September 8^th, marked the final public workshop and was held at the Whitney Lab in Marineland. Community leaders, concerned citizens, a student group, and reporters were among the visitors who came to learn about the project’s findings.

Participants, who registered for times available each half hour, began their visit with a short film giving an overview of the project. Afterwards, each group was guided into the atrium where multiple stations had been setup, each presenting major topics of the project. The presenters at each station were members of the project’s Steering Committee, staff of the GTM Research Reserve, and the University of Florida researchers. All the workshop materials (video and posters) are available on the Library page.

A news article resulting from the workshop highlights the leadership of the project and others in Northeast Florida, including the Northeast Florida Regional Council, to begin addressing the issue of sea level rise and yet the tremendous work that remains to be “ready.” Progress is clear-Sea Level Rise_The Florida Times-Union_9-9-14

“The Planning for Sea Level Rise in Matanzas” project is now moving into the final phase of publishing its results by January 2015. The input provided by the public during each workshop has been a valuable source of data that has assisted researchers in gaining a fuller understanding of the efforts needed for sea level rise planning.