The Florida Influencer Series

Watch the Florida Priorities Summit

Watch the Florida Priorities Summit

Some of Florida’s top leaders and decision-makers gathered in Miami Wednesday to discuss and develop solutions to the most critical issues facing the state.

The Florida Priorities Summit, at the University of Miami’s Donna E. Shalala Student Center, featured experts from a wide array of backgrounds and focus on five areas: education, transportation, guns, environment and health care. The goal was to provide concrete policy recommendations to Florida’s newly elected officials.

The summit was the culminating event of the Florida Influencers Series. Over the past six months, a panel of 50 of Florida’s most prominent voices shared shared their ideas on how to address the state’s most pressing policy concerns and responded to questions from readers of the Miami Herald, Bradenton Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

A team of college journalists from around the state was invited to report from the summit.

Here are videos from the event:

Election Shakeout: What 2018 means for 2019 and 2020

Conversation leader: David Smiley, Political Reporter, Miami Herald

Guests:

  • Marc Caputo, Reporter, Politico

  • Michael Putney, Senior Political Reporter & Host “This Week in South Florida,” WPLG Local 10 News

  • Rachel Smolkin, Vice President & Executive Editor, CNN Politics

What Florida Wants

Conversation leaders: Aminda Marqués Gonzalez, Executive Editor of the Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald and Bradenton Herald, and George Haj, Project Manager of the Florida Influencer Series

Guests:

  • Education | Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, President & CEO, Children’s Services Council of Broward County

  • Environment | Julie Wraithmell, Executive Director, Audubon Society

  • Guns | Rhea Law, Chair, Florida Offices, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

  • Transportation Infrastructure | Chris Caines, Executive Director, FIU Miami Urban Future Institute

  • Health Care | Victoria Kasdan, Executive Director, We Care Manatee

Recount 2018: What Florida 2000 tells us about Florida 2018

Conversation leader: Amy Driscoll, Editor, Miami Herald; part of newsroom team that covered the 2000 recount

Guests:

  • Kendall Coffey, Attorney & Founding Member, Coffey Burlington; 2000 Gore Legal Team

  • Ed Pozzuoli, CEO, Tripp Scott; 2000 Bush Legal Team

  • Mark Seibel, Editor, Buzzfeed; Former Managing Editor, Miami Herald

Guns: Keeping Florida Safe from Gun Violence

Conversation leader: Nadege Green, Reporter, WLRN

Guests:

  • Luther Campbell, Musician, Producer, Activist

  • Megan Hobson, Gun Violence Survivor

  • Jon Mills, Counsel, Boies Schiller Flexner

Transportation and Infrastructure

A conversation with: Jeff Brandes, State Senator, Florida Senate, and Kim Hart, Managing Editor, Axios

Smart Cities: Innovative Travel, 5G, and the Political Drive to Make It Happen

Conversation leader: Raul Moas, Miami Program Director, Knight Foundation

Guests:

  • Alex Buznego, Miami Market Manager, Ford Motor Company Autonomous Vehicle Business Team

  • Carlos Cruz-Casas, Assistant Director of Strategic Planning, Dept. of Transportation and Public Works, Miami-Dade County

  • Patrick Goddard, President & COO, Brightline

  • Marta Viciedo, Founding Partner, Urban Impact Lab

Education: Raising the Bar for All

Conversation leader: Nicole Washington, Washington Education Strategies

Guests:

  • Anitere Flores, State Senator, Florida Senate

  • Fedrick Ingram, President, Florida Education Association

  • Tracy Wilson Mourning, Founder, Honey Shine Mentoring Program

  • Madeline Pumariega, Chancellor, Florida College System

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 8:00 AM.

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