the law firm of Bavol, Bush, and Sisco, P.A., in Tampa, and will continue to work in the areas of environmental and land use law. I look forward to seeing all of you soon at our upcoming meetings.