South Florida Regional Planning Council

Our recent EV & Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Incident Response Training offered a practical look at the evolving hazards first and second responders are facing in the field.

Led by instructors James Russo, Fire Chief, Hollywood, FL (Ret.); Oscar Rodriguez, Battalion Chief, Margate, FL; and Doug LeValley, DC, Seminole Tribe / Fort Lauderdale (Ret.), the training covered EV, BESS, and photovoltaic incident response, parking garage and charging station hazards, firefighting tool capabilities, reporting requirements, tactical updates, recent burn study findings, updated case studies, and more.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and special thanks to the City of Hollywood, Florida Government Fire Rescue and Beach Safety for hosting this important training in partnership with the Southeast Florida Clean Cities Coalition.

Clean Cities Georgia, Tennessee Clean Fuels, U.S. Department of Energy

We are proud to co-host the EV & Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Incident Response Training on May 22, 2026 at Sheridan Technical College, led by seasoned instructors James Russo, Fire Chief, Hollywood, FL (Ret.); Oscar Rodriguez, Battalion Chief, Margate, FL; and Doug LeValley, Division Chief, Seminole Tribe / Fort Lauderdale (Ret.).

This session provides an in-depth review of EV anatomy and emergency response for evolving hazards, covering tactical insights for EV, BESS, and Photo-Voltaic incidents, responding to parking garages and charging stations, current firefighting tool capabilities, Florida compliance requirements, and the latest 2026 tactical updates including new findings from the UM/State Fire Bureau Burn Study.

Hosted by the South Florida Regional Planning Council, the Southeast Florida Clean Cities Coalition, and the South Florida Local Emergency Planning Committee, in partnership with Sheridan Technical College.

Space is limited. Secure your seat: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ev-battery-energy-storage-systemsbess-incident-response-training-tickets-1989316719860

Join us for an upcoming training on the Resilient Infrastructure Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) Tool.

May 18 or May 21 at 3 PM

Learn how to evaluate the economic, environmental, and social benefits of resilience projects — from road elevations to living shorelines.

Aligned with Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Florida funding criteria, the tool supports application development and preliminary cost estimates.

What you’ll learn:
• Ranking cost-effectiveness of nature-based and hybrid solutions
• Establishing and comparing benefit‑cost ratios across projects
• Quantifying environmental and social benefits

AICP credits available.

Register:
May 18 → https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EzXGfQt8QxOsiGIAnzXKog #/registration
May 21 → https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i8-9TNPTTe-6of8eG81bTQ #/registration

View the Tool + User Guide:
https://sfregionalcouncil.org/resiliency-planning-and-projects/draft-resilient-benefit-cost-analysis-tool/

Contact: Marion Knowles | [email protected] | 954-924-3653

Expanding access to homeownership across Broward County.

Through collaboration between SFRPC, SFCDFI, and the Broward County Housing Finance Authority, this initiative has supported the construction of 46 single-family homes for first-time homebuyers and continues to provide financing and resources for low- and moderate-income communities.

Our recent SFRPC Council meeting was a productive session with a series of insightful presentations and updates.

If you’d like to revisit the discussion, the full recording and presentation materials are available, with a recap to follow.

Highlights include South Florida’s Demographic Transformation from 2000–2024, the proposed Andytown-Oasis Transmission Lines in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, and additional Council updates.

Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__5l-vlbyMk&feature=youtu.be

South Florida Demographics Presentation:https://sfregionalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SFRPC_Demographics_2000-2024-4-20-26-Revised-PDF.pdf

Andytown-Oasis Project Presentation:https://sfregionalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Andytown-Oasis-Project-District.pdf

Happy Earth Week. Save the date for CITY Furniture’s 5th Annual Green CITY Summit on Wednesday, July 8 in Tamarac.

This year, you can expect an exciting day of:

· Keynote speakers from leading organizations driving sustainability
· Vendor showcase with tools and insights
· Community awards celebrating local changemakers
· Networking happy hour

If you or your team are interested in attending, please complete the interest form by Friday, May 23. A formal invitation with registration details will follow soon.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=RKZTdylq7UOm5bDYp1Wcl4gLvHU3hJtNgDHdi85-QStUMzA5TFRBQUpPNTVLWDRKSUQ5SUhVUTZSRyQlQCN0PWcu

For additional questions contact Eralda Agolli at [email protected]

Featured by WPBF 25 News, our joint South Florida Regional Planning Council and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council meeting brought regional conversations on data centers, biosolids, and growth challenges into focus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=q_jUGi1PgYZvhl8K&v=UE9VVkeMo8w&feature=youtu.be

Data centers, environmental concerns dominate South Florida Regional Planning Councils meeting Data centers, environmental concerns dominate South Florida Regional Planning Councils meetingWPBF 25 is your home for Florida breaking news and weather. For...

Materials from our latest SFRPC meeting are available online, including presentations and the full recording.

Explore insights on South Florida’s Demographic Transformation 2000 – 2024 presented by Randy Deshazo, the Proposed Andytown-Oasis Transmission Lines in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, by Florida Power & Light presented by Craig Coughlin, and key Council updates.

The full recording and presentations are available to watch and review.

Recording: https://youtu.be/__5l-vlbyMk

South Florida Demographics Presentation:https://sfregionalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SFRPC_Demographics_2000-2024-4-20-26.pdf

Andytown-Oasis Project Presentation:https://sfregionalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Andytown-Oasis-Project-District.pdf

sfregionalcouncil.org

A successful Joint Meeting between the South Florida Regional Planning Council and the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council brought together regional leaders for a wide-ranging conversation on key issues shaping Southeast Florida.

The full recording is available, along with the complete presentation deck from all speakers and presenters. Discussions covered biosolids, data centers, Florida’s Coral Reef, the 2026 State Legislative Session, Advanced Air Mobility, and Opportunity Zones.

Meeting recording: https://youtu.be/_ZBp0H8WinE

Presentation deck:https://sfregionalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/4.10.26-Joint-Meeting-Combined-Presentation.pdf

sfregionalcouncil.org

Regional collaboration in action. Our Joint Meeting with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council was featured on WPBF 25 News, highlighting conversations on data centers, environmental impacts, and the future of growth across Southeast Florida.

Leaders from across the region emphasized the importance of informed decision-making and collaboration as communities navigate growth and its impacts.

Read the article and watch the segment:

https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida-data-centers-environmental-concerns/70986034

Data centers, environmental concerns dominate South Florida Regional Planning Councils meeting Leaders said collaboration across counties remains key, but Friday’s conversation highlighted a growing challenge: how could South Florida continue to grow without damaging the place residents call home?