ADAPT

A Q&A With Jacksonville’s First-Ever Chief Resilience Officer

Anne Coglianese, Jacksonville’s first CRO, has been on the job since July, 2021. She came to Jacksonville from New Orleans, where she served as Coastal Resilience Manager from 2017 to 2020.

The Coordinator: Sean Lahav

Northeast Florida Regional Council Resiliency Coordinator Sean Lahav is just 24, but he’s already coordinating resilience efforts across all of Florida’s First Coast. His job includes getting “movers and shakers” from the private sector to think about incorporating sea level rise into their plans.

The Planner: Shane Corbin

LEED certification, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was created to encourage builders to be more sustainable. But last year, the entire city of Atlantic Beach undertook the process. City Manager Shane Corbin says the data gathering it required has given planners a roadmap for improving everything from energy efficiency to the amount of waste residents generate.

The City's Tree Guy: Richard Leon

Trees do all sorts of amazing things — trap and store carbon, protect us from floods, absorb pollutants and increase property values. Jacksonville’s Urban Forestry Manager Richard Leon looks at them as critical urban infrastructure and plans to plant as many as possible in the nation’s biggest city.

The Conversation Starter: Lauren Watkins

Scientists say the most important thing individuals can do to help fight climate change is to talk about it. But 64% of Americans say they rarely or never do. Lauren Watkins is trying to fix that. She teaches people how to have productive, non-polarizing conversations about environmental issues. She opens up her toolkit for us — and opens up about the communication challenges in her own family.