For the first time, an FCCMA Regional Training has been scheduled with a panel of eight successful city and county managers in the region to discuss "leadership" in today's local governments in Florida. This is not an "academic" discussion; rather it's an informal conversation with seasoned practitioners who are faced with leadership decisions on a daily basis. The program is certain to be very informative (and entertaining) as each of these seasoned professionals will provide a different perspective on this important and sometimes elusive topic and offer real examples/situations they've encountered and the lessons learned. Whether you are a student, a young or mid-career professional, department head, assistant manager, or you serve as the CEO (Manager/Administrator in your agency) you don't want to miss this rare opportunity to be part of this conversation. This facilitated program will offer plenty of opportunity for all attendees to question this panel and to comment/challenge their perspectives.

Homelessness is a silent problem that is growing in Florida. Most local governments don't recognize this growing social issue within their communities until it becomes a "political issue." What do you do then? When do you do it? How? Are there best practice alternatives that consider overall demographics, political will and other variables?

This unique and informative program will focus on this topic. Seminole County's  Community Services Director Valmarie Turner will jointly address these questions with the city of Sanford's Senior Project Manager Andrew Thompson. Also participating in this discussion is the city of Sarasota's Special Chronic Homeless Initiative representative Doug Logan. Attendees will hear different perspectives on how to deal with this growing reality for local governments and they will be encouraged to share their experiences/solutions with all attendees. Don't miss this opportunity to attend or to send a representative from your agency, to learn/contribute more about/to this issue.